Rollator,s are made for walking.

But Unfortunately my Muscles are not, I have certainly overdone it the last Three days so need to re-assess my trips out with the rollator.
Anyway it is now.........................

So at least time to have a rest and to let my aches and pains subside a little bit before Sunday comes around and I go shopping with Gervase. anyway I thought I would write today about my last three days of overdoing it. The one thing I have realized is that although the brain is telling me that I am ready to rely less on the wheelchair and Taxis my body has different ideas.

Since I have had my rollator I have found that it has given me more freedom to walk further than I could with a walking cane, primarily because it gives me more control over my balance. However I think that walking further around the block to get my paper in the morning, and walking 2 to 3 miles to Asda or the Health centre are two entirely different cases. 

Anyway although I am finding that my leg and thigh muscles are aching today I am sure that with rest over the next couple of days that they will settle down suffice to say that Lessons have been learnt, all be it the hard way so in future it will be walk one way and Taxi the other. so enough said, but at least I did it.

So let me tell you about the two meetings that I attended this week as I have decide that I need to be more involved in the community through the Portsmouth Disability Forum (PDF) which is based at the Frank Sorrell Centre in Prince Albert Road, Southsea.

Frank Sorrell Centre, Prince Albert Road, Southsea 

The meeting on Tuesday was the Health and Social Overview Group (HASCOG) this group meets one a month. HASCOG, is a group of Health and social care users who meet to discuss the issues that affect our lives as we use these services, it covers concerns about Health Services, Social care services, Well being and Independent living, we discuss the issues with these services, invite guest speakers and work with similar groups.

HASCOG Logo

It was a very interesting introduction for me and I did enjoy it and also the dedication of the other members there. The Guest Speaker was from the "Healthwatch Project" Portsmouth, which is a local branch of a national  organisation in Portsmouth that helps to improve health and social care service,s in Portsmouth.

Healthwatch Portsmouth Logo.

We also discussed other aspects of health care and then the meeting ended and I made my way back home, so a very interesting 2+ hours.

Portsmouth Disability Forum Logo 

Thursdays meeting was also at the Frank Sorrell Centre, this time it was a meeting of the 

PDF Open Access Forum. This forum focuses on issues relating to Physical Access to services and transport for all disabled people and how well or not they are working for disabled people. This was attended by a larger number of people than Tuesdays meeting and there was also another new comer like me so that was good. 

This meeting looked at any problems relating to physical access for all disabled people in Portsmouth, an example was the problem of taxi,s and vans parking in designated bus stops which prevented wheelchair users being able to board a bus as the bus had to stop outside the designated area where the kerb,s were higher, also the access to the museum in Southsea for wheelchair user,s and then looking at the proposed plans for the Hot Walls Development and liaising with the planning department to make suggestions for access for disabled persons.

Architects plans for hot walls development.

This was a very interesting meeting with lots of discussion on a variety of issues from writing to the local council about the amount of advertising A Boards on narrow pavements, to illegal parking on pavements or across dropped kerb,s, to the person who was assessed as being "To Blind" to have a Guide dog !!!!!!!!. so looking forward to the next meeting in october.

so there we are that was my busy three days, two days of Meetings and then a day of shopping on Wednesday down the city centre with Pauline, no wonder my poor old muscles are going on strike, but if there is one positive in all this exercise and movement it has woken my bowels up so have not had to rely so much on Fybogel and Laxido.

Fybogel is good for you

It makes you big and strong

it helps to make your motions soft

and to emit a healthy pong

So on that note I think I will make quick retreat and get ready for getting my dinner prepared for tonight and then it will be time for the dreaded Methotrexate. so I will get this Journal posted and say.

and hopefully the next journal will be a little bit more interesting for you,

Time is flying By.

I just cannot believe that it was last Thursday that I wrote my last "Daily ???" Journal it seems to be heading to a weekly Journal, still the good thing is that I have just about made up my mind what spec I need for my new larger screen computer so once that has been purchased I will hopefully be back writing Journals on a Daily Basis. so all I can say is thank you for being patient with me while I get my vision and computer sorted and welcome to................

