Two day hangover.....so far!!

Two day hangover.....so far!!
Well I thought it was about time to fully jump off the wagon and have a good boozy session and yep I appear to still be paying the price two days later!!
It was a really great day at the Ashalls wedding, but I think the duration of drinking and probably also the variety of drinks are what finished me off! I seem to recall some 'strawpeedos' on the old blue wkd and shots of sambuca towards the end which really were the final nails in the coffin! Thankfully I didn't disgrace myself and remained firmly in my chair, which itself remained firmly on all of its wheels!! ....Although being in bed by 11.30 would be considered by many to be a disgrace I suppose!!

....having said all this I was lucky to simply be at the wedding really! Friday night saw a pre-wedding gathering of stag survivors. In an attempt to be sensible I thought I'd drive and save myself for the following day, all well and good up to this point! The mistake I made was giving my mate Bebbo a lift and placing any responsibility on his shoulders! ....as we left the pub I got myself in the drivers seat and Bebbo set about putting my chair in the boot, it requires a modicum of dismantling, with probably about a pre-school level of difficulty involved, and it appeared Bebbo had managed all on his own! ....so we set off home, picking Jenna up en route and jettisoning Mr Bebbington, only to find one wheelchair minus a cushion when we got back! ...now this is not an ordinary readily replaceable cushion, they cost about £600 and have a gel infil to relieve pressure so you can't simply pick a cushion up off the sofa and whack that underneath instead!

....SO there was much panic upon this discovery, a frantic phone call followed by an 'oh shit!' from Bebbo "I left it by the fence in the car park", and a drive back to Widnes, running through all the possible options if it wasn't there when we got back! Luckily the mini drama had a happy ending and the cushion was still there against the fence and I was therefore fine to make the wedding the next day!

Another problem presented by the Ashalls nuptials as well as another smart affair a couple of weeks prior was that of smart clothes! I mostly seem to wear jogging pants during the day nowadays, although I'm usually doing some sort of exercise in my defence!! And then I have my one pair of 'special' wheelchair jeans which are massive and used for all other engagements! ...I thought I'd try my standard suit trousers first before going out and buying some new ones and things started off in promising fashion as when lying down they seemed to still fit me just fine. However when I got in my chair all of a sudden the legs were by my knees and the waist band was splitting me in two! Cue an Internet search, thankfully Marks and Spencer  have a big and tall range online these days so I am now the proud owner of two pairs of trousers which once belonged to giants! 42 waist and 37 leg, for those that this means nothing to I was previously 36w34l so without actually having changed much I seem to have simply become massive!!

A few weeks prior to the wedding we'd been off to Munich for Ashall's stag do and my first trip on an aeroplane since getting myself a wheelchair! I was a wee bit apprehensive to say the least, but I had Paul coming along to make sure I was alright and didn't get left in a beer hall or anything! This role didn't get off to the best of starts when we couldn't get hold of him at 4.30 in the morning to tell him we were on our way to get him before heading to the airport! It turned out he'd been out for a couple of drinks the evening before to remember a mate of his and one thing had led to another and he'd only made it to bed at 4!! Anyways we managed to rouse him and still made it to Manchester in plenty of time and to be fair he was surprisingly compos mentis considering the lack of sleep! And for the rest of the day did a good job of watching out for me, this chiefly involved sitting in beer halls drinking steiners!!

The aeroplane part of the process was none too dramatic either thankfully, the whole process had its pros and cons! Chief pro was next to no queuing at the airport and all the staff were very helpful indeed, and the biggest downside was being handled like a bag of spuds when getting on the plane, closely followed by being first on and last off, adding a good half an hour to the flight!! ...the bag of spuds bit whilst not very graceful was at least effective, at the door to the plane I was lifted by two blokes from my chair onto a tiny chair that fitted down the aisle on the plane and then from this into a chair on the plane, job done no nonsense! .... The actual stag do was good, again I was quite sensible/boring just sticking to the beer all day and pacing myself as I didn't fancy getting lost in

