Cav's Place

Noticing how badly swollen my feet were and seeing that nothing I tried seemed to bring the swelling down in any noticeable way scared me enough that, when I showed pictures to Alma and she urged me to go to a doctor the next day, I actually started considering it. And, since I was likely too worried to sleep anyway, I didn’t even try, leaving just after 6:10 AM and heading to the nearby County Emergency Hospital Ilfov… Only to be turned away by the guards, since I had forgotten that it was still only for COVID-19 patients, being told to go to either Pantelimon or Floreasca. So I turned around, wondering whether I should try to somehow stuff those swollen feet into my running shoes, which seemed about to burst when I had tried in the evening, and try to run before it got hotter, or move the plan for the next day to that day and then go to Floreasca from there. And, by the time I got back, at or maybe just after 6:50 AM, I had decided on that second option, so I had a bit to eat and left again at 8:35 AM.

That second option involved taking all of those 330 ml bottles of kefir which had gathered, plus one 500 ml one stained by what had been in it, to a pet blood bank which had asked for plastic bottles of 500 ml or less to use as ice packs for the blood transports. I sent them a message to ask whether those were all right and they said yes, and while at first I meant to go there Tuesday, considering the plan to run Monday, and had told them so, I just sent another message to let them know I’ll try to come that day and got there just after 10 AM, after wandering around that area for a little while, at first going the wrong way at the last intersection. Then I just went in, handed over the bottles… And banged my head on my way out, the place being partially below street level, which means climbing stairs and needing to bend your head as you go out the door, and I forgot about this second part…