Friday 20th September 2013

Much like any other Freaky Friday, Friday came and went I slept pretty well on Thursday night and was up about 8.30 on Friday morning. after sending the morning text to Pauline I got my breakfast and then settled down to catch up with the news on the local radio, Pauline phoned to say that all was ok with her, Gordon had spent the night over in Salisbury with his son, and he was due back after work this afternoon.

Talking to Pauline on the phone

Once I had finished talking to Pauline I got myself dressed and then took a stroll with the rollator around to the local co-op store to get some milk and the daily paper before having a stroll down to the eastney health centre to hand in my repeat prescription form and then headed back home it was a 3 mile round trip but I took it easy and enjoyed it. Once back home I settle down with the radio and to read the paper and get the crossword done.

Doing the Crossword in the daily paper

The rest of the day went by pretty much as it usually does, Gervase phoned about 1.30 to say he was at Leeds railway station ready to get his train home, he has been up in leeds since Tuesday with work , so is looking forward to getting back home to leanne.
I got dinner ready for 6.50 as usual and then after dinner settled down to watch the TV and to take my 15 mg of Methotrexate, and then was ready for bed at 10.30.

Its another Freaky Friday

Saturday 21st September 2013

and today dawned bright and sunny and also today is Myositis Awareness Day

So Saturday started like all my days with texts, phone call,s and breakfast. It was a decent nights sleep again last night, it is funny but since I have curtailed the amount of time spent on my laptop I am certainly sleeping better and am not having the headaches and vision problems that I was getting, so that is a positive for my Eye,s.....

Gervase Phoned at about 11.00 to say that he will be round to take me shopping at 12.00 he will be going to Fratton Park at 3.00 for the football as he is a Pompey season ticket holder and on the weekend that Pompey are playing home at Fratton Park we go shopping on the Saturday as I only live about a 5 minute walk away from the football stadium.

Frogmore road entrance to Fratton Park

Gervase arrives at about 11.50 so we decide that due to the  problems of the increase in traffic on match days around Portsmouth which is a city of mainly victorian terraced houses and narrow victorian roads that we would walk down to the Bridge centre at Fratton and go to Asda. It is about a mile away so I said that I will walk with the Wheelchair  and then when I have had enough Gervase could push me as it happens I walk all the way there, around Asda and all the way back home pushing the wheelchair so really pleased with that, it means that I walked 3 miles on Thursday with the Rollator and 2 miles Saturday with the wheelchair so am really feeling positive at the moment.

The Bridge Centre and Asda at Fratton.

Well once we were back home Gervase went off to meet his mates for Football and I made a coffee and then went for a lie down for an hour or So. Gervase came in on the way home from Football at 5.00 pm, Pompey lost 0-1 so not a happy chappy.

Framed print of the "Pompey" Sailor Mascot

Anyway he collects his shopping and then makes his way home to Leanne while I get my dinner cooked and then settle down to an evening of TV.

Sunday 22nd September 2013

And so we go into Sunday, legs are a bit achey after yesterday but I slept well so a couple of co-codamol to ease the pain and I am fit and ready for a busy Sunday. after all the usual bits and pieces I go round to Tesco express to get my daily paper and some milk and then back home to settle down with the paper and to catch up on saturdays recordings of Bonanza on the sky box.

Bonanza

well Pauline and Gordon are coming down later this morning at about 11.30, anyway at 11.00 I get a phone call from Pauline,s sister Fran to say that her, Colin and Stewie are down in Southsea and are going to come in and see me, so that is a nice surprise so they arrive about 11.40 and Pauline and Gordon arrive at about 11.50. so it s a flat full of visitors and it is a really great time to see them all here, however Fran, Colin and Stewie make a move at about 12.10, and them Pauline and Gordon are going to sort out my front forecourt and also the back yard to get everything trimmed back and tidied up for the winter. They are here for a good 4 hours and I help with what I can which really is not a lot but at least I can make the teas and coffee,s, me and gordon go over to B&Q to get a couple of shrubs to put in pots and also a rose bush to plant in the front.

