Friday 24 April 2009

Recuperation

There is something immensely frustrating when you have spent five months recovering from a serious accident, you are just reaching a normal level of fitness and enthusiasm for life, and then you are suddenly knocked back by what is essentially a fairly straightforward orthopaedic operation.

Ten days on I am doing my own dressings, almost managing my pain, and dragging myself down the street to the Co-op. To my shame I am not motivated to do any exercises at home, I'm too tired to get to the gym, and I've only just managed to get the accursed moon boot back on.

The District Nurse came on Monday to look at my dressings and take the bulky one down, and I have an appointment with the Practice Nurse (yes they are different but I don't really understand how they relate to each other if they do at all) to take my three sets of stitches out. Strangely, I have 'running stitches' - never seen these before - perhaps some junior medic was practicing for his or her Stitch 'n' Bitch group?

In my boredom I have suddenly found myself to be the organiser of a street party (www.thebiglunch.com) - I design and print out a leaflet and then realise, stupidly, that I cant deliver it. I have another Occupational Health appointment next week, but I still can't get there by bus. And Handicabs is full (and I still owe them £3.50 for a last minute cancellation through no fault of my own).

I have, however, cracked on with my knitting. I have watched another series of The Wire. Series 3 should be shown at every Leadership course in the land. I have become a national expert on Darling's Budget (all that paper reading) and I ponder how lucky I am to have my operation this year, and not 2011 - if public expenditure is frozen what on earth will the impacts be on the NHS? Perhaps the ERI could just abandon providing food altogether to save costs and wastage (except to those patients without friends or families - and here standards of nutrition would be improved) and communities could take over the feeding of their loved ones. Surely a win win all round...

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