Interesting Times

Lately I feel like I live in Interesting Times as in the Chinese saying.  It's certainly been an interesting week.

Monday my powerchair broke down with no warning. In the middle of Sainsbury's car park. In the drizzle. Although luckily it wasn't raining as such at that point in time. I tried to talk a Sainsbury's employee through putting my chair into freewheel but he couldn't do it (whether my instructions weren't right/clear enough or he didn't force it hard enough I don't know) so my plan of getting a taxi back here fell through.

I called my parents house on the off chance someone was there not expecting there to be. But my sister had had an accident and been in minor injuries with my mum for a few hours. They'd just got back. I also managed to get hold of a local wheelchair engineer and he came for my chair and mum came for me.  It did make me smile to see his van turn in one direction towards me and mum's car turn in the opposite direction towards me at the same time.  Talk about the arrival of the cavalry!

My chair has since been fixed, costing much less than I expected and came home yesterday so that's good. I don't think there's much left that could need replacing that hasn't already been done at least once.  It reminds me of that episode of Only Fools and Horses where Trigger gets rewarded for having the same broom for some huge number of years but then adds "I've had 6 new heads and 7 new handles but still it's not bad for the same broom" or some such. Only I don't think my chair is quite that bad...

Thursday I felt lousy on and off all day. To such an extent that the ambulance crew who took me to my appt in spasticity clinic presented me with a just in case sick bowl (I had told them I didn't feel properly sick but they insisted) and tissues. Late night, early morning and lots of stress me thinks. My alarm didn't go off. On the plus side having said they were taking another patient to the JR first they then took me to OCE first instead. Win.

I was just about an hour early and wanted to go over to the main building in search of proper food.  The receptionist said "no please stay in the building he's running to time and you might go in early". And I then went in just over an hour LATE. (which he didn't even realise. his nurse apologised to me and he went "oh are we very late?") I chatted a bit to another lady in the waiting room and her carer (that started because I asked about the over the knee stripy socks she was wearing - v.cool) and did a load of writing on my iPad.

The consultant said that some patients only need one dose of botox and then casting. I've had a very good response and my ankles are improved. He went on to say with some patients he thinks definitely repeat the botox and others he thinks definitely not. And me being me I fall slap bang in the middle.  We had some discussion about that.

End result being that he wants me to go back "in a couple of weeks" to see him and my physio in a joint appt as she knows me better. If I feel I'm getting worse in the meantime I can ring his secretary and should be able to go back within a week or so for more jabs. I don't have a date to go back but when I said "are we talking before or after Christmas?" he said almost definitely before.

Oh and one of his comments was about it being a bit of a schlep from where I live to his clinic every 3 - 4 months if they keep giving me the jabs. This amused me because it really isn't but going back in two or so weeks really is. Not least because this clinic is meant to be a joint clinic with the physios - alternating between my physio and a specific colleague of hers.  I did see the colleague floating around but not to speak to and she wasn't in the room during my appt.

I have however been using the term schlep ever since. I find I like it.

Good news to end on:

I have most of the paralympic tickets I applied for but not all. And (this is the best bit!) I have tickets to both the opening and closing ceremonies!!!

One of my besties who just lives about ten mins drive from me also has tickets to the closing ceremonies. Also a wheelchair space. And also in the same category as I have. Hows that for a coincidence?!