The Front courtyard with new pots and rose planted

A Tidy and clean back yard

Once it is all done Pauline and Gordon head back home and I go and relax in the recliner before getting dinner at 6.30 and then watching TV until bed time at 11.00 pm.

Monday 23rd September 2013

Not much to say about Monday, It was a great nights sleep on Sunday night and Monday was a very warm and sunny day, I was up at 8.30 and after the normal bits and pieces took a walk around the block and along Devonshire square where I got my Paper and milk from the local co-op before heading back home to spend a little bit of time giving the front courtyard and back yard a sweep and a hose down before settling down with the paper and some TV.

Devonshire Avenue Portsmouth

At 2.00 I get some Sardines and Crispbread for lunch before settling down to watch a couple of old episodes of "Gunsmoke" which I recorded on Sunday afternoon.

Gunsmoke with James Arness 1955

at 6.00 I do myself some Chicken in White wine sauce with Brown rice for dinner and then settle down to watch emmerdale at 7.00 and then at 9.00 it is Doc Martin so that is a good relaxing evening and then off to bed at 10.30 after the 10.00 News.

Emmerdale 

Doc Martin starring Martin Clunes

Tuesday 24th September 2013

And so here we are at Tuesday and I have caught up with myself. well here we are on a very bright and sunny Tuesday in the middle of September. well it is going to be an interesting day today as I am going to a meeting of the " Health and Social Care overview Group" at the Frank Sorrell centre Southsea. it is at the rear of Eastney Health centre where my doctors surgery is, It is about 1.5 miles from my flat and I am going to take a slow stroll down with my rollator and see how I go, I walked it last week when I took my repeat prescription down.

This is the Rollator that I need

anyway after texting and speaking to Pauline and also having breakfast I get myself ready and then at about 9.55 I set of to take a gentle stroll down to the Frank Sorrell centre, I get there at about 10.20 so it has taken me about 30 minutes to walk the 1½ miles. anyway It was a good meeting and I really enjoyed it and will enjoy being involved in the community health and social care program. I have also been invite to take part in a meeting on Thursday which is the Portsmouth Disability Forum, Open Access Forum which focus,s on issues relating to physical access to services and transport for all disabled people. "What have I let myself in for ?"

Well at least it will get me out of the flat and get me meeting other people and also to get involved within the community, once the meeting had finished and I said my goodbye,s I went round to the health centre to pick up my prescription for prednisolone and Methotrexate which I will get made up tomorrow, and then as I have to go tomorrow for blood tests I also arranged to have my Flu vaccination tomorrow as well, so that will work out well, I then head back home collecting my paper and some milk on the way. once I am back home I make a coffee have a sandwich for lunch and then settle down to get this journal written.

Writing my daily Journal

well it has got warmer and sunnier as the day has gone on, it has been brilliant blue sky today and a temperature in Southsea of 24C/75F so a nice warm day. It has been a really great day today met some new people and walked 3 mile with the rollator so well pleased with myself, anyway it is now 4.45 so I will close this now and hopefully I will get the next journal written on Friday/Saturday so until then I will say ...............

Oh Doctor I'm in Trouble..............

Oh goodness Gracious Me..............

Hello again one and all and welcome to Thursday 19th September.

it has been an interesting time since my last Journal on Monday, so I will start with the events of Tuesday.

Tuesday 17th September 2013

As most of you know I have scaled down on the frequency of my daily journals due to problems with my Vision using a 13" macbook pro. Although I can zoom in on the text it the constant staring at a small bright screen that has been giving me problems along with frequent head aches above the eye,s. If I do not spend extended time on the computer this problem does not arise, however I decided on Tuesday to Phone my GP in the Morning at 9.00 am, and spoke to Dr Lake who arranged an appointment with another GP Dr Eggin at 11.45 that Morning.

