My Grandmother was right

[Lehaut]

Smashed a coffee cup on the floor on Thursday, followed by a plate when a pot handle fell on it.  I joking said that in this situation my grandmother would have found an old piece of china to smash it, breaking the "it happens in 3s" curse.  But I did not.

In the evening turned on the computer for the home cinema for our evenings entertainment (last episode of the Silo).  Black screen of death with a Linux fatal error (a bit weird as we were running Windows 10).  Wife retired to her computer to watch tennis, youngest and I stripped out the computer I had build 5 years ago.  After much cursing and head scratching (no CD reader, no hard copy W10 repair tool etc) I eventually replaced the SSD with an old HDD and lo and behold the USB W10 installation key burst into life.

SSD Dead, only 5 years old! (Kingston, so not a cheap make)

How things have changed, new Verbatim SSD 256GB cost €18, new key for W10 (the old one is somewhere on the the dead SSD) 17 centimes from CDiscount.

Now to reinstall W10 and find all the passwords for the programmes.

Should have listened to my long dead grandmother.

[menthe]

I'd smile if it was funny, Lehaut.  Just as well you are so clued up on what needs doing!  Me, it would have been panic stations and running round in circles...

But the 3 times thingy MUST have something to it!!!  In the last fortnight, I have fallen 5 times but only 3 times was I unconscious.  And no, I hadn't been drinking if anyone thinks of asking me that!

Serious, rugby injuries kind of falls..in fact, I would have welcomed the brancardiers coming to cart me off.  OH thought I'd died.

Coming back to your grandmother, after my second fall, my Aussie neighbour came round and asked, have you had your THREE!  I thought, well, writing off the car was one, the fall when I bled all over the kitchen tiles was another so, at that time, there was not yet a third.

Until last Friday, in the dead of night, when I got up for the loo, and passed out, hitting my head against the porcelain.  Can testify that porcelain is a hardwearing substance, a lot harder than my head.

Now awaiting IRM, heart man, etc, but yep, I have now had three and hope that I am safe for a bit?

Can't even go down town later to watch those muscular lycra-clad young men peddling down our High Street; too shaky and too nervous to walk and stand around in the sun for hours.

[Judith]

Oh, dear, Menthe, so sorry to hear all this .. so far, in the last 24 hours, I've had slightly bad news (which I hope will end up good), shutter switch broken in the down position ..so we couldn't get out onto the terrace -  I wonder what will be next!  Yes, 3s does seem to be the modus operandum in may cases!  Take care!

 

PS - OH  has manged to get the shutter up, now, but the switch is still totally kaput! Of course it always  happens at the weekend too!!

[Lori]

Oh Menthe, your story sounds terrible !  I'm so sorry you're having to deal with all this.  I hope you are on the road to recovery.  Sounds really painful.

No idea about the 3's thing, but I have heard it before.

Lehaut - at least you managed to figure it out.  I am terrible at these types of things.

Judith - I'm waiting for something like this to happen to our double terrace door volet.  It is not electric, you use the hand crank to roll up/down the volet.  We inherited it when we bought the house.  Though we are grateful to have it, I don't know how long it will last.

 

[Riggers]

Not pleasant but at work we go with  three deaths in a bunch then none for a while,we don’t like having four because that tends to mean two more 

[Judith]

5 hours ago, Lori said:

Judith - I'm waiting for something like this to happen to our double terrace door volet.  It is not electric, you use the hand crank to roll up/down the volet.  We inherited it when we bought the house.  Though we are grateful to have it, I don't know how long it will last.

 

Lori,

I <almost> wish we had those, as you can at least operate them if you have a power cut!  I have found that all the French switches which we inherited in the house have failed at some point or another .. cheap ones I suspect.  The shutter ones are ones we had installed, but again I suspect they all have a built in life span of about 6 years or so .. be grateful for what we have I suppose, but maybe you should think about changing at least the mechanism sooner rather than later ..

[Judith]

5 hours ago, Riggers said:

Not pleasant but at work we go with  three deaths in a bunch then none for a while,we don’t like having four because that tends to mean two more 

Well I have had 2 friends had to give back word on planned meetings due to funerals .. I rather do hope there won't be another too soon ... but that's probably only wishful thinking.

[menthe]

9 hours ago, Lori said:

Oh Menthe, your story sounds terrible !  I'm so sorry you're having to deal with all this.  I hope you are on the road to recovery.  Sounds really painful.

No idea about the 3's thing, but I have heard it before.

Lehaut - at least you managed to figure it out.  I am terrible at these types of things.

Judith - I'm waiting for something like this to happen to our double terrace door volet.  It is not electric, you use the hand crank to roll up/down the volet.  We inherited it when we bought the house.  Though we are grateful to have it, I don't know how long it will last.

 

Thank you, Lori and yes it WAS very painful and very scary.  Why am I passing out like this?  Me who pride myself on my exercise routine and had just returned from mountain walking (that's what I shall call it regardless of what snide remarks I get) in freezing cold and mist and winds to literally push you over.

I even fell in the car park of a resto when I was away.  Came to lying on hard gravel cutting into my arms and legs but a yummy young French man was holding my legs to my chest to get me to wake up.  Yes, very undignified, but at least I didn't hurt other than arms and legs and hips and elbows that time.

Now, face is totally ravaged, nose like a boxer's, eyes swollen and bruised all round and lips like they have been botoxed.  Oh well, just hope the old brain is undamaged!

Appreciate greatly the sympathy, Lori.

[Loiseau]

Oh Mint, I am so sorry to read about your falls. They sound very scary. I always had you down as such a fit person. You certainly need some scans to find the problem. Meanwhile, have you got a stout walking stick? Oh, I think you have walking poles don’t you? Maybe those would help - though I suppose it would be hard to carry anything if using them.
 

