Way back in February I blogged that I was waiting for a knee replacement operation and that the scheduled date had been cancelled because someone failed to do their job properly and vital information was not passed on to the surgeon. It took a lot of phone calls and emails but I finally got the operation done. Many of those communications were because I didn't want to travel to a hospital in another county for that operation, but sadly it was my only option. It was too far for my family to visit every day but by the grace of God we have friends living within driving distance of the hospital I was in and they visited when my family couldn't.
Five days after the procedure I was home and getting on with recovery. I had a very special reason for wanting to be home so soon as two days later it was the anniversary of the day my husband and I were married - and not just any anniversary but our Silver Wedding Anniversary - wow, where did those 25 years go? The timing of the surgery means that we have yet to celebrate it but we have plenty of time and can wait. I got through the weeks of physiotherapy very well and it has been incredibly helpful, and my follow up appointments with the surgeon were very positive - I don't have to go back for another year now.
We were grateful for 25 years of marriage and delighted to hit that milestone, but it rather paled into insignificance the following day as my parents in law celebrated their Diamond wedding. We just have another 35 years to go to match their achievement! We were able to celebrate their anniversary at the weekend with a family dinner in a local hotel, when we managed to gather all the extended family together for the first time in some years. It was not easy for me, but dosed up on morphine and moving carefully, I managed not only to enjoy it, but even to stay awake - morphine really knocks me out.
Since then we have celebrated our daughter's 21st birthday, and in a few months will be doing the same for our son's 18th. In between we have special birthdays for members of our extended family - a 40th, 30th already down and a 60th coming up. As you can see - a very busy year for us.
I think that has brought Knight Times up to date with the notable news. We have lots more going on but that will save for another time.
Monday, 20 August 2012
Friday, 6 July 2012
Happy Birthday
Looking out of the window today at the persistent, torrential rain I can hardly believe that it is July 6th. 21 years ago today it was a Saturday,one of the hottest days of the year - back then summer knew how to be summer - the heat was oppressive, it was Ladies Finals Day at Wimbledon, and I was getting increasingly frustrated that my husband who was listening to the match on the radio via an earpiece, thought I was even remotely interested in the scores he was reporting to me as the match progressed. He obviously didn't know that a woman in labour has only one thing on her mind, and the only ball she can think of is the bowling ball she is trying to squeeze out of her body which demands all her attention and energy. He soon learned!! Funnily enough, since that time I have never been really interested in Wimbledon fortnight.
The result of that long, hot day was a beautiful baby girl who has become more beautiful as she has grown into the lovely young lady she is today. Congratulations on your 21st my darling daughter and a very happy birthday to you.
The result of that long, hot day was a beautiful baby girl who has become more beautiful as she has grown into the lovely young lady she is today. Congratulations on your 21st my darling daughter and a very happy birthday to you.
Monday, 25 June 2012
Olympic Torch Relay
Goodness me - look how long it has been since I last posted on here. So much has happened I'm not sure where to begin. I think I will start with today's news and then go back and do a 'catch up' on another occasion.
The Summer Olympics start in London sometime in the next month or so. The fact that I am unsure of the start date gives you an indication of the level of interest the Olympics hold for me. Today however, the Olympic torch relay came through our town. I wasn't going to watch it but I became interested when my son's PE teacher rang me to say that my son was going to be given the opportunity to run alongside the torch bearer because he has been volunteering to help out with PE at a school for children with disabilities. The relay route goes right past the front door of my parents in law's house so it was the obvious place to go to watch. We took chairs out onto the pavement just outside the front gate and settled down to wait alongside crowds of people who were happy to wait for an hour or two to see the torch pass by. We understood that the police were going to effect a rolling road block to keep the whole route clear and safe. Sadly it turned out that the road block was only in one direction. The footpath only runs down one side of the road in our location and that was the side of the road where traffic was to be allowed. We were no more than 400 feet from the end of the relay route but rather than stop the traffic at that point, the police allowed it to continue until it got stuck and had no choice but to stop. That meant that it queued back and completely blocked the view of those waiting on the footpath! We were able to cross the road and wait in the entrance to a house opposite but not so the children from a nearby primary school who were unable to see anything over the top of the queuing traffic. How sad is that? Own goal West Yorkshire and Metropolitan Police forces!
