Where did Saturday and Sunday Go

So Here we are on Monday, Where did the weekend go to, I did very little apart from sleeping, resting and some graphic work on the computer, and before you know it we are at Monday and the start of another week so all I can say is.

WELCOME TO 

Saturday

Turning the clock back to Saturday Morning. Not a bad nights sleep on Friday night, woke a couple of times during the night but was up by 9.00 am. Spoke to Pauline and had breakfast and then just checked on Facebook, apart from that not a lot happening, so a nice restful morning. My Son Gervase phoned to say he will be coming round about lunchtime as he is going to the first home game of the season  for Portsmouth Football Club at Fratton Park and they are having a fans fun day in the stadium car park so he will take me over to see what is happening, as it is within Rollator distance to where I live.
Gervase arrives at about 1.15 and we have a chat and then I walk with the Rollator over to Fratton Park with him to see what is going on.

Fratton Park from the Main Car Park.

Some of the fans at the Fun Day

The Pompey Bus at the Fun Day

The Pompey Shop, Fratton Park

It was not a bad turn out at the Fun Day, and when you think that 2 years ago "Pompey" were on the brink of Liquidation and going out of the English football league after getting into so much debt after some successful years in the Premier league and winning the FA Cup.
It was only through the supporters ands the Pompey Supporters Trust that we survived in league 2 of the football league and is now owned by the supporters.
Pompey won the match against Cambridge 2 - 1, so a good start to the season.

Play up Pompey

After we have been at the Fun day we make Our way back home, we were only out for about 40 minutes once indoors I get myself some lunch ready and Gervase heads back over to Fratton Park to watch the match, as he is a season ticket holder, We have been supporters of Pompey for many years, I remember my Father Taking me to fratton park when I was about 6 or 7 years of age, That would have been in about 1949/1950 and I have been supporting them ever since, through all the bad and good times, I started taking Gervase to Fratton Park when he was about 9 years of age in about 1990.
 After the Match Gervase came in and we had a nice chat about the match, as I listened to it on the radio and then he made his way back home to Leanne, and I settled down to watch some TV and do a bit of Graphic work and then dinner about 7.30 and bedtime at about 10.00, so all in all a good Saturday.

Sunday 

Sunday started with a Thump in more ways than one, I had woken at about 6.30 and as usual I go and make a coffee to take back to bed, Turn on the Radio and Open the bedroom Window to let some fresh air into the room as I get very Dehydrated during the night, and being in a ground floor flat I cannot have windows open at night for obvious reasons, Anyway I must have dozed off because the next thing I know I am awaken by next doors Kitten leaping on to me from the window sill.

I am always being pestered by Cats

Anyway that was the way my day started, Once i had got up and gave the Kitten from next door a drink of water and opened the back door he was happy, he just went up to the end of my courtyard and sat there licking himself and looking at me as if to say " Well that got you out of bed" after that shock to the system I needed a good strong Coffee.

My goodness I needed That 

Well once I had got my self sorted I got some breakfast, Text Pauline to let her know that all was ok with me, Pauline phones back and we have a chat and then I go and weigh myself before getting washed and dressed and settling down to check out Facebook.

Nothing wrong with my weight.

Well once I had got myself sorted It was time to head of down to the paper shop and get my daily Paper, I met one of my neighbours out taking his dogs for a walk down the Park, so I headed of down to the park  with my rollator, we had a nice chat but my muscles soon got tired so after about twenty minutes I headed back home, but it was an enjoyable half hour .

Out with my neighbour with his dogs

Once back home I just spent the rest of the day Resting and listening to the radio.

I got dinner about 7.30 Pm a nice Moussaka,  and then spent the rest of the evening in the recliner watching a couple of recorded episodes of "Highway To heaven"

Highway to heaven with Michael Landon and Victor French.

And so ends Sunday, off to bed at about 10.30 last night and slept through pretty well until this morning

Monday

Well This morning started pretty well, It is a lot cooler her on the coast today, apparently we have a cold front moving in from Scandinavia so that will make life a lot more comfortable for me and my walking, I find it hard going walking when it is to hot and humid, a cool breeze makes it far more comfortable for me.

As I said in Fridays Journal, Pauline had made me a Bib for when I am eating.

Franks Bib for mealtimes.

The reason behind Pauline,s needlework skills is that she does all my washing and ironing for me, {She takes The washing home on Wednesdays after she takes me shopping and Gordon takes it on Friday when he goes home to Pauline after Helping me with my Bath etc. And needless to say Wednesday,s washing is returned all clean and ironed on a Friday and the same for Friday,s on a Wednesday, } Anyway as I have to have a lot of liquid with my food due to my swallowing not being 100% and also that my Hand, Mouth and Cutlery co-ordination is not 100% I tend to get food down the front of my shirt, and I think Pauline is getting fed up of having so many shirts to wash and iron, I am all right with Sandwiches, Drinks, ice-cream, cakes etc but Meals are a different matter.