Do take care…

[Riggers]

Menthe you definitely need to get this investigated ASAP, and while waiting be careful where you go ,and possibly don’t go out alone 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Riggers
Autocorrect

[Lehaut]

+1 Riggers comment Menthe.

You probably do it anyway, but sit on the edge of the bed and count to 10 before you stand up at night/morning

[Lori]

Yes Menthe, do get it checked out.  It sounds very serious to me.  And follow Lehaut's and Riggers instructions.  My Mom was given the same instructions by her doctor.

And the walking stick is a good idea too.

There must be a reason this is happening.

 

 

 

 

[Lori]

15 hours ago, Judith said:

but maybe you should think about changing at least the mechanism sooner rather than later ..

I'm not sure where to go to find the crank mechanism.  I'll try to give it a search online.

[menthe]

Lori, I promise it's not where you think it is .....  that is, I am not wearing it on any part of my body😂

Loiseau, Riggers and Lehaut, thank you but don't worry.  Certainly the doctor didn't seem too concerned, rather he regarded my face with interest.  My face, that's a picture in itself.....yes, maybe by Picasso or some other "imaginative" artist who can be too free with the blues and violets and yellow and reds; not to mention the distortion of the features.

I am scared but not frightened enough to be immobilised.  Having said that, I have not been out of the house other than the one trip to the toubib's.

By tomorrow, if the heat eases, I expect to venture out in the car but only with OH at the wheel.  Killing myself is one thing but the thought of killing anyone else is too horrifying to contemplate.

[anotherbanana]

Lori, crank mechanism is usually on the side of the box and can be accessed by undoing/ unscrewing a panel at the end.

[Lori]

10 minutes ago, anotherbanana said:

Lori, crank mechanism is usually on the side of the box and can be accessed by undoing/ unscrewing a panel at the end.

Good to know, thank you.  I'll check it out.

[Lehaut]

This might help for the crank part as a start;

https://www.amazon.fr/Sortie-caisson-Articulation-Fabrication-françaises/dp/B096XLHVRV/ref=sr_1_7?crid=I80XQRRL429S&keywords=volet+roulant+manuel&qid=1688971902&sprefix=volet+%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-7

[Lori]

Ahh, thank you Lehaut.  They look like what we'd need.  I'll have to figure out which one fits with the unit we have.  Gotta love Amazon huh !

Menthe - be careful on your outing today.  I'm kinda surprised your doctor didn't take much notice of your falls.  Particularly when your latest one caused such serious injuries.

 

 

[Riggers]

I must admit that I am surprised too especially as they sound more like collapses than falls

[menthe]

I suppose Lori and Riggers, I was perfectly lucid and able to describe to him how the falls came about and what they felt like.  Mind you, the last fall was on Friday 30th and my appointment was on Tues 3rd.  I must say this last was the worst as I hit my head so badly and added new bruises to the ones already received and that hadn't been completely reabsorbed.

Must say that I do feel more "in charge" of myself though nervous about walking outside.  Still, it was displacing all my teeth that I was worried about as I couldn't feel other than pain and couldn't masticate properly for a week.  Now I still have a massive bump on my forehead but no longer have headaches.  The bump feels tender to the touch but I am reluctant to have a hair cut though I need one badly.  Can't bear the thought of anyone touching my head.

The doctor is an older experienced one and I trusted that he would be able to tell if it was really serious.

Thank you both for your concern. 

[Judith]

On 09/07/2023 at 10:18, Lori said:

I'm not sure where to go to find the crank mechanism.  I'll try to give it a search online.

Got to be able to replace them, surely.  Ask at a shutter / store place, they may even do them for you!

 

[Judith]

Well, I now know what no 3 is going to be ... there I was, swimming in the pool about 5.30, hot, 36 in the pool, never gets that warm usually, OH cleaning / vacuuming the pool around me ... there was a sudden loud noise behind us .... plus a grinding / skidding noise, and we turned around to see that the pergola / shade construction over the fish pond had collapsed, it's sides and roof landing on the poor fish and coming to rest against the wall ... took photos, and said ... tomorrow now! At least, unlike Menthe, no-one was hurt, and there is space toget the fish food in.. if they don't eat the grapes which are now dangling in the pool!!

[Riggers]

53 minutes ago, menthe said:

I suppose Lori and Riggers, I was perfectly lucid and able to describe to him how the falls came about and what they felt like.  Mind you, the last fall was on Friday 30th and my appointment was on Tues 3rd.  I must say this last was the worst as I hit my head so badly and added new bruises to the ones already received and that hadn't been completely reabsorbed.

Must say that I do feel more "in charge" of myself though nervous about walking outside.  Still, it was displacing all my teeth that I was worried about as I couldn't feel other than pain and couldn't masticate properly for a week.  Now I still have a massive bump on my forehead but no longer have headaches.  The bump feels tender to the touch but I am reluctant to have a hair cut though I need one badly.  Can't bear the thought of anyone touching my head.

The doctor is an older experienced one and I trusted that he would be able to tell if it was really serious.

Thank you both for your concern. 

You are having further investigations though aren’t you

[menthe]

Yes, Riggers.  Cardiologue to eliminate cardiac insufficiency and IRM to eliminate (I suppose) cranial and/or brain damage?

Don't know what exactly IRM can or cannot show.

 

[Lori]

IRM's can show a lot.  I've had two in my life.  I found it amazing.

Hopefully yours will give you the all clear.  Good you're having these appointments.

Hope you don't have to wait too long for the RDV's.