The Summer Olympics start in London sometime in the next month or so. The fact that I am unsure of the start date gives you an indication of the level of interest the Olympics hold for me. Today however, the Olympic torch relay came through our town. I wasn't going to watch it but I became interested when my son's PE teacher rang me to say that my son was going to be given the opportunity to run alongside the torch bearer because he has been volunteering to help out with PE at a school for children with disabilities. The relay route goes right past the front door of my parents in law's house so it was the obvious place to go to watch. We took chairs out onto the pavement just outside the front gate and settled down to wait alongside crowds of people who were happy to wait for an hour or two to see the torch pass by. We understood that the police were going to effect a rolling road block to keep the whole route clear and safe. Sadly it turned out that the road block was only in one direction. The footpath only runs down one side of the road in our location and that was the side of the road where traffic was to be allowed. We were no more than 400 feet from the end of the relay route but rather than stop the traffic at that point, the police allowed it to continue until it got stuck and had no choice but to stop. That meant that it queued back and completely blocked the view of those waiting on the footpath! We were able to cross the road and wait in the entrance to a house opposite but not so the children from a nearby primary school who were unable to see anything over the top of the queuing traffic. How sad is that? Own goal West Yorkshire and Metropolitan Police forces!
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Waiting for a surgeon
Partly as a consequence of the amalgamation of several previous back and leg injuries I now have serious problems with my knees, one of which requires replacement. I have been through various processes in order to attempt to stave off the requirement for surgery but unfortunately to no avail, even though I had high hopes of one of the treatments. By now I should have had the operation and be well on the way to recovery.
On October 24 I was added to the waiting list and was told that it would be around 18 weeks. At the pre-operative assessment clinic I informed the nurse that I am very allergic to a chemical used in the joint cement used in joint replacement surgery, explained what happens to me if I come into contact with it (not pretty) and stressed the importance of this information in relation to the surgical intervention.
In due time I received a hospital admission date for the procedure and began to make all the arrangements necessary for the continued smooth running of family life whilst I was in hospital and in the recovery period. Then on January 25 I got a phone call cancelling the operation because they had "just noticed" that I am allergic to the substance. All of this despite the fact that I had told them that I am allergic to it 3 months earlier and they had had plenty of time to find either an alternative substance or an alternative surgeon who is confident to perform an uncemented procedure. I am not a happy bunny and have made my feelings very clear to the hospital at the highest levels. They are now trying to arrange for another surgeon to undertake the procedure. Watch this space.
In the meantime if you have ever come into contact with a substance called Ethyl Methacrylate (also known as EMA) or Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) and had an unwanted reaction do keep it in mind if you ever need a joint replacement. If you don't know what that is don't worry - you are not alone. If however, you have ever had acrylic nails and had a bad skin reaction then you may well be allergic to EMA or MMA and that is closely connected to the substance used in cemented joint replacements - the substance is actually MMA. Not many people are aware that there is this connection and therefore would not necessarily think to mention such a reaction prior to surgery but it is really important to do so and at an early stage.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Life
All seems to be functioning normally in the world of my student daughter. She is stressed and overtired, wigging out at little things, even when things are going well. As I said all is functioning normally in her world. Unless things change we are expecting her home for 24 hours on Saturday, when at least I can give her a good hug.
Life here is a kaleidoscope of highs and lows, stresses and sweet moments. The work for Royal Mail which I mentioned in this previous post started well but quickly dried up to at most two shifts a week. Last night for the first time in his life he worked a night shift as it was the only available shift this week. The poor man is like a zombie today despite having slept. We had agreed that he shouldn't sleep all day as to do so would compromise his ability to sleep well tonight. Somehow I don't think that he will be having a late night.
Tomorrow however, everything changes. No more Royal Mail for a while, he is heading to Newcastle to start a very temporary contract for a few days - and it is only days at this stage. He will be home in just over a week but it is better than two shifts a week and at a much better rate of pay. The call about this contract came as a swift answer to prayer after we had spent time praying for some encouragement. God is so gracious to us.
On Monday I had an appointment at the hospital for a surgical pre-assessment in preparation for a total knee replacement. The length of the waiting list indicates that I should be admitted sometime in January but a lot of people cancel their admissions in the run up to Christmas so we are hoping to ensure that we get ahead of ourselves and get all the Christmas preparations well under way so that if I am asked to take a cancellation I can.
Life here is a kaleidoscope of highs and lows, stresses and sweet moments. The work for Royal Mail which I mentioned in this previous post started well but quickly dried up to at most two shifts a week. Last night for the first time in his life he worked a night shift as it was the only available shift this week. The poor man is like a zombie today despite having slept. We had agreed that he shouldn't sleep all day as to do so would compromise his ability to sleep well tonight. Somehow I don't think that he will be having a late night.
Tomorrow however, everything changes. No more Royal Mail for a while, he is heading to Newcastle to start a very temporary contract for a few days - and it is only days at this stage. He will be home in just over a week but it is better than two shifts a week and at a much better rate of pay. The call about this contract came as a swift answer to prayer after we had spent time praying for some encouragement. God is so gracious to us.
