I'm still here.

May 13th came and went, and I'm still here.

Still in pain, now with the additional complications that my muscles feel weak when I walk, my right hip hurts, and my neck and both shoulders both hurt too. Shopping this week was a night mare.

The Tens machine does work but not for long enouch. The Fenbid gel also works after a fashion, as I can't quite reach where it needs to go!

As I need to have a reasonably clear head, I can't take the full dose of 2 x 30/500 Zapain. I take 1 every so often, roughly every 3 hours at night as I think that's going to amount to much the same, and if I stop and take 2 x 500 paracetamol at about 3am then the hangover process has started so I have a roughly clear head by 9am.

I've started taking the Naproxen every morning again to see if it works. No improvement so far but I think it needs to build up, as does the Organic Beauty Oil from NYRO which I stopped taking in March on the advice of the pre-op nurse. Now I know that it actually works, I'm going back on it!

I found a very good pain scale this morning, which is 0 - 12. On that scale I'm operating at 7 - 9 most days, with the pain being enough to distract me from concentrating and stopping me doing things (like putting the gear lever into reverse).

I'm completely running out of ideas now. The only thing keeping me going is the thought that one day this will be over. Sorry to be so negative.

My crowdfunder is here. I'm considering using it to pay for taxis to get us everywhere as I'm finding driving so very painful.
https://gogetfunding.com/please-fund-my-convalescence/

Is this the new normal?

So today I am not a happy bunny.

I should have been at a school event, helping the next generation with their job search and employability skills. Instead I am at home, not too far from the bathroom, and with a foggy head.

Last night I went to bed early because I had this event to get to, which would mean an early start to get there for 8pm. I did everything right pain wise or so I thought.

However, about 2am (might have been 3...) I needed to go to the loo and take my thyroxine tablet and more painkillers. So that's what I did, I took some co-codamol because I knew I had to be sharp witted early and a Zapain wouldn't do that. And that all bounced I'm afraid. Straight back. So another thyroxine tablet and a Zapain, which is much easier to swallow and indeed stayed down.

Back to bed: more pain, so more Fenbid gel on the spot.

More pain. Strange dreams.

So by 5am I knew I wouldn't make this event, and I feel bad for having to let people down at the last minute.

It's now 10.30 ish, and so far I've taken the extra strength painkillers, more Fenbid gel and a blast with the Tens machine - and that damn pain ain't going nowhere. I am out of ideas.

Trial and error

I now have a TENS machine courtesy of Janet.

Having managed to put it together and make it work, I'm trying to work out where to put the pads so I get the best pain relief from it.

(If you're not familiar with TENS machines, here's a link to the NHS website explaining it: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/transcutaneous-electrical-nerve-stimulation-tens/) 

I have the version with two pads, which you put on the affected area and switch the machine on. It delivers electrical impulses and has a painkilling effect. Allegedly.

Having read the leaflet, the first session had the pads either side of the shoulder. Well being amply padded, the pad on the front part of the shoulder moved a little so it was more on the flesh at the top of the armpit. Could be better. Oh and don't run it at top speed!

Next, having read another website I decided to put the pads along the fleshy part of the back of the arm which is where I get a lot of pain. All this did was push the pain to the front of the arm and resulted in not much sleep and lots of codeine. Harumph.

Sally advised me it was trial and error, maybe put one pad next to the base of the cervical spine and the other on the shoulder. However, I can't reach that part of my neck with my other hand (falling to pieces, dontcha know)...

This morning's effort was one pad at the front of the arm and the other at the back of the arm. Still no joy, though there's no pain at rest. It just bloody hurts when I move.

Anyone got any other suggestions?

A loooooooooong wait!

So I rang the departmental secretary today and she informed me that:

• I was on Week 8 of the waiting list, and
• They are now booking people on Week 25!

So I sat down and worked it out. Week 25 for me is week ending 12th July!

Well that is interesting. You see, hubby works at the Great British Beer Festival every year, this year being no exception. He will probably be going down to Olympia at the end of July and returning in the middle of August, which will mean I will need to either get into a care facility for that time or hire in carers.

Let's hope that I get a cancellation then, which isn't likely to happen before Easter. Now that's good because it means I can organise the work stuff I need to organise.

The positives are, I guess, that I can try and earn some more money from doing treatments in the interim period. I can also get more done with the students at the Centre and supervise some of their case studies before I have to hand that job over to Lindsey and Victoria.
On the other hand, I have to put up with a malfunctioning shoulder for longer. A helpful physiotherapist friend suggested I get a TENS machine, so I'm going to talk to the Centre's physio on Saturday about that. And I've found a Very Interesting Product to trial, which is on order and I will, of course, be blogging my experiences around that.
I will also need to create a fundraising platform outside of Facebook as that one ends on April 15th.
My thanks also go to Mitchell Wheeler of AO Holistics, who paid me an impromptu visit yesterday and did some healing on my shoulder, which has been much better today.