Hospitals and arse trouble
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
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
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?
Out of the mouth of babes
I took a trip yesterday.
I took the car for my first proper drive down to see Herself in her nursing home. I hadn’t actually seen her in many months as we have been apart in various hospitals. It was a surprise visit and I am happy to say she was surprised! She’s happy in the nursing home but is still very anxious to get home. The plan is for me to get my strength back at home before bringing her back. The way things are going, that won’t be too far off.
As this was my first real experience of the new car, Daughter came along as co-pilot. It went very well and the car is excellent.
There’s a lot to get used to such as the ability to entirely ignore lighting in the dark. The car will go full headlights without my intervention. It will dip the lights if it detects an oncoming vehicle and will even adjust the lighting left or right as I enter a bend. Very strange.
If I drift off line on the road it will gently remind me with a vibration on the steering wheel to get back on track.
I experimented with cruise control and that also was weird. It would adjust speed to the one I set but if it caught up with a car in front it would gently fall back to a safe distance and take it’s speed from the leader ahead.
There is no hand brake as such. If I stop, I can pull up a little lever by the gear stick and forget about it. As soon as I hit the accelerator it will automatically release the brake.
I only once nearly crashed. That was simply because the car is so silent and easy to drive that I didn’t realise I was going so fast as I hit a junction. Lesson learned.
Anyhows on the trip, Daughter told me a little story. Last weekend she had come to the Manor with Navanman, Granddaughter the Younger and the latter’s friend. They spent the day demolishing trees and shrubs in the garden and doing massive work. The kids played and it was a great day.
Early in the visit I noticed GDtY’s friend staring at me. It was a long intense stare. She then went over to GDtY for a little confab. Now I am well aware that having no nose is a tad unusual and I’m used to the odd second look and the way children can be fascinated. I was interested in what she had to say. Daughter had noticed this and also was intrigued. She took GDtY to one side and asked what the friend had said about my appearance.
“Ah!” says GDtY. “She wanted to know what happened to my Grandad’s beard”.
Lovely!
