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Monday 1st November
2 ambulances arrive. 2 Men and 2 Women help me out successfully.
I arrive at the hospital at about 11:15am,
and im wheeled to a very busy waiting room.
The gentlemen who had pushed me then went off to a reception desk.
He came back and advised "your in the system now" and he tootled off.
Peoples names were called every 5 mins,
and somebody would hobble into the main bay area.
About an hour and a half later, it seems to be lunch time. The crowd has cleared, and some of the nurses and doctors disappear. A nurse comes up to me, smiles and asks if im waiting for somebody.
I tell her that i've been waiting to see the doctor for over an hour, my appointment was 11:30am.
Her smile changes to a face of confusion.
She looks through her pack of files and says that i've not been booked in, nobody knew I was there.
Fortunately, there's a couple of doctors still there and im wheeled into the bay.
He advises that I should go for an X-ray before anything else,
so off I go again.
Another 30 mins or so later I have the x-rays and go back to the bay with them.
The doctor looks them over, and I hear him murmur to the other doctor that the fracture lines have gone, compared to my first x-rays (after the op).
He gives my feet a good wiggle around,
and says that I should be ok to start weight bearing now.
Good news at last !
(I asked about getting copies of the x-rays, she said they were too busy today, but ask next time I come and bring some money! - I'll put them up when I get them)
Its now about 1:10pm and the nurse asks if I would like to see the Physio nurse at 2pm, or come back another time. I said we (viv+me) would get something to eat and come back at 2pm.
At about 2:30pm the physio nurse comes back and she takes a look at my feet.
It seems general movement it pretty good,
but I need to work on some twisting motion on my feet.
My feet don't hurt and things seem to be going well.
She thinks I should I should try to stand up.
Nervously I put my hands on the sides of the chair and try to push myself up.
Pain very quickly starts to build up in my feet as I put more and more weight on them.
I say I cant do it, its still too painful, but she eggs me on.
She is a professional after all...
The pain is getting a lot stronger as I try to move one hand off the chair onto her shoulder..
I now have a choice, a. Insist that its too sore and sit down. or b. Be brave and carry on.
I should of chose a.
If you have ever trodden on an upturned 13amp plug in bare feet, then you have a general idea of what the pain was like. Imagine hammering a 6 Inch nail into the sole of each heel, and your close.
I couldn't do it.. I couldn't stand up, the pain almost had me in tears.
Disappointment isn't the word...
She advised that I should wear shoes (trainers) as much as possible now to keep my feet from swelling up and to support them when I try to stand up myself.
Im home again now, and my feet are very painful.
Bruising has also come out on both feet.
Im back on the painkillers, good job I kept them.
I don't think I'll try standing up again for a few days,
and I'll take it a bit at a time.
I've also got a zimmer frame now,
but I don't think I'll be using that until I can master the art of standing up!
Wednesday 3rd November
Ive decided to give the standing up lark a try again.
As the Physio recommended, Ive put some trainers on now to give my feet some support.
I didn't want to put on the ones I was wearing when I broke my feet, and went for the Nike ones with the air cushioned sole. Im wondering if id be in this state if id been wearing these on that night!
There a bit of a struggle to get on, but it has been 2 months since ive worn anything on my feet!
I left them on all day just to get my feet used to them, and im starting to feel comfortable in them at last.
Early evening I decided to try and stand up, zimmer frame in front of me, hands on either side of the wheel chair, and I slowly push myself up....
Surprisingly (and thankfully), it isn't as painful with my trainers on.
I was able to stand up for half a minute or so, but im cheating a bit as half my weight is on my arms and hands on the zimmer. But im still made up I was able to stand up at last !
Thursday 4th November
I manage to stand up again, and its getting very slightly easier.
I stick the zimmer frame into 1st gear and slowly shuffle forward a couple of steps.
Whahey... Im walking.!.!... erm.. sort of.
Balance is now a bit of an issue. I had a couple of heart stopping moments shuffling around my wheelchair, as my balance tipped backwards slightly and images of falling over and breaking my back flashed through my mind..
Strangely it seem more painful lifting my feet up to take a step, rather then putting them down on the floor. I imagine this is the muscles protesting at being used again.