An earlier version of the plan for that day also included stopping by a location of the Library to grab another book, but when passing by a different location, which is closed these days, I realized I had forgotten my pass. But that was irrelevant anyway, since I was thinking that I’ll be seen at Floreasca relatively quickly and then get to the family doctor, to see what she had to say about it even though I don’t trust her in the least, just as she’ll start her schedule for that day, which dad had said was supposed to be at 2 PM, and getting to that location of the Library meant making another significant detour on the way from the hospital to the clinic. However, while I did get to Floreasca when I assumed I would, being in line at triage at 10:30 AM, my turn came just under an hour later, I was sent inside after explaining the problem and was initially called into the room around 11:45 AM, my expectations of being checked quickly and, most preferably, be told that it wasn’t an emergency and sent on my way were far off the mark… Though, much to my relief, so were my concerns that, on the contrary, the problem will turn out to be an emergency and they’ll need to act right away.
When I was first called inside, I thought it shouldn’t be much of a problem to be back out by 12:30 PM, so in 45 minutes, giving me plenty of time to get to the clinic according to that plan I had made. However, almost immediately after I was called inside, a more serious case was brought in and I was asked to wait outside again, and 12:30 PM came and went while I was still on the hallway, only finally being formally admitted at 12:54 PM, that exact time being clear in my mind since I was asked to write it on the form. Then they asked some more questions, looked at my feet, drew blood twice, sent me to another room to have an ultrasound, performed an electrocardiogram, checked my blood pressure and oxygen level and left me waiting in a bed, where I still was around 2 PM, when the shift apparently changes, so the team that was there until then gave the details of the cases to those coming to replace them, more waiting following as the new team took over and determined priorities.
I must state here and now that I in no way blame the staff for all the waiting. The only ones I was dissatisfied with were the doctor who did that first ultrasound, who just rushed me out of there with a list of insufficiencies and fluid accumulations, literally telling me “we don’t have time to talk”, and possibly also his assistant, who was just entering what he was saying on the computer, without any involvement. But, over all the hours I spent there, I’d say that six “main” people handled my case, unless I’m forgetting someone and there were in fact even more, and around ten more, including those two I mentioned, were more or less briefly involved, and I have no complaints about any of the others, the experience going completely against my concerns and low expectations when it comes to the medical system. They were dedicated and professional while also managing to maintain a good mood and trying to spread it to the patients despite all the effort they were making, and perhaps more importantly, most truly seemed to care, about me and the others who were there, even those who had an attitude or weren’t exactly cooperating, and at least in my case they really tried to get to the bottom of it, put me through all the tests their protocols and equipment allowed them to put me through in order to find the actual cause instead of just dealing with the immediate symptoms. For that matter, I wasn’t given any sort of treatment, the fact that the ultrasound hadn’t revealed any blood clots likely making them decide that the visible problem was something that didn’t need immediate attention.
Getting back to what actually happened, I was still waiting in that bed around 3 PM, when the doctor who took over my case got back to me to tell me a few things, including that they were seeing a clear cardiac insufficiency which isn’t too serious at the moment but can worsen, and when I asked how long I should expect to still be there that day, he said it should be ten or 15 minutes until someone will come to take me to have a chest X-ray, and then it depends how long it’ll take until the next tests he’ll ask for will get done, it might be another 15 minutes, it might be another hour. And I guess he did finish his part in that time, the discussions I occasionally heard between them, about what the next tests should be for me, seeming to eventually lead to the conclusion that I shouldn’t be put through something else at that moment, and that my case should be taken over by another doctor.
So I was moved back from the bed to a chair and told to wait for that new doctor to look over my case and form an opinion, and what followed was a lot of waiting. And a problem was that I need to pee, so I tried to wait, but eventually, at some point after 4 PM, maybe even after 4:30 PM, I stood up and hesitantly stepped towards the door, at which point the doctor whose care I had first been under after the change of shift asked whether I had something to do, and then told me where the bathroom was when I asked. Then I got back to the room and continued to wait, at one point noticing that a woman seemed to be in trouble and pointing it out to the doctors, as they were all at the desks, though that apparently turned out to not be that serious either. And, after she did something for that woman and one other patient who was sitting next to me and, rather concerningly, seemed to have a fever that wasn’t breaking, this third doctor managed to get to me as well, and after a look at my feet and a few questions she apparently brought the cardiology department on my case, for a heart ultrasound.
At this point I find myself wanting to mention other reasons for concern, like an apparently known drug user brought in after having intentionally overdosed on medication having previously reported that she had tuberculosis, though the staff was saying that there was no actual confirmation of it on her file, and the one who seemed to be in charge during that shift saying at one point that COVID-19 protocols had been breached, someone confirmed with the Delta variant having simply walked in without as much as a mask, and after that point I repeatedly heard discussions about the staff being tested. And I was in a hospital for so many hours, next to plenty of other people with various problems, and sitting on beds or chairs that others had sat on. But let’s hope I won’t learn I came out of there with more problems than I had when I went in.
To again return to what actually happened, that heart ultrasound was in complete contrast with that first one, the machinery being brought to that main room and the procedure being performed with the utmost care, taking quite a lot of time but apparently checking every detail they could think of, and then also having a quick look in my abdomen, though the doctor admitted he didn’t really know much about that and was only looking to get an idea, see if anything obvious would stand out, which wasn’t the case… And, even better, this detailed ultrasound did not confirm that cardiac insufficiency that was initially reported, and they looked as hard as they possibly could to see whether anything at all was wrong and didn’t seem to really find anything. They maintained the diagnosis of venous insufficiency and said that my body is clearly reacting to a perceived cardiac insufficiency, a hormone that reveals this being well above the limit, but they can’t actually see anything wrong in any way. And it was that doctor who was also the first to mention a kidney problem as the potential cause, though that was the first thing I was worried about, at least after thinking that it might have been something caused by the vaccine after all, this part about the vaccine also being what I had said at triage and when I was admitted. So he asked me to give a urine sample, which I went back to the toilet to do, but that didn’t reveal any proteins, which he said was what he was looking for. It did reveal ketone bodies, but they didn’t seem to care about that, and there’s also the fact that I had been there since morning, hadn’t drank anything since the previous night, and it was close to 6 PM, if I remember correctly, so the fact that nothing even worse showed up is somewhat surprising.
Since I mentioned 6 PM, it was likely around that time when I started being told that it’ll just be a little longer, the cardiology department just had to find time for their report and then all those involved had to have a discussion and agree on the final recommendations. But it was likely before that point, or possibly even before that heart ultrasound, or even while waiting for the third doctor to get to me the first time, when I stained my shirt with the iodine from one of the bandages on my arm, where blood had been drawn, but I washed it all off in the sink from that room, also cleaning the front of my pants a little as well, since I thought I saw a small stain there as well. Either way, after things had rather died down for a while, patients started flooding in again and I even ended up standing in a corner, with no places left to even sit, at least taking the opportunity to pull up those drapes for those passing through with their hands full or with stretchers, doing just that little thing to help when I really wanted to do more, even meaning to ask whether I could help in any way, even clean something, though I couldn’t get myself to do so and I’m sure it’d have been pointless anyway. The one who seemed in charge noticed me and asked why weren’t they done with me already, and to at least find me a place to sit, which resulted in a bed soon being cleared and being asked to sit on it even though I said they were likely going to need it for another patient… And that soon proved to be the case, so it was only minutes later when I was quite apologetically asked to wait on the hallway again.
As I was waiting, two of the doctors, the third one who took over my case and apparently brought the cardiology department in on it and the cardiologist who didn’t operate the ultrasound, took a moment the couple of times they walked past me to apologize for the wait and tell me it’ll just be a little longer and the cardiologists just had to find time between the other patients to write their report, but it wasn’t their fault, I understood the situation and, as I even told that third doctor at one such moment, in a way it’s a good thing if you find yourself at the bottom of the priority list in an emergency hospital, since it means you’re not an emergency. And after a while things were calming again, so even though that “little longer” turned out to be anything but, my turn did eventually come, at almost 9:30 PM.
Well, after being shockingly calm throughout the day, that was when I got worried again, since I was told that their recommendation was to transfer me to another hospital, where I was to be hospitalized for some more thorough tests which can’t be done otherwise, and which also can’t be done in an emergency hospital. After being told multiple times that I will be released after they’ll find the time to put everything together, and even the cardiologist who was talking to me then saying, after that heart ultrasound, that they had no reason to hold me, that came as quite a shock, and I obviously refused, and started getting quite agitated, still holding it together but not knowing for how long, and repeating that I just wanted to go home. That meant I didn’t cooperate when I was told they wanted one more blood test, the nurse who was supposed to draw the blood walking away when she saw how I reacted, but after making sure that I could just refuse the transfer and be able to leave that evening, and also being assured that the test in question really won’t take long, I could recover enough to allow it. The doctor did try to persuade me to accept the transfer a little more, and actually told others that she was going to do that, but after telling her that I’m surprised I managed to hold it together for all those hours, considering my anxiety, and that as long as I’ll physically be able to walk away I will firmly refuse any hospitalization, she gave up.
It was just after I first refused the transfer that dad called, having apparently just gotten back and asking where I was. I had been alone those days and had sent him an e-mail the night before to ask about the family doctor’s schedule but say that otherwise it was something I had to deal with on my own, yet he had called once before, in the morning, as I was on my way to that pet blood bank, to say that he had spoken to some other doctor about swollen feet and that guy told him some things and also said I should use a certain gel, which he had already bought. That was obviously infuriating, and also sapped my resolve to do anything, so at the time I just repeated that I said I had to handle it and then pretty much stayed silent until he hung up, but this second call coming right at that moment likely helped me regain some balance just when I felt my control was slipping away, and the fact that I was given a bit of time to talk by the doctors definitely helped.
So I then allowed that new nurse to draw blood for that last test and talked some more with the cardiologist, who told me they wanted to transfer me to Coltea in order to run tests for chronic illnesses, since they can just deal with the potential emergencies, and also mentioned the clinic where my family doctor is, which actually has a part for athletes that also seems to be called Coltea, so I was confused, unsure which was which, and what she said when I asked didn’t really help, or I guess I wasn’t in a state in which I understood things well anymore. Either way, she said she also wanted to have my resistance to effort tested, and was also wondering whether that hormone that normally indicates cardiac insufficiency couldn’t be at those levels just because I’m an athlete, meaning that it could actually be normal and admitting that she didn’t know anything about that. They had also listed me as a performance athlete, and when I said I’m in no way anything of the sort she said she can barely run two kilometers, so from her perspective I am and that’s how it stays. In fact, after the second doctor asked me, when taking over my case, whether I used to be an athlete and I told him it was quite the other way around, I used to be very sedentary but started running in 2015, ran my first half marathon in 2016 and my first marathon in 2018, while the significant worsening of my times lately is for me a clear indicator of some health problem, I heard them share that bit of information whenever a new person was brought in on my case… While at the same time saying that this worsening performance I’m noticing is “highly subjective” and asking me whether I noticed that I’m tiring more easily when I do chores or walk, when to me that seems a highly subjective assessment while the worsening times are completely objective.
Back to that talk with the cardiologist, she said that some more complex tests, possibly including those, would only be carried out if I’m hospitalized, they won’t be done if I just go there for the day, and also said that I could have them done in a private clinic, but that would obviously cost a lot of money. But since I was clearly refusing hospitalization they didn’t even list those in the recommendations, though I was left uncertain whether I have to go to my family doctor and see where she’ll send me or can show up directly at Coltea with the documents and they’ll perform those tests. I’d obviously prefer this second option, to have it all done in one place and avoid my family doctor, which I don’t trust at all, but since I have no idea how it works, or even whether they’ll still be free if I didn’t accept that transfer, at the moment I’m just putting off even really thinking about it… Which I shouldn’t be doing, and the cardiologist also said that I really shouldn’t stop investigating this matter at that point, because something is definitely wrong and ankles that look that badly at my age and weight indicate a serious problem that they couldn’t identify, I should obviously also see why my body acts as if I have a cardiac insufficiency, and I clearly have anemia and they stressed that I needed to have that checked out and see whether there’s any bleeding, possibly even internal, that might explain it, because it’s quite a problem… And indeed, at a first glance on my blood tests one would wonder whether anything is right, but a second glance reveals that nearly everything that’s not within the normal range indicates or is otherwise connected to an obvious anemia.
Moving on, it was around 10 PM when another doctor, who seemed to be the last one to take over my case, for that final part of getting those who had been involved to agree and putting everything together, said that she was just going to staple all the papers together and I’ll finally be able to leave… Only to then realize that the third doctor hadn’t written her opinion, so she called her and told me to wait just a little longer, since she’ll be there in a moment… And while she did indeed get there quickly, she wrote more than one full page by hand, which she had actually been doing throughout the day. That took quite some time, as you can imagine, and then she talked to me a little as well, and then the others had to find a moment to make copies of those pages by taking pictures with a phone and then printing them out, keeping the original and giving me the copies. And this happened when another patient had been brought in that seemed to require the attention of multiple people, including the cardiologist, so I didn’t get a chance to talk to her one last time, since I’d have wanted to thank her for all the time and effort and care and apologize in case she was bothered because I refused the transfer after she might have struggled to be allowed to go through with it. I did manage to just briefly thank that third doctor and, just as I was leaving, this last one, just after they both apologized one more time for how long everything took, but I had rehearsed something to say, asking them to also thank all the others who had been involved on my behalf, and I just couldn’t get myself to say that part of it, sadly. And I really wanted to thank them for their care and involvement, regardless of how long it took and the fact that the initial recommendation scared me so much.

