The Date!

Yes I have a date!

Friday 11th October, I have to go to Rugby St Cross hospital for 7am (yes you saw that right, 7 in the morning) to be admitted.

Up until 2.30 am I can have meals such as toast and cereals, between 2.30 and 6.30am I can have sips of water, after 6.30am it's nil by mouth. So I can see me having breakfast (cereal) at 2am, and my levothyroxine which I take in the night at 4am as it has to be taken a good length of time from anything containing calcium.

Then up at 5.30, have a bath, my final intake of water, and wait for the taxi.

I have instructions for what to pack to take with me, but no inkling of how long my stay is likely to be. As it's Friday, I could either get thrown out straight after, or kept in until Monday, but they really haven't said anything about it.

I ordered myself a new dressing gown, which I don't really wear, but it is burgundy coloured and plush and feels great to wear! I've also ordered an iPod, so I can upload my Spotify list to it and listen in hospital.

Being given The Date has provoked a new burst of creativity, as I now know when I have to have all my ducks in a row for. So the next round of training courses is arranged and advertised, I have two Reiki courses and two Violet Flame courses to teach, and the Centre has an Open Day taking place on Sunday 6th October.

But the very best thing is that I now know when not to arrange to go to concerts - and I can book in to concerts around that time! Justin Hayward on Tuesday 10th September, here I come! I have also been informed that I have won tickets to the HRH Prog weekender at the end of March next year. This makes up for the fact that I can't use the tickets I won for the October version as I won't be able to drive to Sheffield.

On the 19th I'm going to Bede Village's Open Day to see about booking my week in convalescence there, which I'm also excited about.

I can't tell you how relieved I am.  I feel as if the clock has been wound up and let go, and now I have things to do. So I will go and do them!

Catching up

Hello, yeah it's been a while. Not much, how bout you?

(bonus points if you know which song that's from! I'll tell you at the end of the post.)

It's been a long, old, boring month has June, full of cold and damp, cricket and problems to solve.  The car mentioned in my last post has been a true godsend and my left arm is so grateful for it. Now we're in July, six months after I went on the waiting list and I still don't have a date for the op. This is bollocks, isn't it.

On top of all that, the dreaded brown envelope arrived from the DWP: I need to apply for Personal Independence Payment, having been given a lifetime award for DLA originally, that is now being phased out and I am being transferred. I have to return the form by the 18th July, and completing that was an ordeal. They are interested in what I can't do, you see, and I manage to achieve so much in my life by focusing on what I can do. It's been quite gruelling filling this form it, a bit at a time, adding to it when I find something else I can't do or have had to give up doing. I'm awaiting some of my medical records to provide supporting evidence now. I guess I should be grateful that this has come at a time when I really can't do very much at all.

Now another issue has come up: I think the long-awaited hip operation is looming now, as explained to me in 2011. So I have another GP appointment next week to see about getting another referral for it, and also what pain relief options I have. Apparently the shoulder op should be August, or if not definitely September. That's a lot later than I would have liked, but still manageable.

August is a slow time at the Amethyst Centre, and I was thinking of cutting back as far as we could anyway. The physio firm have indicated that they will be reducing their hours during August, which is another godsend - something else I seem to have manifested without knowing it! When setting an intention for something to happen, the real key to getting amazing results is to add the two words "or better" to what you want. You may have decided you want something on dodgy information, you see: or there really is something better out there for you. And in this case, the Universe seems to be taking notice of the "or better" part of the request I made last week!

I desperately need a break, and it came to my attention that one of my favourite bands - The Acoustic Strawbs - is playing at the Stables, Milton Keynes on the 13th. What a dilemma - do I book tickets in the knowledge that I may not be able to attend? Well what I decided to do was call the department secretary for a chat. She told me to go for it and she would make a note on my file to the effect that I was having a weekend away that weekend. So we are going to see some lovely people and an old friend of ours. We have some of the best seats in the house too. Thoroughly chuffed.