The other thing mentioned in my last blog was an impending table tennis tournament, now something of a blurred memory, it really did whizz by, both the day and the table tennis ball!
....it was a real compendium of disabilities when we got there with about 12 different classes based on the types of disabilities people had, I couldn't help thinking it was lucky we weren't in Germany in the early 40's as they'd definitely have been turning the gas on in this sports hall!! ....I managed a 100% record on the day, not the type of 100% record you'd aim for mind! ....My first game pitted me against the British champion who came fourth in the Paralympics, safe to say I came second in that one! And then my second and final game was against another bloke who'd been playing for years and again I was runner up! But to be fair I didn't disgrace myself taking a few points off them both in my games, I think the best I managed was an 11-6 defeat, not too bad considering I've been to about 5 Tuesday night sessions so far! It certainly gave me something to work towards at least! ....there was a doubles tournament too that was much the same really, I was put with a guy who was also pretty new and had the same level of injury as me and we where drawn against people who were a lot less disabled in both games but again we scraped along, got a few points but again managed to lose all our games! So that's the story of my 100% record!! ...I've not been deterred mind and have even dragged Jenna along to the odd session with me, she's pretty good too! Worryingly she'll be beating me in no time, though I do have a decent excuse mind!!
Munich!

As well as table tennis I've now been playing a bit of tennis too which seems pretty good and involves a little more cardio than its table based cousin! Unfortunately in the first week I overestimated how much my grip had improved and as soon as I tried to hit the ball I dropped the racquet! The not very refined answer to this problem is to get some sports tape and simply tape it to your hand, crude yet effective! So in the subsequent weeks I've improved a little although pushing yourself around in a wheelchair with a racquet strapped to your hand takes a little getting used to!


...I'm also still getting out on the hand bikes and dragged Jenna along to this too the other week, again she made very short work of it and made my efforts look a little feeble! It is pretty hard graft though and slightly demoralising when I have toddlers walking past me when I try and go up any semblance of an incline!! But I am getting a bit better week by week and this is all you can ask for! ....aside from these bits I'm also doing regular physio and acupuncture and also getting to the gym whenever possible so busy busy and racking up the miles in the car, I best check the contract hire agreement at this rate so I don't go over the mileage allowance!



.....after Jenna and I had our morning out on the hand bikes, a nice leisurely start to the day! We were due to be looking after Jenna's nephew Harry, in her infinite wisdom Jenna decided a trip to the farm would be a nice activity for Harry, which indeed it was! But it let me know where I fit in the pecking order as it was possibly the most wheelchair unfriendly place we could find! Basically it was hills and gravel with a few hills and a bit more gravel for good measure! So I continued my workout while Jenna and Harry had a lovely time! And every time I caught them up and had a breather it was time to move on again! Think I need a 4x4 wheelchair for days like that one!

Oh and next week I have a trip to Stoke Mandeville spinal hospital for the 'interspinal games' which is just a chance to try out loads of different sports with a few competitions etc... Each spinal unit from around the country attends and takes a handful of carefully selected elite patients! or more accurately the ones they liked! So myself and a few of the guys I was in Southport with are going so it should be a good week trying stuff out, having a few drinks and probably catching up on some shithead! ....I'm hoping I can take the table tennis title, I should keep it quiet I've been playing a bit!!



....and finally the ' night of musical excellence' is now this Friday, last I heard there where only 20 tickets left so if anyone still wants to come, get in touch with me or my colleague Nick (email on the poster) and we'll get you sorted! ....they've done a fantastic job and it promises to be a great night so I'll look forward to seeing you there!

Thanks

Mark

World's Worst Blogger!

Apologies from the worlds worst blogger!! ....it seems things have slipped a little since I've left hospital!! I've been fully intending on updating for about the past three weeks but something always seems to come up, which I suppose is a good thing in a way as I must be keeping myself busy, but it does not make for a good blog!!

So what's been going on since my last post? As ever something of a mixed bag!

Thankfully the positives outweigh the negatives this time out and it's been largely steady progress in all areas! But ever the pessimist it seems only right to start with those negatives!! And once again it's those bloody infections!

....having spent the first two weeks of the new year on antibiotics and largely house bound, I thought the coast was clear.... but alas a month on, the shivers and temperature returned worse than ever really! And despite my familiarity with the more common symptoms of a water infection this one threw in something of a curve ball (sadly all to literally!). It seems the bladder is not an isolated area and the infection managed to find its way elsewhere (again a parental guidance warning here!!) The elsewhere being one of my balls!! Which very very worryingly was about the size of a jacket potato (I hope no one's eating whilst reading this!)

