Just realised I haven't posted since Saturday!

Regular readers will know that no post is good news as I am busy getting on with things and not posting on here.  Then I get a pang of guilt and feel I am letting you all down.  So here goes.

Sunday was a great day.  Ian came round again and we put the Land Rover back together.  Well actually, I supervised and checked and Ian did all the hardwork.  He only owns modern cars and doesn't get to play with spanners on them, I think he enjoyed wielding my spanners and sockets.  I promised not to tell the public, but whilst he was under there I got him to grease my nipples. (A Land Rover propshaft has 3 grease nipples and there are two propshafts).

Monday and today I have been having a good time in the chilly sun.  saw the nurse on Monday and she said if I could keep the dressing on there was no need to go in today, so I haven't seen them today but will do tomorrow.  The cavity wound is healing well from the bottom and they tell me I am doing a great job of keeping it clean.  I'm not doing much other than showering though, so it must just be clean.

Have booked the Land Rover mot for tomorrow afternoon so I have spent some time checking it over, pretty sure it will pass with an advisory on the exhaust leak at the back box joint.

Tried to post from my new tablet

But using a touchscreen keyboard and the blogger interface wasnt easy, so back to the old technology of the netbook.

Good couple of days, Sharon said today that I sound as if I have turned the corner.  I think that is Dorset for getting better.  I certainly feel better today than I have since the end of February.  Went down to the Health Centre and saw the nurse, new one I hadn't seen before.  She said the wound looks really clean and is healing well, which was good news.  I celebrated with a trip to Screwfix and Halfords.

Ian came round and we cut the grass (I supervised) and put the bits back on the shed that had fallen off.  Smoked samon and scrambled eggs for lunch and a sit on the sofa this afternoon.

Post script.   Now downloaded the blogger app to the tablet.

Getting so much better all the time, its getting better

Dossed around in my pj's until 10:30 and then showered and went to see the nurse.  She says it is looking great and healing as it should.

Came home and had some lunch and then popped across to see Andy.  He was running around doing jobs and needed someone to sit in a couple of cars for him, so I have had a pleasant afternoon out in the sun and had a ride in two sports cars.  Have just made chilli for tea and am sat waiting for Sharon to get in for work.

Out for breakfast tomorrow.  Only had 3 parecetomol today, bit sore but nothing too unbearable.

Up further today

Up very early as Sharon was off to London today.  On the advice of the nurse yesterday I decided not to shower until just before I saw her today.  Showering soaks the dressing and it falls out, so she said to leave showering until just before it was to be changed.  I was up early but dossed around un-showered until 11:00 ish. 

Will have to go to the Health Centre again over the weekend as the practice don't open.  Not sure what will happen next week, we are reviewing on Friday.  If the infection is being beaten by me and the anti-biotics they want to change the dressing every other day.  According to the practice nurse every time they change the wick it delays the healing of the incision by 12 hours.  If they change it less, it will heal quicker once they decide it is clean.

Anyway, I decided to drive to the surgery, then to the post office and then go for a drive.  All went fine and knowing I can get out and about always lifts my spirits.  The nurse said to carry on as normally as possible, not to go to the gym (no chance!) and to take it fairly easy.  She said the worst thing I can do is to stay on the sofa feeling sorry for myself.  I need to move about a bit to get my circulation going to carry the anti-biotics to the infection site.

Ups and downs

Great to get up to sunshine and warmth.  The warmth is having an impact on the garden and on my state of mind.  The dressing fell off in the shower again.  Spent some more time rebuilding my laptop after having to re-install windows after a registry corruption.  Appointment with the nurse was at the end of morning surgery in the emergency slots.  Was sat outside the nurses room at 12:15 for my 12:20 appointment.  The teenage girl there asked me what time my appointment was as hers was 12:10 and she was worried she had missed it.  At 12:20 an elderly gentleman turned up and sat down.  The nurse came out and he went straight in!  How do the appointment systems work in the NHS????

The nurse said the incision looks very clean and I am doing a great job of keeping it clean.  I asked her how long it would be kept open for and she said 14 days.  Bit of a shock as the hospital said 7.  The practice nurses said "Yes, the doctors always say that, but they don't do the treatment, sometimes it's 3 weeks".  So I have booked appointments at the surgery for every day this week  and next week, will have to book in the health centre for Saturday and Sunday.  Have also been in touch with radiotherapy as I don't want to waste their time and mine going to another appointment where the outcome is defer it.

The support from friends and family has been great again, thank you all.  I was in danger of having a downer, think it is the anti-biotics, but a couple of phone conversations with good old friends and lots of electronic support from so many others has got me back up again.  I am going to go mad sitting around doing nothing in this great weather.  At least fixing my laptop is giving me something to concentrate on and I have ordered a cheap Android tablet to explore next week.  I am having to duck out of a big school governors meeting this week as well, but I know it will all be fine. 

Back in my GPs care

Got an appointment to see my GP and the practice nurse today.  My Doctor was still feeling guilty for not getting back to me after I asked her about the swelling but was very pleased to see and here what had happened on Friday.  She also had good news, Fridays blood tests showed that my sugar levels are back down again and I haven't hit diabetic levels (yet).  She says not to worry about it until after radio therapy is over and then we can talk about lifestyle and stuff.  I am planning a life style change once radiotherapy is over anyway, not sure I want to go back to being a self employed training consultant anymore.  I want to carry on being a self employed motorsport instructor, and chauffer but you can't earn a living at that. At the moment I would like a nice little regular income that leaves me free to do the driving jobs.  I am getting too old for the stress and energy needed to run training courses, write reports and live in hotels.  I have been at it full time since 1989, a year now of doctors, hospitals and doing not much has given me time to do a lot of thinking.

Anyway, the nurse changed my dressing, after yesterday's fell off in the shower this morning.  The practice nurse has put a little sticky dressing on so I can shower in the morning and I will back in the surgery lunchtime.  Got my shorts on today, it was glorious this morning but it is cold and overcast now so I may have to get some proper clothes on.  The antibiotics are making me feel pretty awful, but anything that makes me better is good.

Dressing changed

I won't go into the gory details, and they are gory.  The hospital booked me an appointment at The Banbury Healthcentre for the nurse to change my dressing today.  Popped down, filled in the forms, got it changed and was home in 45 minutes or so.  The hospital had also left a message on the District nurse answerphone for them to do it tomorrow and I hadn't heard back so I left a message this morning.  The nurse at the healthcentre said the district nurse wouldn't do it if I could get to the surgery and when the district nurse rang the first thing she asked was "Can you get to the surgery?".  Had to be honest and say yes, so now it is my problem to sort out with the surgery tomorrow.  The district nurse did say if the surgery can't do it they will get someone to me.  So up early and on the phone then.

If I had swallowed a sweet the size of the antibiotics my mum would have told me off.