Was finally out of there at 10:55 PM, and realized as I was about to cross the road that I had forgotten to check whether there was any bin for used masks at the hospital exit, since I really didn’t want to come back with that one worn in there for so long, even if I normally keep them in a paper bag to throw them in the proper bin when I go to Kaufland. But there was a pharmacy just there, across the road from the hospital, that was still open, so after a few steps I turned around and went in, looking for a bin for masks and then pretending to check out some products before looking again and, when I couldn’t spot any, taking off the mask and asking the guard whether there was any place where I could throw it. But she told me to keep it, in case I’ll still need it, so I just said that, after wearing it for 12 hours in the hospital, I’m definitely not keeping it and will throw it away outside, which I did, in the first garbage bin I saw, even though that’s definitely not the proper way when it comes to masks.
It was soon after that when dad called again, and while he did say we’ll talk at home after a little while, I had started ranting and things just came flooding out, so I kept telling him about the day as I walked and I obviously didn’t pay enough attention to where I was going, since at Obor I went the wrong way. He had just asked me how long it’ll be until I’ll get back and I saw the metro station, so it was obvious where I was and told him how long it should take me from there, and the call didn’t last much longer after that, but instead of continuing in that direction I obviously ended up turning right and only realized it much later, when I happened to see the street name when I was pretty much at the end of that section of it… And if I’d have continued, I should have recognized that intersection and turned left, to at least get to Iancului Square. There should actually be a slightly shorter route from there, but I’m talking of routes I clearly know. But since I didn’t take those last few steps, I didn’t end up in that spot, didn’t quite know where I was, and actually thought it was more likely that I had walked on that street in the other direction and my only option was to go back, so that was what I did… Until what was probably a prostitute seeming about to approach me in an intersection made me turn left instead of going straight ahead, to try to avoid her, and when I did so I ended up in a spot I did recognize, as I had just passed through there on the way to that pet blood bank, so I could get back from there. So I went back all that way when just a few more steps forward would have significantly cut my losses, but at least I got back here eventually, at 12:30 AM. Then I had to shower with mostly cold water, started eating dinner at 3:50 AM and got in bed just after 5:30 AM.