Speaking to Dr Lake

After I had spoken to Dr lake I spoke to Pauline on the phone and let her know and also had a chat with Gordon, before getting some cereal for breakfast and taking my morning dose of Laxido.

"Laxido" for all that is stubborn and refuses to move

after breakfast and doing the washing up I get a wash and shave and then get myself ready to go to the Eastney Health Centre to see Dr Eggin. Dr Eggin is the replacement Doctor for my long standing Family GP Dr Tyrrell, who retired last week, so I was a bit apprehensive about seeing Dr Eggin, but I should not have been, she turned out to be a very competent GP and had been fully versed on my Myositis by Dr Tyrrell and also by Dr,s Lake, Richbell and Proctor, in fact Dr Tyrrell had even passed the book on Myositis that I had brought for him 2 years ago.

The book I Brought for Dr Tyrrell

Anyway I got a Taxi down to the Eastney Health Centre at 11.30 and reported to Reception I was Number 11 so as number 10 was in with Dr Eggin, then I was next, I only had a short wait and was called in at 11.50. Dr Eggin listened to what I had to say about what was happening and then carried out a series of tests my blood Pressure sitting and standing was OK, My Blood sugar level was normal, My Blood tests from two weeks ago were all OK ( Or as Dr Tyrrell marked, "Normal for this Patient") She then checked my eyes and carried out several vision and balance tests and also checked my ears, and  came up with the diagnosis that she could see no major problem apart from the cataract that was probably causing problems with the vision ( which is what I suspected) but she also said that the headaches were probably a combination of the brightness of the screen on the laptop and the fact that the muscles in my neck were weakened and was not able to support my head properly while using the laptop in the recliner so she has prescribed 2 x co-codamol if I find my neck becoming painful ( which I had noticed over the last week or so.)

A Thorough examination

So that was a good and positive visit to the Doctors so back home in the taxi and the rest of the day was spent watching TV and having dinner and leaving the Computer alone. anyway look forward to November when I get my new computer and also a new office chair so that I can work from my desk, will start checking that out tomorrow.

Wednesday 18th September 2013

well a decent nights sleep last night and got up about 8.30, Pauline and Gordon will be down about 10.30 this morning and then it will be down to the city centre to get the shopping. Today is the anniversary of My Fathers Birthday and also my Uncle Fred ( Mums Brother) Dad was born on the 18th September 1914 so would have been 99 this year and Uncle fred was born on the 18th September 1918 and would have been 95 this year

well after texting and speaking to Pauline and Having Breakfast it was time to get myself ready for when Pauline and Gordon arrive. in fact they arrive about 10.20 and I am not quite ready but almost so that is not a problem anyway, one I am ready I get the Rollator ready and Phone citywide for a taxi to take Pauline and I down to Commercial road and then once we have left, Gordon can do the weekly clean on my flat.

Commercial road precinct.

 Once down town we go and do the shopping that we need to do and also have a coffee before doing the main grocery shopping in Tesco,s before getting a Taxi back home at 1.15. Once home we get the shopping put away and then have a coffee, a chat and a sandwich before Gordon and Pauline head home and I settle down to check out office chairs and maybe a new desk as well. Gordon had done a god job with the flat cleaning as usual so thank you Pauline and Gordon for all your Help.

Nice one Gordon

Thursday 19th September 2013

Another excellent night last night, well after listening to Dr Eggin on Tuesday I have not suffered any headaches or vision problems, I cannot wait until November to come around so that I can get my new Computer. Until then I will be spending less time on the Computer, although I have found a way to write these blogs and facebook posts by using the "Siri" facility on my iPad. this allows me to verbally dictate what I want to write I can then go into the blog on the computer and add the images and that is it,  It took a bit of getting used to the speed of dictating and I have to manually make a very few adjustments by hand but I am getting better at it and it means I am not staring at a screen for a long time.

So today I have also been looking at what Office chair to get and also looking at Desks to compliment the new iMac when I get it.
It looks like the desk and chair will be from Ikea. Just can't wait now.

