Friday, January 20, 2006

A tentative return...

Up early - hospital today

Copied Fripp & Eno's "Evening Star" to the hard drive with the intention of making a loop of the main backing theme which is in itself a loop created back in 1975 by Messrs Fripp and Eno...

Didn't do this though as I got caught up in my daily round of "websites I visit"...

Before I knew it, it was almost 10 am and sister-in-law Jane had arrived to take me to the infirmary (with the emphasis on infirm)...

I wasn't confident of a resolution today as I've been having so much pain in the leg during the night and my mobility is improving at a snail's pace...

Arrived at 10:30 for a 10:40 appointment and, by 10:40, I was sitting in the X Ray waiting room along with many other unfortunate souls - most of whom seemed to be in the opening stages of what I've been doing for the last eight weeks...

By 11:20I am at the next waiting station, X-Rays having been done and opinion about to be dispensed...

At 12:10 I am called...

1. The swelling remains to a significant extent - but I am assured this is just the body trying to heal the break along with all the other damage done to the tissues around the ankle area

2. Although the specialist is happy with the progress made over the last two weeks and shows me today's X-Ray along with that taken a fortnight ago in order to demonstrate the improvement, to the untrained eye (i.e. that of the patient), there seems very little difference in the big black line stretching for four or five inches through my outside leg bone. But everyone is different apparently and it takes longer in some for the bones to meld again (subtext - your break isn't healed yet)

3. Thankfully, there will be no operation because the bones, whilst broken, are not out of place and merely need time to grow back together - but age is not on my side of course and I ought not to play football again

4. The consultant (senior to the specialist I'm in the room with) is happy with the progress

5. I'm to be started on physio next week to get the ankle moving again

6. I am out of any significant action for another two weeks but am allowed to move around the house without the moonboot

7. Further X Ray and update in six weeks when it's hoped the bone will have healed and the physio will have had an effect on overall mobility (I hope so because, by then, it will be three and a half months since the accident)

At 12:25 I am outside the Physio's room waiting for a first meet...

We decide on a "least inconvenient" venue for the treatment and the physio gives me some tips on what to do at home - her motto is "tease the tissue" - in other words, don't do anything more than that which doesn't produce any pain...

At 12:40 we are finally exiting the hospital - it's been a long wait for Jane and I apologise but she's fine and very understanding...

We drive to her mother-in-law's to pick up the kids (Ollie and Kitty) and then head to McDonalds for some Happy Meals....

Once I'm home and on my own again, the depressing thought kicks in that it's clear it's still going to be a while before I'm back to normal...

I take off the moonboot in any case and start to walk about without it - which soon produces some pain...

In the evening we have the Friday night takeaway - but these days, everyday seems the same...

I am buoyed by calls from my mum, Anne's mum, and Jamie - all interested in knowing how things are going - and Jamie sends the regards of many regulars from Out of the Bedroom...

And so today, I get started on some songwriting, picking up the guitar for the frst time since October and working out two or three initial chord sequences and recording them quickly to Cakewalk with a hummed melody line...

Then Anne and I watch "Judge John Deed", which makes for an engaging 90 minutes, the excellent third episode of "My Name is Earl", the best of "Chewing the Fat" (even though I have a 4 DVD set containing every show) and, finally, a programme showing adverts from around the world, which is mildly entertaining...

Then I set the video to record John Carpenter's hokum "Prince of Darkness" which features Alice Cooper as a bike-frame weilding wino and which I must already have seen around three times...

The one thing which draws me to the film is the central premise that people from the future are trying to contact the protagonists in their sleep to warn them of the danger...

If only they'd done that to me on the night of 22 November warning me not to play five-a-sides the next day....

Highlight of the Day : A tentative return to songwriting

2 comments:

Cloudland Blue Quartet said...

Disco Stu - Yes let's get together and "Creek" - tried a few more chord sequences today.

My Francoise Hardy CD arrived this morning, which cheered me up - and of course Anne and Meg the Black cat are keeping my spirits up too!

Ms Low - My physio said not to cause myself any pain with the exercises - i.e. do it till it's about to cause pain, then stop - which sounds fine to me...

Cloudland Blue Quartet said...

"Your comment has been saved and will be visible after blog owner approval."

This message is happening to commenters due to a change in my blog parameters.

It stems from another blog I was reading where the writer was complaining about being unable to comment on Blogspot blogs without having an account.

So I changed the rules on my blog to allow anyone to comment. To avoid spam though, the quid pro quo is that all comments come to me first by e-mail and I get to decide whether or not they go to the blog.

I was on line when Ms Low's 1st came through and had already ok'd Stu's from earlier but was off line when Norman's came thru so missed it on my 1st reply above.

So now I can say - thanks Norman for your voodoo good wishes - much appreciated - onward and upward chaps!