As for my feet, oddly enough, they looked much better when I got back, despite all the walking and standing. That’s just about my feet, however, since my ankles were awfully swollen. But even those were much better even the next day, and since then I wouldn’t say I’d have normally noticed anything wrong. Now that I’m paying attention I see that there’s still a bit of swelling, at least sometimes, but it’s nothing that would in any way approach what I saw then, which makes me wonder whether the vaccine didn’t actually have something to do with it after all, even though the doctors were dismissing the idea. I mean, there are probably some existing ailments that would cause such symptoms, and it’s still my kidneys that I’m mainly worried about, even though they apparently confirmed at least the venous insufficiency, but the vaccine might have acted as a trigger and enhancer, making this happen at that time and with such severity.
Of course, my natural tendency is to try to forget about all of it. Even when I woke up the next day I couldn’t quite believe all of that actually happened, thought I had just dreamed it for a moment, and now I’d much rather just put those tests and recommendations away and just keep pushing forward, despite the obvious problems revealed by my constantly worsening run times, on top of obvious symptoms such as these. But I know I really shouldn’t do that, and also still want to handle it on my own, one way or the other, so let’s see what I’ll manage to do next and when. I’d sure like to avoid my family doctor if I can, however…

There seemed to be a fair amount of pushback lately against such privacy violations and treating everyone as criminals in general, including by powerful enough forces to make authorities think twice about pushing forward, but it seems that method two still works, since the European Parliament approved by a large majority the proposal to allow the scanning of all private messages for child sex abuse. Worse, while at the moment this only allows such scanning, the next step is to make it mandatory, and that seems set to happen within months. Even the European Data Protection Supervisor and the Council of Europe expressed concerns, but the vast majority of MEPs didn’t even care about that.
Sure, the major providers already scan messages for advertising purposes, which is a practice that also needs to stop, but encrypted ones are a different matter, it’s not something mandated, and soon required, by the highest authorities, some formal efforts actually being made to push back against it, and something flagged, often in error, by such a scan doesn’t carry legal consequences. So this is entirely different, it means that any expectation that private messages will continue to be, well, private must be thrown away, that people will be even more likely to get in a whole world of trouble because of errors of automated systems, that those tasked with dealing with the real cases of abuse will be even more overworked, needing to go through endless piles of irrelevant messages, and that, once methods to get around encryption will be implemented, it’ll only be a matter of time, and usually a short amount of time, before criminals and other shady actors will exploit them. And it marks another step, a very clear and firm one, down the slippery slope towards the “Big Brother” state.
Now it remains to be seen what the court challenge, if there will indeed be one, will result in, how big the backlash from the public, organizations and maybe also some companies from the field will be and what, if any, effects that will have, and what comes next, but at this point all signs point in an awful direction. So keep an eye on the campaign site if you’re in any way interested, in the cause but also in your own personal digital life and not being treated as a criminal by default, or even possibly getting in an entire world of trouble over nothing…

