12/08/23 Back again...

 I got into the habit of blogging at night after my shower but now I always seem to have other things to do. If it isn't the Facebook group demanding time it's something else, even if that something is watching Hamilton on Disney+ for the umpteenth time. I've become a little obsessed with it. Anyway, finished it last night so...

Good news is that ether my hip wasn't as damaged as feared, or it's healing well. Mobility is well on the way back to normal and pain is now minimal. But still waiting for the x-ray results!

Had a couple of days in Dorset - stayed at a McCarthy Stone place in Ferndown, and as owners that costs us just £25 a night. Same anywhere in the country. Upheaval of going away is lessened because we no longer have the (much missed) cats to worry about, but I'm still ar from keen on it. And now I have a CPAP machine to carry around as well. Weather could best be described as variable.

Much time occupied lately with my new main PC (this one), which suddenly died completely. No lights, no beeps, nothing. Too long a story to tell in every detail, but eventually and by accident found a couple of connectors inside had come loose. Put them back, and everything restored to normal! But not good for the build quality, inspection, and quality control of the people who've built all our computers to my specifications for some fifteen years now...

Some photos in fairly random order:

Kingston Lacy House

Old haunts - Sandbanks. I remember it from before the property values went crazy

Old school

Excellent risotto (background)

With my sister in their garden

Sue and me with friends at Kingston Lacey

On the Observation Wheel at Bournemouth Pier

Overlooking Poole Harbour

The (local) Writtle Jazz Festival

19/07/23 NHS success and 100%

Two posts in two days!

Following on from yesterday, just posted this on the Facebook myeloma group:

You may remember that I have a large myeloma-induced lesion / cyst in my left hip, above the socket. That means I'm at high risk of a rather nasty fracture, and I have an October appointment at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital to explore surgical options for repair. All very well until I tripped over a paving slab yesterday and fell heavily on the side of my left hip. "Oh s**t", I thought on the way down, "I've destroyed my pelvis altogether..."

Fortunately not that bad.

A couple of kind people helped me up and spotted the hearing aid dislodged from my left ear. I sat on a handy low wall for a while and  - slowly and carefully - made it back home. Then the adrenalin faded away and it started to hurt, partly in the left groin - just like the pain when I fractured my hip years ago that led to finding the lesion and my MM diagnosis, if a bit less acute. Lots of other pains here and there, and walking around the flat very slow and difficult. I took some ibuprofen and decided to leave it overnight. Soft tissue damage (definitely!) or something worse (possibly)?

No improvement to speak of this morning and thought that a precautionary X-ray or CT might be a good idea so 'phoned Orthopaedics at my hospital (Broomfield, Chelmsord) as the consultant there had told me to get back to him in event of any problems. Naturally he's off on holiday and his secretary's on annual leave until next week. 

The receptionist I spoke to wanted to ask colleagues and said she would call back. And inside five minutes she did, with three options for me. Call the RNOH and ask to bring the appointment forward, try again with the secretary on Monday, or call my GP and get him to arrange an X-ray. 

So I organised a cup of coffee and a few biscuits to sustain me through a long "Your call is important to us, you are number 38 in the queue..." and rang the GP surgery.

Answered inside five minutes, and offered an emergency appointment (with my own GP!) in forty minutes.

Met my new GP for the first time - absolutely lovely man who immediately issued a "Super-Urgent" X-ray request which should produce an appointment in a few days. He gave us a second copy of it to take to A&E if nothing by Friday. He suspects a pubic ramus fracture (and so do I, although not a major one).

I asked the doctor if he was familiar with myeloma. He said yes, had diagnosed it maybe ten times and we had a quick conversation about paraproteins and free light chains. He also said he thought I had been completely right to decline transplant!

So - although I haven't had that X-ray yet - an absolute 10/10 for the NHS on this - both hospital and GP. The NHS may well be broken but it isn't dead yet.

The new CPAP mask I bought recently is a big improvement. It's quite some time since I had one of these!

18/07/23 Fall

 I put this in the Walter House residents WhatsApp group his afternoon...

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Uneven pavement warning! After Xxxxx's recent adventure...

Went for a walk this afternoon, intending to do once round the Cathedral and back. Got past all the raised paving slabs on the left side of the road ok (feel I know them all by name by now), then tripped over a slightly raised one near the Recruiting Office. Went straight over forwards, despite the stick in my right hand, with a bit of an anti-clockwise twist and landed hard on the side of my left hip.

The bad one which doesn't have a lot of bone left in it....

Moment of sheer panic...

Two very kind people - middle-aged woman and young Asian man - rushed to my aid and helped me back to my feet. The lady found my left hearing aid, which had been dislodged from my ear. Without her, I would almost certainly not have noticed it had gone and would now be starting a claim on the insurance. No harm done, the hip is intact but a few muscles are complaining and I have a small graze on my little finger. The automatic fall detection on my personal alarm (Careline365, not the McCarthy Stone one) worked and connected me to the call centre while I was still on the ground, which I think is pretty good. I'm being cautious and cancelling my Tuesday boules night in Brentwood for this week.

The moral of this story is to watch out very carefully for those raised paving slabs. There are too many of them and a moment of inattention...

Nevertheless, walking is healthy exercise and good for you. Sometimes.

"Be careful out there."

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Followed by:

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Thanks all for the comments and concern. Some muscle pain on the left side but nothing worse, I think. Moving around rather gingerly and have just taken a couple of ibuprofens.

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Now wondering whether I should contact Orthopaedics at Broomfield - or even my so far unseen new GP - to see if a precautionary X-ray or CT might be advisable... Will see how it feels in the morning.

12/07/23 Still in remission...

 It's been a long time again, but very little of note has been happening. Life in the new place is settling into a steady pattern, we've been out for a few meals and I'm playing regular boules again at Ongar, Epping, and Brentwood where last night I paired up with a Frenchman and we beat another English-French pair 2-1, which makes up for Monday when my side lost by the opposite margin. Haven't been back to Birchanger yet as the drive is now a bit longer than it used to be, but do intend to make it a few times before the season ends.

Had a 'phone consultation with my new consultant today - nothing new in the bloods except a message that I should hydrate a bit more. I'll try, but I'm not good at it. Good news is that the CT of my hip showed no sign of new disease. It's just a matter of waiting for October...

21/06/23 Southend

Went to Southend for a bit of a walk along the front and some lunch. There's only one lunch to have in in Southend so we went to a place we've used several times before for fish & chips. Disaster! Chips so underdone as to be close to raw in the centre. We had to send them back.
Then took the train to the end of the pier. At 1.3 miles long it's too far to walk these days. I thought this photo was worth posting:

And when we got back to the car, we had a parking ticket. For parking outside a marked bay. Well, the markings were so faded as to be near invisible. We have photos and are challenging the ticket...

17/06/23 Anchor

Nothing new of any significance, just some warmer weather and lunch today at the Anchor on the banks of the Crouch. Excellent lunch it was too. I had a fancy mushroom fusili, and the Eton Mess in the photo was Sue's not mine. I had the out-of-focus blueberry cheesecake in the background. All photos by Sue, and taken from a Facebook post.

11/06/23 Marks Hall

 Just some photos from a beautiful day at a favourite place.