Calm down Pauline

Anyway one I had had my breakfast of cereal (Wearing my posh Bib), I go and get remedy and then head off down to get my Morning Paper, In take a walk around the block and that is enough for me so back indoors to get a coffee and sit and read the Paper and do then crosswords.

Well Today has been taken up on writing this journal and apart from having lunch , I have not done much else, apart from looking into setting up a fun Global Myositis Awareness website, Just turning ideas over in my head at the moment.

Anyway it is now 5.00pm and it is time I got this Journal posted so  as there is not a lot happening today So Until the next Journal on Thursday I will say..................

A Treck into the wilds of Milton.

Good Morning all you lucky people it is me again, with more exciting and nail biting tales of life with a Rollator. so welcome to................

Should get up when
 I wake up

Well Saturday morning was interesting to say the least, For the second morning running I woke about 3.30 isn with a very painful shoulder, Why this is happening again I have no Idea, anyway it was a case of applying "Deep Heat" and taking a couple of co-codamol and then getting back to sleep again,  before waking at 7.30.

I have a suspicion that I "Cricked" my neck on Thursday, reaching to get something out of the cupboard , anyway if it happens again over the weekend I will phone the doctor on Monday,  anyway instead of getting up and out of bed I decided that I would just check on Facebook with the iPad, Big Mistake, still there at 9.00 am

My Trusty Rollator

Once I am out of Bed I text Pauline and then get some breakfast and get dressed before Pauline phones and we have our morning chat, Pauline has only just got up, so looks like we are all having a lazy start to the day today, Anyway after I have spoken to Pauline it is on to the lap top to check emails etc before deciding that as it is such a nice day today and that we are in for some wet and stormy weather over the next week I will go for a walk to Bransbury park and Milton road with the Rollator, I am under no illusion that I will probably suffer for it over the next few days but I know that my leg and thigh muscles are getting weaker , and my Knees are starting to give me trouble, so I need to walk while I still can.

So  after making sure I have an ample supply of Food, water, Tena, Medication and camping gear I head of out to explore the wilds and to face the perils of walking to Bransbury Park with my Rollator.

The Reason I am so attached to to this area and why I live here is that it is where my Mother and my aunt and Uncle were  born and raised and where they all lived from 1918 until about 1925 when my Grandfather was Posted to Ireland before moving back to Fareham, just outside of Portsmouth in about 1928. so here we are with a photographic tour of my walk today

The first Photograph is walking east along Goldsmith avenue towards the Milton Road, with Milton Park to the left.

This is Milton School, it is in milton Road, just after entering from Goldsmith Avenue, This is the school that my Mother, Auntie Maud and Uncle Fred went to, Mum would have gone there in 1918, when she was 5 years of age.

The two photographs above show one of the little independent shops still trading in the Milton road " known locally as "Milton Market" it still has sweets in the jars and weighs out the sweets you require and serve them in a little paper bag, memories of days gone by.

This shows one of the flower beds by the bus stop in Milton Road, at the entrance to Bransbury Park.

Time for a coffee at the "Art Cafe" situated in Bransbury Park, an excellent little cafe with a wide range of food and very nice tea and coffee, a independent cafe .

These two Photographs above is the area of Bransbury park, that the "Art Cafe" is situated in a nice peaceful place to sit and enjoy the sunshine

This Photograph is the area that runs along the side of the sports areas, tennis, soccer , miniature railway etc. that is about it for me so now tio head back home, I have been out almost 2 hours, 

The final two Photographs are taken as I go home via the side roads and shows the victorian houses and architecture  along the Tree lined roads that makes up most of the residences in the southern half of Portsea Island and the district of Milton.

So here I am back home and I am absolutely tired out, my legs feel as if I have run a marathon, I have been out about 2.5 hours and enjoyed it but I now need a light lunch of Chicken soup and then go for a cat nap for an hour or so.

Chicken soup for lunch.

That was a lie down that lasted longer than I thought, anyway I now need to get this journal written while listening to the Portsmouth soccer match on the Radio, which Portsmouth drew 1-1 against Exeter, it was the first match of the 2014/15 season. well the Journal is written and now to get it Posted before thinking about tonights dinner which is a nice Marks & Spencer fruity chicken curry, my saturday treat after Freaky Friday,

Tonights dinner will go down a treat

So until tomorrow I will say.............