Later on I also managed to stand up and take my hands off the zimmer for a very short while.
"Look, no hands!"
My balance still needs a little work tho..
Friday 5th November
Slightly more adventurous today, I managed to walk across the room and back.
This is starting to become a bit more painful, but not much more for my feet, but for my hands now...
A lot of my weight is on my hands on the zimmer, which is starting to become quite uncomfortable and leaving the palms of my hands red and sore. Blimey.. I complain a lot at the moment..
Viv gets a clean kitchen sponge and breaks it into two and tapes it around the zimmers handles for me, which seems to help.
My mate Phil is "up north" for the weekend and comes round for a beer or ten.
I didn't try to stand up anymore that night,
and I don't think I could of if I tried...
Good ole Stella Artois.
Monday 8th November
Feeling more adventurous today, I shifted the zimmer into second gear and managed to walk to the bathroom and back. (Its downstairs)
A normal abled person would do this in about 8 seconds.
In the wheel chair it takes about 40 seconds or so (getting past the bottom of the stairs is still a bit of a squeeze as the paint work shows...)
On my zimmer, it took me 4 minutes.
But im going to start doing this a bit more during the week, get my feet used to having the weight on them and being moved about.
My goal is to tackle some stairs by the end of the week. But this might be a bit too adventurous.
The problem is there's no bannister as such for most of the stairs, only a low one at ankle level.
The stairs up to the front door does have two rails tho, to rest my hands on for balance and support. However there is quite a large step to get out of the front door in the first place.
Hmmm...
I'll just see how walking goes first and let you know..
Wish me luck !
Tuesday 9th November
Had a lazy day today.
Didn't do anything except play GTA-San Andreas. (See Games Page)
Must be the weather..
"Space Odyssey - Voyage to the planets" is on tonight tho :-)
Im a bit of a wanna-be Cosmologist and Astronomist at heart.
DVDs I own on the subject are;
The Complete Cosmos - Originally bought as two separate DVDs, great visuals.
Stephen Hawkings Universe - NTSC Format, drags on a bit tho..
Space - BBC TV Series
NASA 50 Years of Space Exploration - Disc 1&2 Drag on a bit too.
Ive also watched The Planets, might buy it soon.
If anybody knows of any other good DVDs about Space, let me know. Ta.
Wednesday 10th November
Managed to stand up today to do the dishes (Whoop woo),
resting against the sink.
It wasn't too uncomfortable for 10-15mins,
until I sat down in the wheelchair again,
and my feet felt as though they were slowly being peeled away
from the inside of my trainers.
A strange and slightly unpleasant feeling.
Thursday 11th November
Another lazy day today.
Played Halo Online most of the day.
For those of you who know the game, download the latest map/mod called Zanzibar.
The Central Heating seems to have just broken, little red light on the front.
Dunno what it means, better check the manual. :-(
Its the Boiler Overheat warning light.!!!!
Hmmm.. The manual mentions testing for voltages... yeah.. right.
I wonder if turning it off, and on again will work. Works for computers ;-)
As if by magic, the heating works again. :-D
Id better turn the thermostat down a bit tho.. just In-case..
Friday 12th November
Its pi55ing down outside. But its nice and warm in here :-)
Ive just tried standing up in bare feet again (standing on the rug).
It wasn't anywhere near as bad as the 1st time,
but its certainly easier with trainers on.
Ive just taken my painkillers, not that they seem to do much good.
x2 Paracetamol and x1 Dihydrocodeine.
Im supposed to take these throughout the day, but I only take them in the morning, otherwise they "block me up". :-/
Getting adventurous, ive just tried to stand up and walk (shuffle) to my wheelchair without supporting myself. But its impossible.
The simple act of moving your body weight onto one foot while you move the other one forward is baffling me at the moment.. Its painful, but that's not what stopping me.
I just cant remember how to walk. This is weird...
Think I'll just use the zimmer today, practice on that.
Hmm.. better do the washing up in a min tho,
and there's a dirty ugly looking grill pan, snarling at me :(
Friday night, couple of my mates call round, plenty of beer of beer is consumed,
and some straight vodka finishes off the night !!
---
Another quiet saturday and sunday comes and goes...
