Hello everyone!

I hope you’re all keeping well. Things are a bit hairy globally at the moment, so I’m really trying to stick to the mantra of ‘focus on what you can control’.

So, some good news on the forefront. At least, I think it’s good news, but it’s good for me unless things go pear-shaped, and that is I am off the pericarditis medications! Not because I am confirmed recovered (as the cardiologist needs to sign off on that), but because my body finally stepped in and rejected any more medication; to the point where it is now about a week in, and I still can’t hold most foods down but I don’t really have a choice. Bonus is that now I have figured out a suitable sleeping configuration, which means I don’t wake up with (too much) lower back pain (the mattress hates me) and very little, if any, chest pain AND I have stopped (I think) throwing up in my sleep.

There is absolutely nothing glamourous about my life the past six or so months since getting vaccinated. It has ended up feeling more like plugging up the little breakages in the dam as it’s about to burst. However, a customer of mine who works in a hospital says that I can expect an improvement in about a weeks time due to the heavy duty meds leaving the system. The recommendation for the time being is rest, hydrate and eat carefully (I had some cheese last night and woke up in the middle of the night in agony) up until I go back to the cardiologist next month for my clearance papers – they will probably be issued begrudgingly but if you literally can’t take the medications prescribed and there isn’t a clear plan B in place, I suppose I win?

The other issue that has crept up alongside this ‘my chest hurts / no exercise / no heartrate increasing’ exile has, unfortunately been, weight. All the good stuff that was happening last year with my Aston RX regiments and KXing and F45ing has pretty much gone out the window. I have opted to revert back to my intermittent fasting routine to stay on top of things and it’s been helping, albeit slowly. I follow the 16/8 routine – 16 hours fasting and 8 hours eating. I normally start my fast between 8pm – 9pm every night, allowing me to start eating around midday and have my coffee early enough that it doesn’t wreck havoc with my sleep patterns, which have jumped all over the shop. I used to follow IF (unintentionally) when I was working in hospitality purely because I would often be too exhausted to eat in the morning after a late finish, but would feel like complete shit for eating late and trying to sleep on a full tummy. There have been benefits felt in the 3-4 weeks I have been feeling a lot less bloated recently, and have not taken as long to recover from bouts of ‘I think I should not have eaten that’ side effects and I tend to eat smaller meals now with less snacking. The weight loss is slow given I do no exercise (not even walking too much given I am not taking any meds) but I have seen a 1kg a week decrease and my lethargy is actually slightly less noticeable.

The main concern I have right now are ongoing headaches. Unfortunately I don’t know if they are related to medicine withdrawals (I was hitting the colchicine pretty hard) OR if they are a progression of neurological issues sighted when I was younger, so that’s next on the agenda with the doc.

In the meantime, how exciting is it that Formula 1 is back?! New season, new cars, new lineups and new dramas (if you are to believe the soap opera that is Drive to Survive Season 4). The season opener is Bahrain kicks off this weekend, and despite my excitement, there is a very big chance I will fall asleep after lights out and wake up with three laps remaining. I’ve got my fingers crossed for a good season for McLaren, as well as seeing how the drivers returning to the grid after time away (Albon, K-Mag and the Hulk) perform. Yes I know there is still a war happening, but there is little we can do to end it, except to pray and donate where we can, so I’m going seek happiness where I can, for as long as we are able to.

There are so many what-ifs ahead – and my partner can tell you that I am a huge fan of ‘what-iffing’; a habit he is trying to break me from – what if it is World War III? What if other nations see Russia’s means as a way to solve their territorial disputes? What if petrol prices shoot up to $3/litre? What if the current government in Australia (the Liberal coalition) refuses to call an election before the deadline, citing extraordinary circumstances (global instability) and effectively instill themselves in power until a time they see fit to call an election? I can’t control any of this, but I can control what is in my little corner of the world. I can control how much news I consume, how bothered I choose to be by customer’s snide comments and how much I stress out over little things. I can choose to forget all these negatives and take respite in the sanctuary my partner has created for me, and I can choose to be happy. By extension, I can choose to be better as stress is apparently one of the major causes of my chest pains. What happens in my corner is on me. So I maintain my IF program (and cheat a little on Sundays), keep up my GP and specialist visits, study, work and watch F1. I write on here as an escape and to maintain my grasp of the English language and to connect with you, albeit through the internet. I do what I can to better myself so that if a major challenge comes up, I am best equipped to handle it as I know it, even amongst the ongoing pandemic and global issues.

*exhale*

Bx