A walk in the Park

Well here we are again absolutely Knackered but happy, so welcome on this sunny day in Portsmouth  on the South coast of the UK, so open the door and walk right in.

early morning Bathroom Break

Last night was not a good night,s sleep I think that this hot and humid weather is taking it out of a lot of us at the moment here in the UK, we are not used to this type of weather here, well not in recent years anyway, you could always rely on the rain coming when the Schools closed for the 6 week summer break, and this has not happened this year.

Anyway I was very restless, and was up and wide awake at 3.00 in the morning , well it was time for the bathroom break anyway.

 Well after I had abluted I returned to bed and then just dozed on and off until I went back off to sleep until I woke at 8.30 feeling like I was ready to go back to bed.

An Australian Beauty

Well Once I was eventually up I made a coffee and went into the lounge where I got on the computer and logged on to Facebook to see what had  been happening in the Myositis support groups overnight, "Especially the Australian bunch" because when we are in the land of nod they are awake and creating havoc.

My Rollator

Well Once I had finished on Facebook and posting in the

Myositis Friends Support Group.

Myositis Support Australasia

Myositis-Canada

The Myositis Ramblers "KIT" Group

I then go and get another coffee and have my Breakfast before washing up and getting ready to go out round with my Rollator/Walker  to the local Tesco express store to get my daily paper and then as it is a nice day a trip around the park where I can sit in the shade and do the crossword in the paper and watch the world go by.

It amazes me that in a very congested city we still have so many parks and open Spaces. Milton park is surrounded by 3 busy roads but has been here for centuries, it used to be a farm in 1722 and was purchased as a Park by Portsmouth corporation in 1912. It is a very well used park in Milton/Eastney which is on the eastern side of Portsea Island. Following are some Photographs that I took today.

Looking towards the Entrance to Milton Park from The Crossroads at Goldsmith Avenue.

Dog Walkers ?

Once I get into the Park i found a nice seat in the shade of one of the many trees that are in the Park and it is nice as although it is surrounded by busy roads it is still a fairly quiet place with lots of people out walking the dogs and as it is school holidays there are mothers with there children in the Play Park area having picnics etc, a nice family environment.

However I read my paper and do the easy crossword, the harder one can be done this afternoon or evening, as for some reason I am not watching that much TV at the moment, I prefer to listen to the local radio or to Classical FM. (must be getting old) after about 45 minutes I start to make my way back home.  It is only about a 20 minute walk with the rollator for me, about 8 minutes of anyone else, but today I seem to be having more problems with my legs not wanting to work, it is the upper leg and thigh muscles that seem to be the problem an both the left and right hand side, I have noticed a slow deterioration over the last 3 or 4 weeks, but today it just seems to be that little bit harder.

A Sandwich for lunch

Once I am home I get myself a coffee and then go for a lie down to rest the legs, after which i notice that it is nearly 2.00 pm so time to make a corned beef and tomato sandwich for lunch and also a yoghurt

well that is really about exciting as today got, I now need to get todays journal started and then I can think about what to have for tea, and get myself rested for Shopping tomorrow with Pauline, I have a feeling the wheelchair will be needed tomorrow as we will be going down to the city centre.

Frank is Old and Cranky

 I Have an appointment with my GP on Thursday so I will have a word with her, I am not one to start to try and analyse what the problem may be but knowing my body and after 3 years of Myositis the  likely causes are Either the tapering of the Prednisolone, "Adrenal deficiency" from being on the Prednisolone for over 3 years and taking my age into account,  or progressive weakening of the muscles. it is not a problem with the bone as it is certainly a muscle ache and weakness. either way I will get it sorted, my GP will probably contact my Neurologist and bring my appointment with him forward as I my next appointment is on September the 18th and they will probably up the Prednisolone in the meantime, AS I am now on 2.5 mg a day and I have been struggling ever since started to taper from 10 mg daily. Oh the Joys of Dermatomyositis

Well that is about it for today so a nice beef casserole for dinner tonight and then a relaxing evening listening to the radio, with a brief interlude to watch Emmerdale on the TV, it is the only "soap"I watch so all thats left is to say is..............

See Ya Tomorrow

and so here we are into October.

I remember writing on my last journal on Friday that the rollator was made for walking but my legs were not, well a bit of a misquote there I think it should have read "But my Body was not" as I will tell you after welcoming you all to...................

I ended Fridays Journal saying that I was going to get dinner ready for Friday evening, well I had dinner about 7.00 pm and then from 8.00 until about 9.30 I spent between the lounge and the bathroom vomiting and bringing my dinner back up (not a pretty sight), I felt so ill that I even had to phone gervase and he came round to be with me for a couple of hours, I let Pauline know and she and Gordon wanted to come down but I said that Gervase was coming round, and we would phone if it got any worse and let them know.

