You may have gathered from my previous post that last week
was quite a struggle as the ever-growing odds seemed to be stacked against us. It
was probably my second real low point (behind Christmas Eve) since the journey
began on the 26th November last year and I found it hard to snap out
of it. The freedom that I desperately wanted and succeeded in having on
returning from Newcastle wasn’t at all what I’d envisioned. For the first time
in 11 weeks (including my week in hospital) I found myself alone for 10 hours
of the day and honestly, it was pretty depressing. I got into this vicious circle
of watching TV to ‘cure’ boredom, which in turn made me more bored so I couldn’t
motivate myself to do anything except watch more cruddy TV. – I’m dreading the
electricity bill!
Between ad breaks from the likes of Teen Mom, Geordie Shore, America’s Next Top Model, Keeping up with the
Kardashians, The Real Housewives of
Beverly Hills/O.C., and my new favourite, Catfish, I tried desperately to figure out what I could do with my
significant amount of spare time. Roughly 20 hours of television later I settled
on two potential options: learn a language or write a book. While one may seem
more realistic, the other is actually more plausible. My 2012 New Year’s
Resolution was to learn German and like most NYRs, it was long forgotten by
February. Foreign languages are definitely something that my brain can’t get its
head around but as I scraped a pass in GSCE German, I reckoned the head start could
be my best shot. Although, I’ve heard Spanish is considered an ‘easy’ language
to learn, and I know plenty of friends who can speak fluently (hip twin), so
could be a frontrunner with German. I've briefly looked into online courses/becoming
acquainted with Rosetta Stone but with my previous less-than-impressive language
experiences, the book definitely seems more plausible. Writing this blog has
been really fun, but there is a fatal floor to my grand plan: I don’t read. The
first book I read was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone about 10 years
ago. The second and last book I read was My Sister’s Keeper about 7 years ago
so I’m not entirely confident that I’m ‘qualified’ to write a book. I’ve bought
a few books and tried to read them but if it doesn’t interest me in the first
few pages, it soon ends up gathering dust. I generally enjoy reading and would like to read
more, but I’m impatient and just want to fast-forward to the ending. –
Not too dissimilar to my life at the moment: I would love to click my fingers, skip
through my next operation and see how everything pans out, but c’est la vie.
When Saturday finally arrived, it brought with it a parcel in
the post. An old Uni friend working in publishing had offered to send me a free
copy of a new book. Not only is it embarrassing to admit you don’t read, but I
thought this incredibly generous offer was just the thing to stop me turning on
the TV, and instead, turn me into an actual reader. When I opened the package
there was a lovely little note and a surprise... The Author had visited and
signed a copy to me (well, to my hip).
I felt instantly overwhelmed and it was just the act of
kindness I needed to snap out of my near manic-depressive state. It was so sweet
and thoughtful that I couldn’t not, read the entire book; especially as it was
published by Penguin! (http://www.penguin.co.uk/). So, after incorporating it
into my daily routine, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve almost finished reading
my third book. It’s actually really good and I force myself to put the book
down after a few chapters each morning to prolong my new routine. I think next
week I might read the book I received for Christmas :) Whether it was the book or the act of kindness, my whole mood has
definitely perked up since Saturday so thank you Andrea and John Green!
After careful consideration we have decided what to do concerning
our living arrangement debacle. Despite not having a surgery date yet, it’s
more than likely due to happen in April so the plan, as it stands, is to move
back to Reading at the end of March. That way it’s easier for the Papa Smurf to
take care of me second time around and we can save a few pennies. I am a firm
believer in “Everything happening for a reason” and as we live in a lovely flat
in prime location next to Richmond Park, the reason must be to save money. Our
tenancy not being renewed has to be seen as a blessing in disguise so that we
can squirrel away some money and rebuild our savings. Plus, I will have fewer qualms
about the extortionate prescription costs.
The other good news this week is that I’m no longer in daily
pain again. My suspicions regarding the cold weather must’ve been correct. The
3-week, 50% weight-bearing period since seeing Banksey has now lapsed which
means I’m now up to 80% weight-bearing. As I have taken on the role of self-physio,
I took it upon myself to use only one crutch while moving around the flat. Albeit a
little wonky and awkward, so far so good. I’ve also got behind the wheel and it’s
completely painless. *Freedom at last!!* On the few car trips that I’ve made, I
still take both crutches as it’s generally easier and quicker to walk with two.
Not to mention that stairs would be a nightmare with one. I’ve included some
basic rotational movements into my exercise regime to the point where I can comfortably
sit cross-legged now. And lastly, I’ve been using the Bio-oil again. At the
start of this week there was a painful inflamed lump next to my scar which
resembled that of another infection (above pic). Luckily it has gone down by itself (below pic) and the
Bio-oil can start to work its magic. |
| My two gorgeous boys last weekend |
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