Friday I had the second dose of the vaccine, so I’ll catch up on the rest at some later point and this post will just be about that day, which started at 9 AM, when the alarm woke me up. I was drizzling as I was getting ready, but I left at 10:45 AM, also taking the paper to drop off in a recycling bin, and at that point it was sunny. The forecast was listing possible storms later, which was worrying and made me take the jacket in my backpack, but even though there were some clouds and the wind picked up at a point when I was on my way from Kaufland to Carrefour, that was it, and by the time I left Carrefour to finally be on my way back here it was even sunny again.
Returning to the vaccine, I should mention that it was Wednesday when I was first woken my the SMS from the system, reminding me of the date and time of the second dose as I had selected it, so Friday at 5 PM, then by the call that followed it soon after I had managed to get back to sleep, which I didn’t answer and was in turn followed by another SMS stating that the call had been from the vaccination center and asking me to call them, which I couldn’t do even if I’d have wanted to. Also had an e-mail from the system to go along with that first SMS, but then there was nothing else until 10:53 AM on Friday, when I apparently received another SMS from the vaccination center, again asking me to call them. That was followed by another identical SMS at 10:59 AM and two more at 11:01 AM, with a call in between, at 11:00 AM, so right at the time when they had told me to come, regardless of what was in the system. But there was traffic and, while I had taken my headphones with me, I kept them in the backpack on the way there, so I didn’t even notice until I got to the clinic and checked the time, seeing 11:05 AM.
That made me also mention that I had just been called after telling the guard that I was scheduled for vaccination, and he invited me into the first room and handed me the paper to fill and a pen, leaving me to it until someone else came as I was almost finished and helped me with the few things I was uncertain about. Then I was told to go back to the hallway and take a seat until I’ll be called, but I was called immediately… Only to then be told that I should go back and wait after all, since the vaccine had to be out of the refrigerator for 15 minutes before being used and it had apparently only been taken out when I got there. Also, the woman who would give me the vaccine was asked to go to someone else, in another part of the clinic, while I waited, which she briefly did even though she initially said she had vaccinations to do. And it was also while I was waiting when I saw the only other potential vaccine recipient that came while I was there, and she wasn’t scheduled, just asking whether she could get it and being turned away by the guard without actually being refused directly this time around, since he just told her that they only had the Moderna vaccine there, which made her pause for a moment and then ask about the Pfizer one, walking away when she was told that the center in the nearby mall had that one.
Either way, I was back in at 11:15 AM and got the shot. Felt the needle as it went in this time around, and it also seemed to take a while and I saw a bit more blood when I took away that cotton ball I had to press there for a moment, but at least I was done with that part… And they seemed relieved as well, saying they had gotten rid of the one scheduled for 5 PM. I’m not sure what else was going on there at that time, however, since while I was waiting for those required 15 minutes there was a woman, possibly the one who had asked the one who gave me the shot to come over earlier, who walked back and forth for a while, talking to someone on the phone and saying she’s in conflict with the clinic. But the staff member apparently tasked with watching over those who had received the shot, who hadn’t been there the first time around, just seemed rather bored, and the guard even more so, even saying at one point that time passes too slowly, which is quite understandable, seeing as they quite obviously have very little to do, considering the massive reduction in the interest for the vaccine and the fact that most of those who do still want it likely go to the centers opened in malls or markets or other such places, or the drive-in ones. I guess I could have helped a little by asking about the side effects during those 15 minutes, but it was only after they passed and I got up to leave that I asked whether I should expect worse this time around, very briefly mentioning what I experienced after the first dose when asked. Was just told that it’s not a rule and I may not even experience anything after the second one though.

It was 11:35 AM when I left, and while the next point on my route was Auchan, when I went past the Mall I decided to also go in and have a look, checking a bookstore and looking for a location of the store we gathered in before this summer’s Dream Trek, since I won discount vouchers only valid until the end of the month and I seemed to remember that they had a location there as well. Well, they don’t, but I could only be sure of that after getting back and checking, because there don’t seem to be any maps or store lists in that place! Either way, I then also checked a Turkish bakery I had discovered after getting the first dose, meaning to get something but eventually deciding against it, also quickly checked a Mega Image, and out of curiosity looked through the menu of a pizza place.
Once I was finally in Auchan, I got what I meant to get and a couple of other things… Which included more of something I had purchased a few days earlier from Kaufland at a higher price and haven’t yet used, so that was annoying, but at least it’s something that won’t spoil and I could take advantage of the discount to some extent. And, on that note, Kaufland was the next point on my route, and I got what I meant to get from there as well. That included 30 pieces of Liza’s food, and since customers can only enter the number for products that don’t have a bar code at the self-checkout, I asked an employee and she logged on and entered 30 pieces, so I didn’t have to scan them one by one. The cabinet again required a few tries to open, but it eventually worked and I could continue on my way.
As I already mentioned, on my way to the last point on my route, the Carrefour from the park, I was worried that the storm was going to come, and things were already rather hard to carry, in good part because of the bag of cat litter I just learned I shouldn’t have purchased, since it’ll be just over 25% cheaper starting on Wednesday and we won’t need it by then. And the fact that I was carrying so much was probably also what made the people I passed by just before reaching Carrefour change their mind about really approaching me and handing me a can of something my mother occasionally asks for, as they were doing for pretty much everyone else, and I obviously didn’t stop to actually ask for one.
Another concern was that I was almost out of bread and hadn’t found any of the kinds I might get in either Auchan or Kaufland… And once I got to Carrefour I saw that the one I might normally get from there was again only available sliced. However, I managed to find two or three of another kind I could consider and grabbed one, to get me through the next few days, even if it has a fair bit of white flour and it’s too expensive for its ingredients. Then I got the other things I wanted and could leave, though it’s a good thing I noticed that the cashier only moved one of the bunches of bananas, leaving the other on the belt.
Took quite some time to arrange everything in the bags and backpack before exiting that mall, and then again once outside, but I did have sturdy bags and the backpack, and there was no trace of that potential storm anymore, so I could carry everything and got back here at 5:05 PM, the total weight, including everything, having been 22 kg. On the other hand, dad annoyed me again in the evening when he said he threw away a bread I had bought for him on Tuesday, also taking the time to slice it since it was unsliced and he had bought some that was pretty much the same, only sliced, for significantly more before. I had told him at the time that if I’ll leave it out of the freezer he needed to eat it soon, but instead he left it there, even got himself another for the next day, then took it with him when he went to my mother on Thursday, but they decided to leave it for the next day even then, and when they finally meant to eat it they obviously found it moldy and threw it away.

