I have been home for just over two weeks, my mother with me for pretty much all the time. She goes home next week. We have had a great time, given the circumstances and she has been a boon with doing washing, tidying, a bit of cooking and a lot of keeping me going. There has been some down days, generally coinciding with a lack of sleep and feeling generally overwhelmed. She lets me sleep in but not too far and nags about exercise.
The first adventure outside was after being inside for a few days, three I think, and generally going a little batty. We headed for the end of the street. About a 200 to 300 metre walk. Thankfully with a lot of fences to sit on. We got to the corner and added on an extra 100 metres to the local small Tesco. There were at least five stops each way and a long sit down when I got home.
The walks have slowly got quicker and with less stops. We have also attempted buses. One day we met Mr Gin and had lunch. That day almost killed me even though there was very little walking and a lot of stops.
The las bus trip up into the same area meant no stops to the bus stop (Tesco) and slowly wandering to the butchers, Pound shop, stopped for coffee and then to the large Tesco for groceries then lunch, then bus home. This was the most I have done and really the pace is picking up really well.
We have been to the pub a couple of times, taking a taxi (there was a birthday celebration I was not missing out one for the world), and having to be fairly blunt to get through the tight spaces in the crowded pub. Mum and I also went to the cinema in a shopping centre, on a weekday was quiet but after the film was crowded and people are really not switched on to moving for people who are not that nimble. There were points I was doing well not to batter people texting with my crutches!
The mobility of the joint is improving, I am doing my exercises and the improvement is amazing, I can do some movements I have not done since I was in my 20s! Amazing. I am still using my helping hand/grabber to put on trousers and undies but can pick up a cat off the floor, which is spooking them! The exercises are from the physiotherapists and designed to gain better mobility in the joint. There are lying down ones and standing, almost ballet bar exercises.
There are improvements every day, I stand well unaided and sometimes forget to grab my crutches but my muscles remind me.
The other bit is I have had visitors, and those visitors have been very, very welcome. I love my mum but we do need to see other people so we don’t kill each other! I think there have been five different visits, from one to multiple people. R and S arrived with a fern (now named Fenchurch) and M dropped past as well on the first day of visitors. This was lovely and it was a much needed mood lift. H and T rolled up for a Saturday dinner and we sat and played board games and drink a bit of red wine. Then Mr Gin had to go off to a hospital appointment and Mum went with him, leaving me potentially in the house on my own. But M bought around some had sewing and the K, M, N and R came later. M had bought the most wonderful lunch, her Japanese comfort food that was wonderful and beyond tasty. N bought an orchid and K and M provided sugar and R astounding brownie cookies. E came over this week for a quick but lovely visit.
All these visits have been just wonderful and either filled in the days or given me something to look forward to. (The fact there was food and presents were just lovely and wonderful surprise.) I am isolated with not really being able to use the tube and buses being a bit of an adventure if the driver does not lower the bus. Visitors are a bit of a boon!
All in all things are going well.
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