On Monday I had an appointment at the hospital for a surgical pre-assessment in preparation for a total knee replacement. The length of the waiting list indicates that I should be admitted sometime in January but a lot of people cancel their admissions in the run up to Christmas so we are hoping to ensure that we get ahead of ourselves and get all the Christmas preparations well under way so that if I am asked to take a cancellation I can.
Saturday, 24 September 2011
She's leaving home
26 hours ago I squeezed my daughter into the car alongside as many of her possessions as she could shoehorn into the space available. We then headed West to Lancaster where she was about to move into her first house, even if it is only a student let, it is still her first house. She was the first of the three girls sharing, to move in. As student houses go it isn't bad, it is quite spacious, maybe a little cold at first but she soon got the heating blasting out until it was too hot to bear - we then found that someone had left the thermostat on at 30 degrees. What it was however is filthy, we soon got that sorted with a twenty four hour blitz of cleaning, I have never before had to sweep dust off the walls of a house with a broom, not only the walls but also the ceiling. I had to scrape years of accumulated grease and grime from the tops of the kitchen wall cabinets, clean out the insides of drawers and cupboards and clean out the fridge. Surprisingly the one area which didn't need cleaning was the oven. By the time the other girls turned up today the place had been thoroughly fettled as the old Yorkshire expression has it. Swept, dusted, vacuumed, kitchen and bathroom cleaned, windows cleaned, nasty, dirty curtains taken down and replaced by fresh clean ones. Some of the grime was a bit too ingrained for the normal domestic equipment we had to hand but on the whole it was a totally different house from the one we entered at 6.30 yesterday evening.
When Elizabeth moved out of her university flat last year we scrubbed it out and left it spotless - that doesn't seem to have happened for a few years in this house - what was there was not just the detritus of one year.
Not surprisingly Elizabeth and I were both pretty shattered by the end of it all but I know she will keep going on adrenaline until she drops into bed this evening - whenever that might be! I on the other hand had a long drive home alone and am now typing this in an effort to stay awake.
She is now happily living in her new house with two friends and enjoying what I am sure will become a hectic social life in the couple of weeks before lectures begin again, we on the other hand will have to live with a quiet hole which is usually filled with a noisy, boisterous young woman who alternately delights us and drives us mad. Still it will be Christmas before we know it!
(Hands up those who got the Beatles reference in the title!)
When Elizabeth moved out of her university flat last year we scrubbed it out and left it spotless - that doesn't seem to have happened for a few years in this house - what was there was not just the detritus of one year.
Not surprisingly Elizabeth and I were both pretty shattered by the end of it all but I know she will keep going on adrenaline until she drops into bed this evening - whenever that might be! I on the other hand had a long drive home alone and am now typing this in an effort to stay awake.
She is now happily living in her new house with two friends and enjoying what I am sure will become a hectic social life in the couple of weeks before lectures begin again, we on the other hand will have to live with a quiet hole which is usually filled with a noisy, boisterous young woman who alternately delights us and drives us mad. Still it will be Christmas before we know it!
(Hands up those who got the Beatles reference in the title!)
Friday, 2 September 2011
Grr
I am cross, I am more than cross - I am enraged and what's more I am outraged.
My husband and I got our full driving licences in the same year. We have the same driving history and the same no claims discount. Everything about us and driving is the same. I am 2 years older than he is but we are at an age where that doesn't really make a difference, but when we obtained quotes today in both our names for the same car his was significantly lower than mine. That makes me cross, what makes me really angry is that the insurance company won't tell me why that is the case.
The only real difference between us is that I am female and he is male. The fact that they cannot/will not tell me why my premiums are higher than his leads me to the conclusion that there is sexism at work here and that takes me to the top of the anger scale.
Anger is not of itself a bad thing, it is only when the anger takes control of a person that it is bad and I am not about to let that happen but just occasionally there is a crumb of transient comfort in letting the imagination run free. (Be assured though that that last statement does not have anything to do with violence)
My husband and I got our full driving licences in the same year. We have the same driving history and the same no claims discount. Everything about us and driving is the same. I am 2 years older than he is but we are at an age where that doesn't really make a difference, but when we obtained quotes today in both our names for the same car his was significantly lower than mine. That makes me cross, what makes me really angry is that the insurance company won't tell me why that is the case.
The only real difference between us is that I am female and he is male. The fact that they cannot/will not tell me why my premiums are higher than his leads me to the conclusion that there is sexism at work here and that takes me to the top of the anger scale.
Anger is not of itself a bad thing, it is only when the anger takes control of a person that it is bad and I am not about to let that happen but just occasionally there is a crumb of transient comfort in letting the imagination run free. (Be assured though that that last statement does not have anything to do with violence)
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