Ikea Hemnes Desk with add on Unit

Ikea Malkolm swivel chair

Well that is about all my eyes will take today as far as the computer is concerned.
After my appointment with Dr Gibb my Neurologist on the 5th of this month and my Pulmonary Function test last Friday, I today received a letter from Dr Gibb,s Secretary to say that my next appointment is on the 5th March 2014 that is 6 months time the same as the last one so I would presume that my PFT was OK.
So until the next blog which I hope to write on Saturday " Myositis Awareness Day" I will say...................

The Days are going by far to quickly.

So here we are again and it is Monday already,  I wish someone could explain to me where the days are going, Because I have not got a clue.

It is almost a week since I last wrote my "Daily Journal", Not so much a daily journal now I am afraid though, although it will change back to being written and posted daily once I have got the new computer .

When Frank gets his new computer

Wednesday 11th September 2013

Not a great deal happened last week it was really much like any other week, on Wednesday Pauline and Gordon came down and while gordon spent a couple of hours cleaning the flat, Pauline took me down to Morrisons to get the shopping.

Morrisons Portsmouth City Centre.

Once we had got the shopping done we got a taxi back home, and after getting the shopping put away we had a coffee and a chat before Pauline and Gordon made their way back home, as usual gordon had done a good job on the flat cleaning as usual.

Got that one wrong Gordon

 Thursday 12th September 2013

Thursday was a normal day as far as normal goes for me spent most of the day as usual listening to the radio or watching TV in between cooking and washing up and then an early night on Thursday ready for my trip to the Queen Alexandra Hospital for my Pulmonary Function Test on Friday.

Friday 13th September 2013

Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth.

The appointment for my Pulmonary function test went pretty well. there was a young trainee along with a physiotherapist that did the tests and the results will be sent to Dr Gibb my consultant. then what he said at our meeting on the 5th, is that when he gets the results of the PFT we will then look at the treatment going forward,

so that was about it for Friday except once I had got home it was time for the ............................. Methotrexate. because Fridays is know by me as Freaky Friday.

Anyway I leave it until after Dinner before I take the Methotrexate so that about the time the Methotrexate kicks in I am off to bed that way I sleep through most of the affects, as it always makes me feel yucky for a day or so.

Saturday 14th September 2013

Saturday started as usual with me having a lie in and then going through the usual daily routine, and I was looking forward to Saturday evening as I am going with Gordon and Pauline up to my Nephew Arron,s House in Fareham to a house warming get together, Arron and Sarah have been married for two years and have just moved into their second house as they are expecting their first Baby in October, so we are all looking forward to that.

One baby on the way 

Gervase and leanne unfortunately can not make it as they have a prior arrangement and I heard on Friday that my Brother Pat and his family cannot make it as Pat and also his daughter Melanie both have glandular fever but there was still a good turnout and we all had a good time.

A good evening at Arron and Sarah,s house warming

One thing I did do was although it was not my day for Prednisolone I did take 10 mg on Friday as well just to make sure that I was able to go . anyway it was a great evening and did not get back home until 11.00 pm so to bed at midnight and a lie in sunday morning.

Sunday 15th September 2013

Sunday was a day of resting and recovering from saturday evening. Gervase came and took me to Asda at fratton to get the shopping, it was nice to see him and he and Leanne had a good night last night.

Gervase has a busy week ahead with work as he is in London on Monday, Leeds on Tuesday, Edinburgh on Wednesday and back to leeds on Thursday and Friday so he has a lot of sorting out to do at home so once we are back home after shopping we have a chat and then he heads back home.

Monday 16th September 2013

And so to today another restful day of TV listening to the radio, Pauline and Gordon were down in Southsea today so came in for a coffee with Misty the Labrador, it was nice to see them all, we had a nice chat and a coffee and then headed back home. I have just caught up with the journal but will now get it posted on my blog as my vision is telling me it has had enough, just to say that there is now only 5 days to Myositis Awareness Day on Saturday the 21st

So until my next Journal I will say...............