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Monday 15th November
Im a bit fed up today, feeling tired and miserable.
But I saddle up the zimmer and try a lap of lounge to bathroom.
1 Min 20 seconds, much better than the 4 minutes last time !!
So things are getting easier as time goes by.
But im still fed up today.
Played GTA San Andreas to pass some time, and ive unlocked a new level !
But ive only done 15% of the game, this game is huge!
When we moved into the flat, my very expensive all singing all dancing Sony video player stopped working, so ive been using my brothers old JVC video.
But when I say using, its just gathering dust under the telly.
What's on normal telly that's worth recording ?
Who plays videos these days, when DVDs offer so much better quality ?
So, I've recently purchased a freeview box that has a Hard-Drive built into it.
Its a Humax PVR8000T80, £150. Bargin!
The hard-Drive enables you to record straight to the box, so more channels, no tapes, and digital quality recordings.
This relegates the video player to another dusty place :-)
Using a program on the PC called DigiGuide, I have a look through what's on the coming week (or month!), then using the program guide on the Humax, queue up all the good stuff to record.
Then watch it all during the day, much better than the usual cr@p on daytime telly.
www.tvguide.co.uk is also useful for a quick look at what's on.
World Rally Championship, Monkey Dust, 2DTV and Dilbert queued up to watch tomorrow ;-)
Tuesday 16th November
Im even more fed up today.
I had a couple of days like this when I was in hospital.
I don't want to do anything today...
I suppose I'll take the zimmer for walkies tho..
17th-21st November
Ive pulled myself out of the doldrums over the past week,
and im back to feeling 'normal' again.
Ive made a few advancements with the feet, this weekend ive been able to go upstairs in the flat.
Firstly was simply by going up a step at a time on my bum, pulling the zimmer frame up behind me. When I get to the top, I can swing the zimmer over my head onto the landing and pull myself up onto that.
Getting down was the same trick in reverse.
By the end of the weekend, Im now able to get up and down on my feet, by putting weight on my hands on the stairs as I move my feet up a step at a time. And yes, its still painful.
Now the stairs have been tackled, the spare bed has been moved back out of the living room up stairs, and the last couple of nights ive been sleeping upstairs as normal.
Im also using the wheelchair much less now, forcing myself to use the zimmer as much as possible to keep my feet in use.
Also, by now, my hair is 3 months long and looks like Freddy Boswell.
Viv bought a set of clippers, and you can guess whats comming next.
I set them to 'Number 7', and away we went.
I felt like a sheep being sheared!
Ive also shaved off the ridiculous ginger beard that was hiding my face ;-)
Monday 22nd November
Physio today, at St.Caths Hospital.
9:30am Appointment, im not used to getting up when its still dark.
Bit of a shock to the system.
Why did I choose the earliest appointment ?
Its 9:00am now, and im just waiting for the ambulance to pick me up.
As previously, I advised the lady I spoke to on the phone that I will need 4 man lift (carrying out), as im not confident about tackling the outside stairs down from the flat.
I might be able to manage them to be honest, as there is a hand rail on both sides that I could use to support me, but im petrified of slipping and falling down the metal stairs.
If only two ambulance crew turn up, I might end up having to give this a go anyway!
While im waiting for the ambulance (its 9:25 now), I thought id prepare myself for what I expect I'll be asked to do today. So Ive got the zimmer as normal, and tried to walk without putting any weight on my hands/zimmer.
A small success, I can shuffle along a few steps with minimal weight on my hands, but, it bloody hurts.
My left foot seems to be able to take more weight than the right, even tho the left one is (was) the more smashed up. Maybe its all the scaffolding in my foot thats helping. :-)
---
Well, the ambulance turned up at 9:30, and guess how many crew turned up to help ?
Click A - for 4 people
Click B - for 2 people
The Physio only saw me for 20 mins or so, measured how much my feet can move, and advised which movements to work on.
Then I was givin a pair of crutches and had a little walk around the room, and I was taught how to tackle stairs using the crutches.
So im slowly making progress,
and starting to get back to some sort of walking normality.
But it still hurts!
I guess this will ease a bit over the next few weeks, and im aiming to be able to walk a bit without any support by Christmas.
