💾 Archived View for capsule.valkyrieshowl.com › gemlog › life-health-laptops.gmi captured on 2024-12-17 at 09:35:04. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Published: 30 November 2024
Well, it's been a couple of months since I last posted an update here and that's because life got quite chaotic very quickly. Time for an update and to re-cap the last two months of my life.
My last gempost[1] was about my consternation having not receiving my new laptop:
New Laptop Update, or my Hate for Amazon Sellers/Delivery Services
I'm pleased to say that a couple of days after contacting the seller and them dispatching a replacement, it finally arrived! So, I'm the proud owner of a second-hand ThinkPad T450s and I absolutely could not be happier with my purchase!
I was weighing up which OS and desktop environment I should go with for my new setup. In the end, I decided to go with Fedora's Sway Atomic rpm-ostree based release. I spent awhile customising my Sway and Waybar setup and eventually came up with this config for my laptop[2]:
Screenshot of my Custom Sway Desktop
I wanted to try something a little different, so I created a sidebar and focused on minimalism. I didn't want too many modules and outputs getting in the way, so I essentially just have the essentials and my workspaces.
Having not used i3/Sway extensively before, the workflow certainly took a little time to get used to. But now I wouldn't change it for anything. I think a tiling window manager and a workspace-based workflow is perfect for a laptop and I've been getting on very well with it. I don't think I'd like to go back to a standard DE at this point, for my laptop at least.
Ah, how I wish my laptop was the only thing I had to focus on this last couple of months. October and most of November has absolutely sucked for me.
Generally I consider myself a healthy person. Over the summer I've been running 10k and 15k distances a fair amount. I did get a little sick towards November, however, and went to a doctor to talk about it. This was where my problems began.
After going to my GP surgery to talk with my doctor, he decided the best course of action was to perform an electrocardiogram (ECG)[3] as part of my diagnostics. Basically, you get a whole load of sticky pads attached to your chest and body with wires on them to check the electrical activity of your heart. I didn't really think much about it at the time as someone that does a lot of cardio and never really having experienced any negative consequences of doing so.
The day after my ECG, I was happily sat at my desktop working on a web project with Python and Flask when my phone rang at 9am. I noticed straight away it was my GP surgery and thought it was odd. It was my doctor on the line who told me there were anomalies in my ECG which he'd showed to a cardiologist. The cardiologist had recommended that I need an echocardiogram[4] and I need to be referred to hospital. The doctor also told me that I must stop exercising and running with immediate effect until they'd worked out what was going on. This news was an absolute disaster for me as running is important not just for physical exercise, but for my mental health too. I was devastated.
Since I live in Wales, UK I'm under the care of the National Health Service (NHS). I have a lot of respect and admiration for the way we do healthcare in this country, particularly having read and heard about many horror stories coming out of the US where folks can't afford basic healthcare. In the UK, healthcare is free at the point of use for anyone that needs it and is paid for by collective taxation. This is the only way healthcare should be, in my opinion.
With all of the good that comes from the NHS, however, it isn't particularly known for being fast. Especially in Wales, which has longer waiting lists than anywhere else in the UK. I was initially told I could be waiting up to 60 weeks for a consultation with a cardiologist. This sent my stress levels through the roof, since I had no real idea what was wrong with me at this point and the thought of not knowing and not being able to exercise for over a year was daunting, to say the least. That's not withstanding the thought that if it was a serious problem, I might not even be here in 60 weeks to go to the appointment at all. The heart is kinda, somewhat an important organ whose function isn't really optional.
At this stage I was looking at my options for paying for an echocardiogram and a consultation with a cardiologist privately.
It turns out, I had to see my GP for something unrelated a few weeks after the news. When I was sitting in his office, he mentioned that I had received a letter inviting me to call the hospital to make an appointment for my echocardiogram. I was like, WHAT?! I had received no such letter.
It turns out they had sent the letter to an address that was similar to my own, but absolutely nowhere near me! What a disaster! I'm very lucky I had that unrelated appointment or I'd never have known about the letter. I spent the rest of the day ensuring people had the correct address on record for me. I also, of course, phoned to make an appointment which they were able to give me 3 weeks hence. I thought it was still a long time to wait, but it sure beats the 60 weeks I was originally given!
As a techie, I still can't believe we're using the regular post for appointments in 2024. Had they just sent correspondence to me via email or some form of online health portal this situation would never have happened and I'd have seen it immediately. There's still lots of room for digital improvement in the NHS it seems.
On the day of my appointment for the echocardiogram towards the end of November, I was understandably nervous. Having travelled there and booked into the waiting room, my pulse was close to 100 just sitting in the chair. For context, it's usually between 50 and 60 while resting! I was thankful my partner was with me to keep me somewhat distracted.
I got taken into a darkened room with the sonographer who spent about 15 minutes poking my chest with some kind of ultrasound device. Outside of the worry, the test is actually really cool. You get to see your heart and it functioning on a screen and occasionally can hear the noises of blood being pumped throughout it. This video[5] shows how it works for those interested:
Tests and Procedures - Echocardiogram
The sonographer I saw was extremely professional and good at her job. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. I love people who are incredibly competent and knowledgable in what they do!
After the test was complete, I had an immediate follow-up appointment in the cardiology outpatients department. There, my blood pressure was taken and I was given another ECG in preparation for an appointment with a consultant cardiologist.
Having spent the last couple of hours being poked, probed, and scanned I had my appointment with the cardiologist who had reviewed why I was referred and all of my tests up until that point. Again, she was exceptionally professional and competent and put me immediately at ease.
She was able to tell me that while the referral was correct and it was worth referring me, the variations in my ECG were normal for some and absolutely nothing to worry about. Furthermore, I have a slightly larger left chamber which is common for those who run and do a lot of cardio to accommodate pumping extra blood which, again, is nothing to worry about. I was discharged immediately with no follow-up action needed and my ordeal was over. She told me I could go back to my regular running routine right away, and encouraged me to do so! My relief was palpable.
I am exceptionally proud of our NHS and how our health system works in the UK. It is not without its flaws and we should always be looking to find ways to improve it and make it more efficient. But the fundamental premise of it and how it works should be something that's never allowed to be altered. I am exceptionally thankful to the staff of the University Hospital of Wales and couldn't be happier with how I was treated when I was there.
This experience has also taught me to never take my health for granted. It's so important and without it, I felt so much more limited and afraid. I aim to enjoy every moment that I'm healthy and every moment that I'm able to run outdoors and enjoy the sights and scenes around me while doing so. Life reminded me that all of that could disappear at a moment's notice and it's important to make the best of things while you can.
I can now go back to focusing on my cool tech pursuits and fitness!
[1] New Laptop Update, or my Hate for Amazon Sellers/Delivery Services
[2] Screenshot of my Custom Sway Desktop
[3] NHS: Electrocardiogram (ECG)
[5] Tests and Procedures - Echocardiogram
Comments and replies to this post are welcome. Feel free to send a cosmic raven to:
![[2] Screenshot of my Custom Sway Desktop](/kennedy.gemi.dev/archive/cached?url=gemini%3a%2f%2fcapsule.valkyrieshowl.com%2fimg%2fsway-desktop.png&t=638700249040000000&raw=False){kind=link}