Life

What a lovely week it has been, and we are lucky – it’s only March!  I have had the chance to sit outside on the bench for the first time and have my coffee and lunch there soaking up the sun.  We even went for a drive through the Dales in the VW Eos, our convertible car, to Threshfield primary school to pick up some resources they had borrowed and drop off some fair trade footballs. It was the first time this year we’d had the top down and it was very nice being chauffeur driven. It’s a luxury but well worth it.

No films worth seeing this week just as we were getting used to the idea of going out which is important for me as I don’t go anywhere nowadays.  Interestingly, Mark my son asked how many people I saw in a day besides Liz.  The perceived wisdom on this matter, according to my pyhsio cousin Penny, is that there should be eight distinct contacts with people in a day, face to face, via skype, or phone.  I am nowhere on this scale hence my feelings - I have become an untouchable.  Why does this happen?  Can somebody help me to understand this?

Talking about physiotherapists, I met my new specialist at the Bolton Abbey gym along with my Hungarian trainer.  They went through my current training programme.  Generally it is in good shape but I have to refine some of the exercises and introduce a balance exercise, which is hard for me to do, but it was thumbs up, I’m doing well.  That is a good job as it feels like the only tool in the box at my disposal right now.  I have come to the conclusion that it is the continual daily degradation that is demoralising.  You can't walk properly; you can't talk properly, eat properly or go to the toilet properly, but keep smiling girls and boys!

P.S. An update on terminology from a doctor’s daughter;

·         DYSPHONIC: neurologically caused voice problem – hoarseness or difficulty in speaking

·         ANTEROCOLLIS: Head tilts forwards

·         BRADYKINESIA: describes a slowness in the execution of movement

·         MYOCLONUS: a brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or a group of muscles

·         MINIPOLYMYOCLONUS: mycolonus is a brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or a group of muscles, so presumably this means a small, brief involuntary twitching of many groups of muscles

·         EPHEDRINE: is a drug commonly used as a stimulant, appetite suppressant, concentration aid, decongestant, and to treat low blood pressure associated with anaesthesia.

·         MIDODRINE is a drug which raises reduced blood pressure