Other news is that I had an email last night, nothing new about that. But the email was from somebody I dont know, and they had found this blog while searching for the Humax freeview box. (As mentioned above)
It was a very nice surprise to receive kind words of support from somebody that doesnt even know me, and makes you realise the comunication power the internet has brought to the world.
Thanks Myles!
In fact, thanks to everybody that has visited me,
and emailed me over the past few months.
Its been a good way of finding out who my real friends are. ;-)
Saturday 27th November
I deceided today is the day that I have a go of the stairs outside on my own.
To make it a usefull trip, I also took the binbag with me :-)
I got out the door ok, and placed my right crutch forward to start walking along to the top of the stairs. Straight away, it slipped on the mossy metal floor and went between the gap between the floor and the bottom of the raillings. With most of me quickly following it.
Talk about brown underpants time. Jeeeesh..
Luckily it didnt fall down the gap, and I pulled myself together and carried on.
At the top, it was obvious that I couldnt carry the binbag and get down the stairs, so I just threw it down :-) It was only as it tumbled down I started wishing it didnt split open :-O
It didnt. Luckily.
The Physio's wise words of showing me how to use the crutches while going down stairs went totaly out the window. It was much easier (and safer) to grab hold of the railing and get down that way, dragging a crutch with me.
Mission succesful.
Getting back up was just the same way.
So with that sussed, I thought it would be a good idea to take viv out for a meal that night to say Thank You for looking after me.
Booked a table at Villa Jazz as its only a few shops down below our flat.
That night, as soon as I opened the front door, the rain lashed down.
And got heavier.
Typical...
So what would normaly be a 2 minute walk (with normal feet) was a 10 minute hobble in the pi55ing rain.
Anyway, we had a nice meal, even though we were sat right next to the 2 blokes playing the guitar and saxaphone right in our ears.
If you get offered the table next to the music, I advise not to take it.
That table is also right next to the pathway between the bar and kitchen, with people passing you evey few seconds. :-/
Monday 29th November
Physio again today.
At least it was supposed to be anyway.
My appointment was for 10:30am.
So I got up at about 9:15am, came downstairs,
put the kettle on and went to "use the bathroom".
While im "sat there", theres a knock on the front door.
Dont you just hate it when that happens !!??
I shouted "Hello?"
and a voice said "Do you have an appointment at the hospital?"
"Yes, but its not until 10:30 !!" I replied.
(St.Caths is only 5 mins away by car)
"Well were here to take you now" they said.
I wont write what I mumbled in reply to that.
I eventualy got to the door, and told them that I wasnt ready as I didnt expect the ambulance to turn up until much later! (ie; late as usual)
I asked if they could hold on 5-10 mins.
They said I go now, or I dont go at all,
as they have other people in the ambulance.
(its more of a mini-bus with a ramp, than ambulance.)
So I told them to go, and I will arrange my own transport from now on!
I then rang the hospital, explained the situation.
They advised they have no control over the ambulances,
they can turn up at any time.
So I just booked another apointment for next week,
and my mother will take me this time.
The only other news is that the shiny new Humax PVR that I bought,
is already broken.
I noticed an odd clicking noise comming from the box, and thought nothing of it.
But a couple of days later, the clicking became louder and more frequent.
Hmmm.. Hard drive problems I thought.
Sounds as if the read/write head is crashing onto the disk,
or onto the inside of the casing.
The next day, as soon as I turned on the box, the noise started straight away and the TV picture started freezing, and jumping.
Oh dear.
Then the inevitable, "Hard Drive Error" appears on the screen and the box powers it self off, and on again, and tries to reboot. But fails, trys again, fails.
So I rang up www.247electrical.co.uk and was greeting by a recorded message
that said "Welcome to Vacuum Clearners Direct", please press etc...
Oh no.. I thought...
But I got through to somebody who then said "Welcome to 247 Electrial",
and I explained the fault.
They said no problem, they can pick it up today,
and get another out to me straight away, should arrive by Wednesday.
Couple of hours later the courier arrived and took the box away.
Excellent service!
I just hope a new Humax arrives, and not a Dyson.
Mind you, I could do with a Dyson!!
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