Capabilities

Following on from the last entry: 
Whilst we were in the award winning food store, Lewis & Cooper, I decided to try and walk down the flight of stairs. This I managed fairly easily as the steps are quite shallow, but I would never attempt to do this kind of thing unless I had someone with me. It does give a sense of "normality" but there is still a long way to go and I accept this.

The following day I decided to have a bath, this is something which I do not do very often, preferring a shower instead. I still require help to sit down and stand up once in the bath, and my husband is on hand to assist, if necessary, to get me in and out. That same afternoon we walked down by the river where we live - a glorious day.

Feeling buoyant by all of this, on the day afterwards I caught a bus into town and walked it back home, around a distance of 1 mile. Then on the same afternoon, my husband took me to a supermarket and left me to push the trolley around and decide on our shopping requirements. He did however meet me at the checkout to pack and pay for the goods.

All of this and combined with a trip to the local market, a garden centre with a friend for lunch and a trip home to see our family meant that last week seemed to have some semblance of normality.

However, I am not now sure whether all of this may have come at a price. For the last couple of days I have had a very sore and slightly swollen achilles tendon, on my bad leg, which means that I am finding it very difficult to walk. I first noticed it when I got out of bed one morning and had to stop myself from falling to the floor.

I have to just get on with things and not concern myself about this latest "blip". As much as I would like my abilities to be more than they are, I understand what I am capable of and my body is giving me a chance to recover. We had the ethos at work that: "You can't control the uncontrollables" and this is a prime example.

As we are only a few weeks away from Christmas and the enforced resting will mean that I can help in the ways I can: writing cards and producing and printing address labels, but even this is not totally straightforward as I have to still use my left hand which even after two and a half years does not come naturally.
I still remain upbeat and still vow not to be beaten!

Check out the award winning gourmet store:
.http://www.lewisandcooper.co.uk/store/home.asp

That was the week that was

As I have previously stated I do not go back and read the Blog entries, I write as I feel at any one particular time.

However, the day after I posted the last entry: "Push push, push" I realised that it was somewhat of a contradiction to "Ups and Downs". On one hand I was advocating recovery is a marathon and not a sprint and on the other it was a case of pushing and challenging. Both of these ethoses are relevant and on the particular days that I wrote the entries it is how I felt. Now I am finding that I cannot fully explain exactly what I mean with regard to this and these skills are slow to return.

During the course of last week I knocked a full bottle of milk over a kitchen work top, broke the washing line and accidentally knocked the shower cubicle door of its bottom runner. None of these events stressed me and generally I take all of this kind of thing in my stride. I just got on with cleaning up the mess that I had created, and took the washing off the line and took it in the house.

Putting clothes on a washing line with the use of only one hand and arm is quite a challenge in itself and requires patience, but I have perfected the technique with spring pegs and teeth, enough said! I recently attempted to fold a king sized duvet cover on the kitchen worktop and again found spring cloths pegs to be effective. Find two corners and peg them together, then keep pulling the two edges together and keep on securing like this until the other two corners are reached. That was one of the harder things to master and quite time consuming.

Yesterday my husband and I went to do a little bit of Christmas shopping, the weather was really good and there was a street market in the town where we went. I could not resist buying the wallet/purse for myself from the Department Store. I am sure that this will be more practical and beneficial than the purse that I currently have.
The day was a complete change for the pair of us, one that we both really enjoyed after a sometimes fraught week.

Wallet purse with wrist strap.

A coin purse, card and note holder

Push, Push, Push

I have never been one to give up even with all that I sometimes have to contend with, and although my neck continues to give me a few problems, I strive to push on and set myself challenges.

At the week-end I managed quite a walk by the river where I live: Saturday was such a glorious day and it felt so good to get out and breathe in fresh air in all the wonderful sunshine. That evening we visited a restaurant on the outskirts of Leeds, "The Mansion" is a listed classical building situated north of the city, which commands superb views over the 700 landscaped acres of parkland, lakes and woodland that comprise Roundhay Park. This had been a Christmas present for us and at last I am feeling more comfortable about my situation and am now more likely to enjoy the prospect of dining out.

We started the week by visiting a nearby market town and made purchases in three shops before shopping at a supermarket. I coped with all of this very well and pushed the trolley around the supermarket, it does feel good to be able to "check out the shelves" and see what is on offer, especially as Christmas is only a matter of weeks away. After lunch at home we set out again this time to a DIY Superstore, this I had to concede was a step too far and I found walking around quite difficult. I had got in and out of the car several times and walked around shops and a supermarket. So on my return home I had a long soak in the bath and got into my night clothes.

The following day refreshed after a good rest and sleep I took advantage of the pleasant weather and set myself the challenge of walking to town and back, some two miles in total. This I did on my own and I felt a greater sense of self-sufficiency and independence. I need to know my limitations and must challenge myself. After three or four hectic days followed by a day of rest I will be able to test myself once more.

I can sometimes be possibly perceived as abrupt or ungrateful, but my friends now know to step one pace back. I would rather let them see me having a go at something and not managing than letting them do things for me. I have just managed to learn how to fasten a zip recently, trivial? Not at all, I can now wear the coat I want to!

The next challenge that I have set myself is ironing, this I will have to do with my left hand, so to me this whole experience will be a definite challenge.

Ups and Downs

Since writing the previous entry I have had somewhat of a rollercoaster time, due mainly to a trapped nerve in my neck. I do not know how this occurred but it has had a "knock on" effect with aspects of my recovery.

I had put up with pain for a few days before a nursing friend of mine insisted that I should have it checked out. Initially I went to a Pharmacist in a large supermarket on a Friday evening in extreme pain. After a discussion about my medication she dispensed gel and strong pain-killers which can only be used for three days, this was sufficient to get me through the week-end before going to my G.P.
The Doctor that I saw recommended neck exercises - something that my Physio has always told me to be careful with as you can overstretch nerves. The pain, although did not increase, was really acute and even though I have a high pain threshold found it difficult to cope with. I contacted my Physio who agreed an appointment and gave me "manual" traction. The following day I felt somewhat bruised but I now have movement back in my neck without too much discomfort.

Contending with this additional problem over the last three or four weeks has meant that although I continued to wear my splints I wasn't able to do daily exercises with my arm which has been disappointing, but I remind myself that this is a temporary hitch, although it has been sometimes difficult to keep focussed about this. Now I have re-started, my right arm, the affected arm, has become somewhat painful until it gets used to the daily routine. I feel that there is a very fine balance in getting everything "back on track" but I remain committed and have the unwavering support of my husband.

November is the month of family birthdays and last week-end we had a gathering of twelve people at my house. I managed to assist with the shopping for this get together and that really made me tired. A friend did additional shopping for one hot dish that she also made for us. I did not feel totally well on the day and it took its toll for a couple of days afterwards.

I am currently taking things one day at a time, my mind is willing to go forward but my body needs to go at its own pace. I have learnt the hard way that what I can achieve on one day may not be sustainable, the trick is not to get wound up or angry about it. Remain focussed and a slow steady improvement is fine - this is a marathon not a sprint!

I now know and appreciate the true value of friendship and value true friends.