Update

I have had my stitches (staples) out and am now sporting a new plaster cast. This one is, actually, plaster-free, and a lot more comfortable than the original one.

When they cut me out of the old one, my fat toes were testament to just how restrictive it was – my foot and ankle was positively tiny in comparison. I have a ‘bone bruise’ at the base of my two smallest toes where the cast has been crushing my foot for 17 days, and as a result they’re quite sore. But the new cast is more comfortable and has now set my foot at 90 degrees from my leg. My toes are a much better size and colour!

I’m going to remain like this for about 2 more weeks – and I still can’t put my foot down!

Great.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. xx

On Expedition….to the kitchen

Well, its 9 days since my foot was operated on, and I remain in a plaster cast from just below my knee to just above my toes (see picture above). I continue to be non-weightbearing on this foot, and its very likely I will remain this way until the end of the month. At least.

Everything takes me twice as long as it would normally, and the thing about having to use crutches is that you can’t actually carry much. It feels like a full-scale expedition every time I need to make a drink or something to eat from the kitchen. Its exhausting!

I can’t have my foot lower than waist level for more than 5 minutes, either, because it starts to swell and feel uncomfortable, so I tend to lounge on the sofa, propped up, with one foot on the arm and the tv remotes and phone close to hand. I have spent my days watching TV (but there’s a limit. Daytime TV is made for idiots, and the more I watch it the more annoyed I am becoming – so I have to ration it a bit!), reading, and occasionally getting upstairs to the computer to surf the internet and catch up on emails.

For someone like me, who is constantly on the go, active, always organising things and always has so much planned, this is the worst torture. Enforced rest will do me good, yes – but mentally I’m starting to wane. Doing almost nothing can be as stressful as doing too much.

Anyway, if you’re interested, I’m reading:

Northern Lights (also called The Golden Compass if you’re American) by Phillip Pullman. Its the first in the His Dark Materials trilogy, and the moviemakers have produced a film which has just been released over here. I thought I’d read it before I watched it. I might do a brief review of it once I’ve finished it.

The Afghan, Fredrick Forsyth. FF is one of my favourite writers, I know I’ll enjoy the book if he’s the author, and this one is no exception. I’m about a third in, so might have it finished by the weekend (I’m pacing myself). Again, I’ll let you know.

Hope all is well for you people who are still hastily arranging final Christmas presents and events. Best wishes to you all.

Spaniel xx 

Last day of the Cat

When a crisis happens in my family, all roads always lead to me. Its just the way it goes. I have the inherent gift of Smoothing the Way. Today is no exception.

Grandad’s cat had to be put to sleep today because he was dying of a nasty tumour which was stopping him from eating. Mum was angry with Grandad because in her mind he was being selfish and didn’t want to put the animal to sleep before Christmas, and Grandad was adamant the cat wouldn’t be suffering and thought Mum was interfering.

Grandad was worried about being on his own, though he hadn’t said as much, and mum was worried about the cat suffering unnecessarily. In the end, the Vet helped to break the news that the animal wasn’t having much of a life now, and he would starve to death over the coming week if we left him.

So mum helped Grandad decide it was best to have him put to sleep, and she persuaded him to bring the animal home afterwards, and they buried him in the garden properly. Both were very upset. I was glad I wasn’t there, because though I didn’t have any time for that bloody cat, other people being upset makes me cry, and I’d never have held it together.

Still. Mum rang to ask me to ring grandad, and I knew what I had to do.

I got him talking and we chatted about today’s sad events. I asked him questions, and steered him through his own emotions, and eventually, though he’d never tell my mum, he admitted to me that he’d been glad to have her there with him today.

Its a sad day. A lonely, elderly man who has very little in the way of nice things to say to most of his family, lost someone who meant a lot to him; his cat. Mangy, fat old moggy that he was, he meant the world to Grandad. And now he’s gone. And Grandad knows he did the right thing, even though his conscience is pricking and his heart is aching.

And all is well, really. Mum is better for knowing she did the right thing too, now that I’ve told her how Grandad was when I spoke to him.

Even with my foot in plaster, I’m still precariously negotiating difficult relationships. I don’t need crutches for that.   

At Home Again

I’ve been in for the operation on my foot, and I came home today.

The procedure went better than expected, as my surgeon found my ligament largely intact and flapping about in my joint, so he was able to repair it instead of grafting a new one. I’m now in plaster up to my knee and can’t bear weight for a week. My foot is sore, but I’m not in huge amounts of pain, just discomfort. I have to keep my leg higher than my heart for most of the time, and I’m restricted to where I can get to on my crutches, which isn’t that far!!

I was well looked after in the hospital (thanks Bupa), and now I’m home being well looked after by Badger. I’ll keep you up to date with my progress. In fact, I’ll be posting regularly for a few weeks because, I’ve got a lot more time on my hands than I normally would do!!

I bet you can’t wait, eh? 

The Tree is UP!

 

Its how you know Christmas has begun, isn’t it?  

Just two days

I have limited time left before there begins the 5 weeks of immobility. I know its all for a good cause, but knowing this operation is going to happen on Tuesday afternoon, is, understandably, causing me to be apprehensive.  I’m not scared of the operation or the anaesthetic, and I’m fairly sure I won’t be in huge amounts of pain afterwards – its the enforced rest, the lack of independance and the huge complications for daily living that having my leg in plaster is going to give me.

I envisage:

Having to plan when I’m going to need to go to the loo well in advance because I only have one toilet and its upstairs.

Having to go up and down the stairs on my bottom in a very slow and undignified way.

Having real problems getting washed. (Will I be able to get in the shower??!!)

Trying to find an alternative to watching crap daytime TV

Trying to avoid eating too much so I don’t put on any more weight because I’m less active

Not being able to go out for ages

People coming to visit me that I then can’t get rid of

Being frustrated that I can’t do all the things I really want to be getting done

May be it won’t be this bad. I’ll keep you posted.

Let the adventure begin.