As for the symptoms experienced after the vaccine, there was a strange feeling in that spot and a slight burning sensation spreading in my arm right after getting the shot, but that burning sensation went away quickly. The pain in that spot did increase over the evening, but only to a moderate level, and then it actually seemed to be going away at night, just that strange feeling, like something was just wrong in that spot, being left. The way I was feeling in general was quickly getting worse, however, in the evening already feeling like I had felt the day after the first dose, and when I took my temperature when I went to the kitchen at night I saw 39.2°C! I was really crushed, barely even sitting, weak, exhausted, rather dizzy, pains and aches jabbing me, those around my ears being the worst, skin feeling like it was burning, even having some chills… There even seemed to be a bit of crap in my nose and chest and coughed a few times. And what made me unable to just sleep once I did finally get to bed was that I decided to make myself another tea at night and drank it not long before going to bed, so I kept needing to get up to pee.
Took my temperature again after getting up and saw 37.6°C, so it was still higher than that 37.4°C that was the most I saw the first time around, but I was actually already feeling much better overall, and the pain in my arm wasn’t constant, but only appearing when I moved it in certain ways, and being significantly less intense than the first time around even then. And it all improved over the course of that day, the general symptoms mostly going away before night came and the range of motion and strength of the arm also improving, fewer moves causing pain and said pain not being bad even then. The sluggishness and brain fog were going away much more gradually, my neck remained quite stiff and I still had a mild headache, but overall it could be said that the symptoms were rather compressed, what I felt on Saturday the first time around taking place, at a higher intensity, between Friday evening and Saturday morning, and Saturday being more like Sunday was back then, and likely even better by the time I went to bed this morning.

What worries me right now, however, is that my feet are really swollen, and my right hand seems to be as well. It is hotter now, and I ran a half marathon distance this week and then walked and carried a lot multiple times, and the socks I wore since Friday night might be a bit tight at the top, and there has been some swelling in similar conditions before, but I really doubt it ever got to this level, probably not even close, though it’d be wrong to say I’m completely certain of that, seeing as I only really noticed it this evening this time around, but now that I think of it my feet didn’t look right when I showered Friday evening, or more exactly Friday night, either, and when I left that morning I actually asked out loud why my shoes felt so tight. So it probably isn’t something caused by the vaccine, but it is also possible that it’s making it worse, and either way it’s a sign of something being wrong. There’s no pain, redness or bruising, my right hand seems a bit warmer than my left but otherwise the swollen areas are clearly colder than other body parts, as extremities generally are, and I just took my temperature again and I no longer have a fever, so those symptoms of something serious aren’t present, but it may well be a sign of kidney problems, or at least that’s the first thing I think of, though it’s clearly not the only possibility. I still mean to run tomorrow, however, and then have a long walk planned for Tuesday, but let’s see how things develop and what I can do about it.

Since I tend to post the submissions I send to The Guardian, even more so when I need non-personal posts, I’m going to add this one I actually sent over two weeks ago as well. It’s a reaction to an article about moving to a cashless society, or to that one and a second one as well. Not that I haven’t kept saying this with every opportunity, but either way, here it is:

“This switch to a cashless society is just another consequence of people handing over control for the sake of convenience, with potentially disastrous consequences, even more so for those who’d rather not. And we’re not even talking of convenience when it comes to something positive, beneficial to the one making said choice, but of more easily handing over money, which is something one should think carefully about, not do as carelessly as possible.
So I for one stick strictly to cash and won’t budge on that. Cash is entirely under your control and watch, can count it to know how much you have at any moment, physically seeing and holding it helps with budgeting, taking just as much as you intend with you makes it physically impossible to overspend, if any is stolen or lost you immediately notice, anyone taking any of it from you counts as theft, your pocket or wallet don’t charge fees for holding your cash or releasing it back to you, no businesses or authorities get rights to just take from your cash, no errors or regulations or other issues may block you from using your cash at any moment…
To give up on all of that for the “convenience” of more easily and thoughtlessly spending money, which the large majority of people have too little of to begin with, is sheer insanity… And sadly fits with many other troubling behavior patterns that are and have been all too common, with the consequences we all see…“