Anyway this went on for about 2 hours until it started to settle down at about 10.00 ish, at which time I thought that Gervase had spent far to much time with me and that he needed to get back to Leanne , as the poor lad had not even had time to have his evening meal. so after much nagging from me he went back home after making me promise to phone him if it started up again, anyway once Gervase had gone I phoned Pauline and gordon and then went off to bed feeling very old and fragile.

 It was a very restless night,s sleep and when I eventually got off to a decent sleep, I slept through until about 9.00 am when I received a text from Pauline to see how I was. The good thing about it was that I was not feeling "Nauseous" but the muscles in my lower chest and stomach were really Sore and Painful, I had certainly put some strain on them last night, so It was going to be a couple of days of rest for me, anyway I made a cup of Twinings fruit tea 

and had a small bowl of cereal for breakfast and then  settled down to rest and watch some TV. I also took a couple of co-codamol which helped to ease the pain and soreness.

well Saturday passed very uneventful, I kept my food intake down to a minimum and upped my fluid intake to stay hydrated and got through Saturday with no more bouts of sickness.

Pauline and Gordon came down to see me and to make sure that I was OK and to see if I needed to have the bathroom cleaned or anything, but that was OK, They also brought me my paper and some milk with them, anyway they stayed for an hour or so and had a chat and then made there way back to Waterlooville, Gervase phone to see If I wanted him to come round but I said that was not necessary as I was going to spend the day watching Movies. and so that is how my day went, I had a couple of scrambled eggs on a slice of toast for lunch and some chicken soup in the evening and also a complan, and then had an early night. at least I managed to keep my food down on Saturday and was feeling slightly better by saturday night.

now on Reflection I think that I had just really pushed my body to the limit over the previous few days and was now paying the penalty for my stupidity. I had walked far to much in such a short period of time and also was eating far to much as well. Through all the trauma over the last 2 years with the myositis diagnosis and the chronic dysphagia and the slow rate of improvement it was easy to forget that I was also diagnosed with a twisted stomach (Cup and spill stomach) and I need also to take that into account as well.

I slept pretty well on Saturday night and Sunday was much the same as Saturday, I was feeling better but on reflection I have decided that I need to eat 2 smaller meals in a day instead of one larger one so that is what I am going to do, Gervase came round and we went out in his car and did a little bit of shopping, we went to Marks and Spencers where I got  6 mini meals for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and then we went up to sainsburys where Gervase did his shopping I took it very easy with only a small amount of walking.  

M&S Mini Meals for one

So apart from shopping I spent most of the day recovering from the last aches and Pains from Friday, Friday night I slept pretty well and got up at about 9.00 on Monday.

Monday was again a day of rest and taking it easy, I am still making sure that I am taking it easy and pacing myself better throughout the day. I walked round to get my paper from the new spar shop and the lad that served me was on his mobile phone and did not stop talking even when taking the money for the paper, How rude is that, I certainly wont be shopping there again 

The worst shopping experience ever, really rubbish

anyway spoke to Pauline and Gordon and then just spent the day pottering around the house and catching up on episodes of Bonanza and Gunsmoke. Tuesday was also spent much the same way except on tuesday evening I went to see Gervase and leanne for a couple of hours, Leanne,s dad Dave was there as well and gave me a lift back home about 9.15, I am certainly feeling a lot better now but that was really a rubbishy last few day,s.

So Now we are at Wednesday and it is shopping day with Pauline. having two mini meals a day rather than one large meal has certainly been beneficial to my digestive system, so I will carry on with that regime at the moment, I will contact my speech therapist in the next few weeks and have a chat with her as it is getting near the time when they will need to do a follow up  Endoscopy to see if there has been any change in my cup and spill stomach.

Pauline and Gordon arrive about 11.00 and while Pauline and I go down to the city centre Gordon will spend a couple of hours doing my weekly flat clean.

Get a move on Gordon

Once down town we go to the bank and then boots the chemist, before heading into M&S to get 8 mini meals to take me through until Sunday, we then go to Morrisons in the Victory Retail Park to get the main shopping before getting a taxi back home.

Morrisons Victory retail Park. Portsmouth

once back home, we get the shopping put away and then we have a sandwich and a coffee for lunch before Gordon and Pauline head back home about 3.00. so that is the end of another day, suffice to say that the Rollator stayed at home today and I took the wheelchair, I have certainly learn a valuable lesson over the last few days and that is that with this Myositis, no matter how well you feel take it easy and do not overdo things as it is always lurking in the background ready to pounce and give you a reminder.

Anyway I am feeling almost back to norma again now and I really think the 2 mini meals a day is benefitting me so we will see how that goes, and certainly a bigger variation in my diet so hopefully less laxatives, but thats another story. So Until my next Journal I will say a fond goodbye.