Oh and the quote from the song above? "I'd really love to see you tonight" by England Dan and John Ford Coley. You're welcome.

The Big Thing has arrived!

Sitting proudly on my drive is a silver Honda Civic automatic.

Not 5 days after my last post I took delivery of it. Thanks to Inga the amazing sales assistant at Listers who patiently sat down and found out what I really wanted in a car and got it for me. And also thanks to my amazing husband for making sure I got it in time for our 13th wedding anniversary!

I've also had something else materialise: my superannuation pension from Barnsley College. I worked there for 4  years part time, long enough to have paid into a pension and for it to kick in when I turned 60. So the lump sum and first payment landed in my bank account yesterday.

I've decided, therefore, not to pursue my crowdfunder any more, though of course if you wish to make a donation towards my recuperation then of course I will be more than grateful. How can I justify asking for money when the Universe has provided enough for me, taking into account the monies I've already received via the Facebook crowdfunder as well? So I will be having a week's convalescence, and also hopefully a short stay in a hotel full board for a holiday. Just as soon, that is, as I have the operation!

I still don't have a date. The time period is up in 6 weeks so it must be anytime soon. I shall call the department secretary to see if she has any pointers for me, as I think everything is in place now. We have a team of volunteers to cover me at the Centre, and also the computerised booking systems are sorted out.

Thank you all for your support and patience!

Now to manifest a very big thing indeed!

This week I finally confronted the remaining elephant in the room: my driving.

It's becoming very difficult to get the car in gear these days. Hubby has had to get reverse for me sometimes, and last week he had to do the same for first gear. The problem is that, if my arm hasn't been used and has been in one position for a while, it goes into spasm when I try and do anything with it. If I pump my forearm up and down, and try and move the whole arm, that does help, but it still hurts.

Janet, my business partner, suggested I consider an automatic car. I've never driven an automatic in my life and I think I might have to have a lesson in one first, but I was so intrigued by this that I ran the possibility past hubby.

His response floored me: "why don't you investigate it then?" So I did.

I'm strongly considering leasing one, because I can have it for a couple of years, and if I don't like it when I'm better, I can get a "normal" one.

So I'm going to call into the garage next week and have a discussion with them about this. I'm also going to have a chat with my accountant to see what he says about its implications for the business.

Hopefully this will prolong my driving ability, and shorten the amount of time I have to have off work.

Wish me luck!

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/

Unexpected consequences

When I had the pre-op interview at the hospital, I was advised to stop taking all the supplements I take because they will interfere with some of the medications I will have to take during the op and recovery process.

I'd never heard of this, I must admit. I had heard that some drugs would interact with the omega supplements but not all the supplements.

Anyway, the first one I stopped taking was the Organic Beauty Oil from NYR Organic. I take this because it is an excellent source of the 3-6-9 Omega oils, with hemp oil in it too. Very nourishing.

Today was the first day I really noticed its loss, about a month after I stopped taking it. Not only is my shoulder really getting worse now, but now my knees are playing up, with pain and weakness starting to affect me.

Oh decisions - should I start taking it again and risk the wrath of the surgical team? I may just do that!

https://gogetfunding.com/please-fund-my-convalescence/

Wearing a bit thin now

This here pain and restricted movement is starting to wear a bit thin now.

It's worst in the mornings when I'm driving to work. Thank god I still have one good arm!

So I decided to get myself a sling to support the arm as it might help even before I have the op. The thinking here is that if people see the sling they might help me, and it might stop me trying to do things I really can't. Managed to find a nice purple one on Ebay!

Of course what would help is actually having the damn operation. I did consider getting a witchy friend to cast a spell for it, but I am reluctant to mess with karma etc. Guess I just need to keep taking the tablets then.

Thank you all for your help. More and more donations coming in, which mean I have nearly reached the amount for a week in a convalescent home. I need to research it now!

https://gogetfunding.com/please-fund-my-convalescence/