17th October 2011

Well nothing to exciting for the past few days. Over the weekend felt tired so apart from going out for lunch Saturday I rested. Sunday (yesterday) I didn't even wake up until 10.45am. It took me another half hour to unstiffen my bones, get myself showered and dressed. When I wake up the first thing I have to do is stretch my hands because they stiffen overnight and I wake to claw like hands which I then have to painfully stretch out. The next step is to put my hand up behind me to grab hold my headboard to haul myself over onto my side so that I can gradually sit up. When I stand up initially I have to walk slightly tip toed across to the bathroom as the bones in my feet hurt.

I can no longer physically get into a bath because of all the surgery on my breast it hurts to push myself up with my arms. To start with I would roll over onto my knees to stand up, but since the operations on both my legs this is no longer possible. So I have a bathboard over my bath which I sit on to swivel my legs into the bath, then stand to shower, then do reverse to get out.

Some mornings when I've showered I feel so exhausted and hurt that for a few moments I sit on the bath board and have a brief pity moment. Then I remind myself I can't sit there all day and get myself sorted. Putting my socks on is hilarious....No honestly! I can't bend my legs enough to reach so I put my foot onto the bottom stair lean and sort of lassoo the end of my sock onto my toes, then grab the end of the sock and do a very small hop to pull it up. I have considered getting one of those hooks which would help but then what would be the fun in that? I get out of breath, dance around on one foot sometimes say a word which God covers his ears for. This is probably my main exercise for the day, and when my family are around their main entertainment. If they took me to a fairground I'd clear the hoopla stand..lol

Certainly I get mornings when all this gets on my nerves but on the whole I've learnt to adapt with my life as it is. What's the alternative? Isn't it amazing how humans have things happen to them and yet they have coping mechanisms which kick in to enable them to manage.

Humour and the ability to laugh when times are rough is probably one of the greatest coping mechanism of all. No! it doen't change the situation but it sure makes life more bearable.