Hey there folks,
I’m so sorry I’ve been so slack with my blog. Since coming back from Scotland it’s been quite a bit of a rollercoaster really. Lots of things have happened, lots of things have changed. There has also been bitter sweet moments.
So where do I start? I won’t delve too deep into things as this wouldn’t be in a very very very long blog post and I’m sure as it’s coming up to Christmas there was quite a lot of stuff that people have to do. So I’ll give you a bit of an overview.
Well there’s been some hard times for me and Debbie but bit by bit we are working through them. I think that anyone who says that after traumatic life event says that nothing has changed is in denial to themselves and don’t want to face the truth. That’s the hardest thing to face is the truth.
An old school friend of mine Shelley, who was only two days older than me sadly died of heart problems at the age of 37 years old. That hit me hard. Especially as I understand it she was in hospital and had had heart surgery to replace a valve. The operation was a success but she died the same day or the day after while still in hospital. I think it kind of also brought back to the surface the actual reality of how lucky I was that I survived all my fight. Yeah it’s been difficult to deal with. Harder than I realised until I started writing this blog. And the bittersweetness of Shirley’s untimely departure from this world was the fact that after 20 years all of us that used to hang around together at school Miriam, my best mate Sarah (rah), Emily, Linda, Alec Nick, Rebecca, Emma and myself were all there to say goodbye to Shelley. Stephen and another Sarah (smurf) couldn’t make it otherwise there would’ve been a full house. But we have all planned now to all meet up again at the beginning of February. We have rented a big house for the weekend so something to look forward to.
So I really The end of October and beginning of November was spent in Suffolk spending time with family as it was my sisters birthday so I thought for once that I should be there for her birthday although I couldn’t afford to treat her. Also caught up with friends and had a lovely night out with my best mate Sara which we haven’t done in years so that was lovely. Also said goodbye to Shelley.
The beginning of November I caught a beautiful bloody cold. And that wiped me out for nearly 3 weeks. I still haven’t adjusted to the way a cold wipes me out. Even three years down the line. I remember physio called Dave at Danesbury who explained it like this
“remember that through everything that has happened to you, your immune system is weaker and you are only running probably at about 75% of what you used to. So when you get a cold it will knock you below 50%”.
It’s true and I still cannot get used to it. And I get very frustrated.. But in the words of my aunty suck it up princess!
I haven’t been to the gym since my cold. So basically a month if not five weeks. I haven’t worked with Lee again for five weeks. I will get back into the swing of it and I will work with Lee again just got get it all in focus again.
I’m getting better with my hand therapy. Seem to have a new focus on that at the moment. As it seems my brain can’t focus on two areas at once. Which is so frustrating. I have a new cunning plan to aid my therapy. I am a massive chocolate fiend. So I have to do at least 90 repetitions of one of my many tasks for my hand before I can have A Malteser! And it works it’s a really good motivator for me which is so daft but that’s the way my brain wants to work. Because if I try and do it with no reward and just for the fact that I need to bloody well do it my brain has other ideas because obviously it’s a very big challenge for my brain. It has to try and connect the pathways between the nerves and muscles and tendons, all the way from my head to my fingertips. A very difficult to ask that takes up lots of brainpower. I’m slowly gaining more control of my brain to carry out the difficult tasks. And not allowing my left side to take Ava because it’s easier and quicker.
All my physio with Helen for the car crash is over as it’s fixed. I’m a little bit sad as she is very good and puts you at ease straight away.
Also my sessions of neurophysio with James are over too as now I need to really focus on doing the hard work and pushing my boundaries. Again I’m very sad about this too as I enjoyed my sessions with James. Sad sad times in the physio story ☹️😩😭
My final piece of news for this blog post is…
Back at the beginning of September, I think, I completed and application form on site called InstructAbility in conjunction with a charity called Aspire to get the opportunity to become a level 2 gym instructor. Well I’ve only bloody done it, didn’t I. I have been successful and I have been given a place on the course. I am amazed. Even now nearly 2 weeks down the line I still cannot believe that I have been lucky enough to get one of the places.
The induction is in a couple of weeks and then in January I start I four-week voluntary placement in a gym followed by the course and then finished off with another three month placement with that gym all voluntary. Providing that I manage pass the course, the gym I work in are happy with my work and I also encourage another 10 disabled people to use the gym then I’ll get my qualification. I can’t bloody wait. It’s going to be amazing. I have another new focus and path forward. It’s excellent.
Laters 💋
My new brain 