On coming out

Head Rambles Posted on by 8

On Thursday, Simon Clark wrote a piece.

He had a lump which he had removed. It was a fatty lump, nothing life threatening.

But in the course of the piece he mentioned all the friends and acquaintances that had had surgery recently and in particular he mentioned my little drama.

But the most extraordinary case is that of Grandad, aka Richard O’Connor, who writes the Head Rambles blog.

I wouldn’t mention his name if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s been writing about it himself so almost every gory detail is in the public domain.

What he’s gone through is off the scale and I admire him not only for his stoicism but for maintaining his sense of humour. (It helps, I think, that he sees the absurdity of life.)

The reason I mention it is that he calls me by name. Simon and I have communicated many times by email so it’s natural that he should name me. Now my name is no secret. The book what I writ all those yonks ago had my real name on it, and if I write to anyone directly I rarely sign off as Grandad.

There is more to it though.

In the early days I wrote that I lived in Glendoher in the south of Wicklow. There is no such place and it was all an invention. I actually live just above Enniskerry in the north of Wicklow. I wouldn’t lie about the Wicklow bit! Again, I mentioned the frustrations of the filming of “Disenchanted” which tied up the village for a summer. anyone with half a brain could have put the proverbial two and two together there.

The village clock tower in 2001 with overhead wires

Click to embiggen

Most importantly my coffee shop is Kingfisher’s Kitchen in the main square. It’s on;y fair that I mention them. I mentioned to Dave the owner that I was thinking of writing this and he got all excited. I pointed out that yesterdays traffic to the website was nearly all from China and Germany and only later received its normal flood from the UK. In fact there were no recorded visits from Ireland at all [very rare] so if Dave is hoping for a flood of visitors on foot of this great advertising……..

The all important terrace is beside to the right

Of course the reason I mention the coffee shop and its actual location is in the hopes that one of you lot will turn up some day and buy me a coffee or three.

Just shout out “Howya Grandad, what are you having?”

You’ll recognise me.

I’m the one with no nose.

 

Hospitals and arse trouble

Head Rambles Posted on by 6

Today is a bit of a busy day.

The main event is that I have two appointments in the hospital – one is with Oncology and I haven’t a clue what that is about. Do they want to discuss Immunotherapy or do they want to start applying it? Time will tell.

The second is with my Fan Club in ENT [though it has been pointed out that that should be ET seeing as I have no N]. Again, I assume the Professor and his gang want to just poke and prod me. Maybe they are going to announce that they have given up on me and I have only a few weeks left to live? Again, time will tell.

In the meantime I have a dose of the gawks or the squits or whatever you want to call it which makes a couple of hours of hospital appointments somewhat problematic. Do I spend my time excusing myself from whatever they are doing to me while I make a quick frantic dash to the jax? The alternative could be very messy and not too pleasant for the staff there, not to mention leaving me in a right fucking state.

Daughter has suggested I get something from the chemist to calm my arse down. Good idea. I’ll nip down there shortly. I might ask if they have anything to clear the gawks while I’m at it.

I don’t know what I would do without Daughter.

 

You lose some, you win some

Head Rambles Posted on by 11

I mentioned yesterday that I had made an appointment with a local physiotherapist.

It was a spur of the moment thing where I literally just picked up the phone and dialed. I had never had any dealings with physiotherapy before, apart from hospitals where they just tend to do the absolute minimum and if you’re lucky you’ll get a photocopied sheet of paper with a couple of illustrations on it.

Anyhows I went down at the appointed hour and met my therapist Ciara. She was bright and breezy and sat me down for a quick chat. I told her exactly what had happened to me in the hospital and how I couldn’t move my head any more.

She took me through a few tests, which I failed miserably. I couldn’t do any of the arm movements she suggested.

She lay me on a couch and put me through the same tests. I did them all without the slightest bother. This kid knows her stuff! So am I destined to spend the rest of my days on a couch if I want to do anything? Apparently not.

She then got to work on the muscles in my neck. It was fucking sore I will admit, but I could feel a difference. She explained all about major muscles and minor muscles and I pretended to understand. I didn’t care. Something was happening and it felt good.

At the end of the session I made an appointment for a week’s time and left. Already I’m looking forward to the next session.

On the way back to the car I passed the coffee shop. Naturally I called in as some of the gang was there. I sat. I ordered coffee. I chatted. And then I realised – the day before, I had tried the same thing and was in fucking agony to the point where I just had to leave. But here I was, chatting away and feeling great. Yes, the pains were there but they were more than bearable.

Next thing, a few more of the gang arrived. Apparently the phone calls had gone out – “He’s here!”.

So we sat out on the covered terrace in the usual spot. The sun shone, and occasionally the heavens opened in a downpour. It could hardly have been more pleasant. I stayed far longer than normal and was absolutely fine. In fact I felt great. That coffee shop is a thousand times more than a coffee shop. It’s a true social hub and a lifeline for the lonely and the not so lonely.

Last night I slept in my armchair which I have taken to doing. It’s very comfortable and less painful than the bed.

I slept for nearly twelve hours.

 

You win some, you lose some

Head Rambles Posted on by 5

Yesterday was a good day and also a bit of a disaster.

Some of you may think that I am steaming ahead on the road to recovery at an amazing rate?

Yes, I have come a very long way since that day in Intesnsive Care when I looked at myself and I had the appearance of someone who had been smashed in the face by a double decker bus and then dragged several times through a bramble bush, I was a real fucking mess and frankly I got a bit of a shock.

And yes, I have healed up certainly in the face a fair bit. The scratches and gashes on the face have healed to the point where my face is still puffed up, my upper lip is sort of hanging in there [literally] and I have a strip of plaster where my nose should be. A remarkable recovery.

Sadly the problem lies in my neck. For some reason, all the muscles in my neck are at full stretch and won’t loosen in spite of all the stretching exercises I try. This leads to major problems. I cannot stand for very long or sit in an ordinary chair. My head is forced forward and the pain in my neck and down my spine is excruciating. The only way I can get any respite is to sit in an armchair where I can slouch so my back is at an angle to my neck. The pain then goes from a 10 to around a 1 or 2. So the only place I am comfortable and relatively pain free is in my comfy armchair or surprisingly, in the car [highly adjustable seat!].

Yesterday I thought it was time to visit the coffee shop. This had been a major goal on my road to recovery. I drove down and luckily got a parking space just across the road. I crutched my way to the shop to a great welcome. Then the problem started. Ordinary chairs! I should have known. The pain gradually increased to the point of being unbearable. I had ordered coffee and a fry-up. I managed the coffee [first in weeks] but then had to ask them to allow me to take the fry-up home.

Dave the owner held me by the arm as I made my way out. I got as far as his pavement benches and had to sit down again. after a short break he had to help me over to the car where I sat for about ten minutes until the pain eased. Not a very happy first visit!

I’m going to beat this. I made an appointment to see a physiotherapist this afternoon.

Maybe a spot of rough massage?