In the previous personal post, I skipped ahead as we started running, a few minutes after the scheduled time of 9:03 PM, at sunset. We did that directly, with no warmup, since it was raining and we were already running late. The rain soon eased, however, and with everyone bar me and one other guy having rushed to put their jackets on before starting, they started trying to get them off while running. Still, there were puddles, some of them large, and we were running through some dark areas, plus that at that hour there was traffic, and plenty of people on the sidewalks as well, so avoiding them wasn’t that easy and I ended up stepping in a few. Some were saying that soon enough it won’t matter anymore, I guess because we’ll be too wet to notice, but it wasn’t as bad as the forecast might have made us believe even then, and for the rest of the run it was actually just fine, with some moments of light rain but nothing notable, and the puddles became fewer and smaller as we went along. There seemed to have been quite a gust of wind at some point, however, maybe before the rain started, while we were still in the mall, since we ran past a fallen tree in an area I should have seen on my way there, and Radu also shouted and said he hadn’t seen it earlier either, indicating he lives around here as well. Otherwise, I got some warnings from my right knee, but there was nothing notable, that first part actually seeming too easy. And we had a refreshment point during it, where I drank a bottle of protein milk, I think the vanilla one, and took two protein bars, one of each kind, eating the chocolate and mint one and leaving the white chocolate and strawberry one in my pocket, and also grabbed and ate a couple of bagels before the stuff was gathered.

The first half, or maybe even the first two thirds, of the second part also felt easy and I was staying with those in the lead. The group even split at one point and I stayed with those who rushed ahead, albeit hesitantly, but before the split it’s certain that staying ahead helped at Izvor Park, where we stopped at the toilets and, after not going when we stopped at a gas station during the first part, I ended up the second one at the better toilet that’s there, so I didn’t have to resort to one of the others or have Radu try to pressure me to do so to reduce the waiting time, as it happened to those who were after me. Forgot to stop the stopwatch while waiting for the first guy, however, and while I realized it after a while and then tried to compensate by starting it a similar amount of time later once we got going again, that was obviously a very rough estimate. Otherwise, at the refreshment point I got the chocolate protein milk and a strawberry bar, which was awfully sweet, the combination having unpleasant effects on my stomach, the few bagels I also got not seeming to help too much. And I peed again at Opera’s Park, rushing after that guy who had reached that toilet at Izvor ahead of me as well but seeing him going in the bushes, the toilet not working, so I did the same. I was starting to tire at that point, however, on top of the stomach problems, and I meant to reassess the situation after that part, wondering what to do because I wanted to complete the third as well, but I doubted I’ll be able to keep up and couldn’t recall the route, the return one in particular, so I was trying to get myself to suggest splitting into two groups, one taking it easy and just finishing that part and another for those certain they’ll go to the end and can maintain the pace required, Radu already saying we were behind schedule because the breaks had been too long.

There was another refreshment point at the end of part two, and considering how my stomach felt I got a bottle of water instead of the protein milk, and searched for a mint bar, another guy doing the same, but while I thought I had found some in a box and handed him one as well, we then both had a better look and realized those were strawberry bars as well, and we only got mint ones after the girl managing the refreshment points asked what we were searching for and handed us a box of those bars from the car, saying there were none left in the trunk, probably in an attempt to get people to eat some of the others as well, most avoiding them because they were so terribly sweet. Likely got some bagels again as well, if I saw some, but I’m not entirely sure, and either way I can’t say they helped, and the water actually seemed to make things worse, so I really felt like I needed to take a shit, on top of being exhausted. And I wasn’t the only one, at least one girl asking for a working toilet in the area, but nobody seemed to know of any and we kept going as we were… All in one group, because despite having spent the previous few kilometers trying to prepare myself to suggest that split, I couldn’t get myself to say anything, so I just tried to run as efficiently as possible, taking it bit by bit.

What surprised me was that I was managing to hold on to the group. I had to push for it, and it was a loose group and I thought I was among the last in it, but after a while I realized with even greater surprise that I was in fact once again among the last in the leading group, since there had been another split, the others vanishing behind and Radu catching up to us when some were wondering whether to stop and wait and saying we’ll regroup at Victory Square. So we kept going until we got there, and I still managed to avoid falling behind, though the fact that we had to wait for quite a few minutes for the others to catch up at that point was definitely quite a relief. I’m not entirely sure what caused such a large gap, however, one possible reason being that the good runner who had kept rushing ahead before then had fallen, but despite having scraped knees he still reached us well before the others, having ended up between the groups. But at least everyone seemed to be there once we did regroup, so we continued to Arcul de Triumf and I still managed to hold on to the group… Though I’m not sure what I did with my stopwatch, since when I pressed the button to stop it and looked when we got there, it was running, so one option is that I didn’t press that button properly, but another is that I had stopped it earlier, maybe when I saw a red light on the way and assumed we’ll stop but we ended up crossing anyway, since there was no traffic, if not even shortly after starting again, when I thought we might stop one more time before leaving the Victory Square area, and then forgot to start it again, in which case quite a lot of time wasn’t counted and the actual running time is significantly longer than what was listed at the end.
Either way, the need to take care of a certain pressing need was quite desperate by then, and not just for me. I even heard the leader of the team I was in last year tell someone else that her legs weren’t hurting, but her stomach was, and when we stopped for another picture at that point that other girl who had asked for a proper toilet between parts two and three insisted once again, so Radu checked to see how long we had until reaching one with running water and toilet paper and also said we’ll cut through Herastrau Park, reducing the distance by some 200 meters, since the planned route would have taken us around that part of it. The distance was still significant, his initial estimate, before deciding to cut through the park, being 18 minutes, but it was enough to keep everyone going, though a few had seemed inclined to stop at Arcul de Triumf at first. I’ll also make a note of the fact that we had to avoid frogs again while we ran through the park, and since it was also dark I’m not sure everyone managed to avoid stepping on any, but what was stranger was that there seemed to have been even more in a certain area we passed through before the park, right on the sidewalk, though I can’t recall whether that was earlier on part three or somewhere on part two anymore.
After thinking that some lights I saw ahead were that gas station and pushing to be among the first ones there only to realize that I was wrong and had exhausted myself even more too soon, it sure was a relief when we did finally get there and I was among the several who took care of that pressing need. Just partially, but when it usually takes me about half an hour and I had to get it over with in a couple of minutes, getting the worst of it out, at least wiping well enough to not feel itchy and not seeing any blood was way better than expected, and I felt so much better after that… At least from that point of view, since I was still exhausted and, once we got moving again, I realized that my back was hurting, maybe as a result of how I sat on the toilet, the pain seeming different despite being in the usual spot, worse than what that bone spur usually causes when it just gets stuck in a bad position, and I couldn’t just snap it to fix it, so that became another issue to manage from then on. In spite of that, and of the fact that a few others announced while we were still at that gas station that they were going to leave at the far end of that part, doing so after we stopped there for another picture, I decided to do my best to stay with the group all the way back to University Square. I was, however, hoping for another break relatively soon, Radu saying there will be a refreshment point where the girls will find a parking spot, so I was struggling more and more as time passed, that break coming quite late on the way back. But I managed to get there without falling behind, and that quite lengthy break and the vanilla protein milk, mint bar, quite a few bagels and small handful of some other snacks that I got helped me reach the end.

It wasn’t even 3:45 AM when we got back to University Square. I’m not even entirely sure it was 3:40 AM, since I seem to remember someone saying it should be as much as we’ll be able to cover in an hour and 50 minutes when Radu said the last part will be shortened, people obviously being tired, at least with the exception of the guy who met us there and joined just for that last part. Still, after struggling so much to get there, a fact which others had noticed, since I had been asked a few times whether I was all right, I clearly wasn’t going to keep up, so I managed to get myself to ask whether they’ll get back through Unirii Square and when Radu confirmed it I said I needed a break, couldn’t continue, but will jog there after half an hour or so and wait to join them again for that last bit. He asked where I lived and when I said I won’t be going home, but just rest there for a while, he was concerned I’ll be cold, not seeming convinced even when I said I had my jacket and pointed to it, tied around my waist, and suggesting that I should accept when that new guy offered me his hoodie and even to give me his car keys. But he left me alone when I refused and, at 3:50 AM or so, the rest of them left, nobody else stopping at that point.

So I made my way to the underground passage and waited there, with my jacket on, taking it off again and going back out at 4:20 AM. Then I lightly jogged to Unirii Square, making a little detour once I got there to check the hours of that Carrefour before continuing to the intersection, where I initially meant to wait. After a little while I jogged back to also check that Mega Image, saw that it was also closed and didn’t even have the hours displayed outside, jogged back to the intersection, waited there a while longer… But then I thought they could get back on the other side, either going through the park or even staying on its other side, so I jogged back to the other intersection… And then realized I rather needed to pee again, so I jogged through the park and crossed to that toilet from that area… Only to find it closed, the message stating that it’ll open at 5 AM, and while that was only minutes away, I wasn’t sure it really would open at exactly 5 AM and was worried that if I’ll be in there after 5 AM I might just miss them, so I jogged back to the park, found some bushes and peed there, then jogged back to the intersection to wait.
I was getting increasingly uneasy as time passed and they weren’t appearing, however, seeing as the announced plan was to finish at 5:30 AM, which was when the organizers seemed to have seen sunrise was at, though when I checked I saw 5:31 AM. So I was starting to think that I either somehow missed them or they used another route, and at 5:20 AM I started jogging back… Only to find myself at the statue right at 5:31 AM, all alone. So I jogged back to the corner, and after a little while saw one guy, jogging with him back to the statue, I believe seeing 5:34 AM when we got there. Then, after he said he had left a bit before the others after their last stop, I jogged back to the corner once again, returning with the others when they also appeared, I think getting there at 5:37 AM.

I’ll also mention that I didn’t use the bug spray again, so carrying it with me was pointless, and the same goes for the other things, with the exception of the mask, which I also used at that gas station, and the money and bags, which I needed later. But what matters more is that the total running time I saw at the end was 4:41:21, a mere 37 seconds over last year’s, though that’s of course rough and uncertain, even more so considering that possible issue on Kiseleff. And, assuming Google Maps can be trusted for measurements, if the route for those three parts was followed, with the exception of that shortcut through Herastrau Park, and I remembered various details correctly, and adding what I covered on my own while the rest were on part four, the total distance seems to have been about 44 km. That would be the longest yet if true, but all the stops mean it can’t compare to actually running a marathon anyway… And actually needing over 20 minutes less to do so… Back before I ended up so out of shape, and probably only getting worse from now on, seeing as I’m obviously not getting any younger.