So upon discovering this I was literally straight onto the doctor who sent me off to Whiston hospital to get some intravenous antibiotics and more importantly anti-inflammatories! and this all resulted in a three night hospital stay, which I was far from pleased about as it was quite a setback and I never imagined in my worst nightmares I'd have so many males getting acquainted with my testicles!! ....fingers crossed, all now seems well and I have an appointment with a specialist to try and get to the bottom of these infections, as the current rate of one a month isn't really suiting me too well!

Thankfully that's about it on the downside and there's been plenty on the upside too....

The biggest and best of which has been getting my Motability car through!! It's a very sporty looking Astra with an equally sporty engine so it certainly shifts! I've had it for well over a month now and feel pretty used to the hand controls which are quite simple really, although they do take some getting used to.  I was more than a little nervous when I picked it up from the dealer on a snowy day in January with it parked in a tight space and had to get it out on my own, thankfully I didn't crash but jerked back and forwards like a madman as I familiarised myself with the hand lever in front of an audience, it wasn't pretty but I got out....just!

...I've steadily improved and got used to the lack of balance when going round corners all my fellow road users will be glad to know! And I've been getting out and about in it as much as possible! It really feels great to do something so normal as drive a car and I'm enjoying not having to rely on everyone for lifts constantly! And one other thing that makes me sound probably more than a little sexist but when Jenna and I go out, I would almost always drive and it's nice to be able to do that once again too and let miss hues relax and enjoy the scenery, as she more than deserves with all the running around and 'tooing and frowing' she's been doing for me since the fateful day (as I think it should now be known!!)

I've also been cracking on with going to the gym and tried my hand at a few more activities, handball, table tennis and hand biking all of which are pretty good, sadly my favourite is probably the table tennis which has the least cardio by a mile! I've even entered a tournament down in Crewe next weekend which promises to involve a good few drubbings but it will be good experience to see what I'm up against in my disability class, wish me luck as I know I'm going to need it!! I've also signed up to have a go at wheelchair tennis next week as I continue in my quest to find something to replace football in that its exercise without being a chore!

In other news I'm also going to be best man for my mate Bebbo who has bitten the bullet and proposed to Emma so massive congrats to the two of them, and in other wedding related news, another pal is off to Munich this weekend for his stag do and with some trepidation I am heading over there for a night, Paul is coming with me in case of any problems but I'm not sure who's going to be looking after who, once the beer is involved! But here's hoping that all runs smoothly and I survive the weekend! and fyi don't break your neck it makes travel insurance pretty pricey!! ....oh and I'm a little nervous as to what might happen when going through airport security what with two big metal rods in my neck!!

....This one may be up for debate as to whether it's good news or not! but I also visited work with a view to looking at what adaptations and considerations are needed for me to return and we came up with a provisional date of July for making some sort of return to the fold which will be a huge step in the whole recovery/ rehab process, I'm pretty sure it will wipe me out initially as most things seem to at the mo but it will be great to get back, as I actually quite enjoy my job and we have some pretty good banter too, which whilst I enjoy spending lots of time with Alfie these days, his banter is somewhat limited!!

 .....speaking of work, my colleagues who I feel I should refer to as my friends more so!! ...are organising a night 'of musical excellence' with lots of live music and some great dj's. It's at studio 2 on Parr St, Liverpool on 12 April and promises to be a great evening! And it's in aid of, well, me!
All ticket affair....see the poster attached. But there's 200 available so get snapping them up and I'll look forward to catching up with people there.

Thanks as ever, will try and increase the frequency of updates again!!
Love Mark

Off To The Gym

Take two! .....is there anything more annoying than losing work? having written this update yesterday, I thought I'd happily sent it to Betty to go on the blog and to Tony to knock up a cartoon, but somehow in my technological incompetence I've managed to lose it completely, not in sent items not in drafts just not there! argh!

....anyway second drafts are always better so here goes!! ....

Its been a bit of a while since the last update, Christmas Eve I think, so I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year and did the standard eating and drinking far too much!!

It's been just over a month now since I came out of hospital and to be honest its been something of a mixed bag! The initial pre Christmas couple of weeks was pretty hectic what with my birthday and Christmas drinks, shopping and what not, the time pretty much flew by!
After Christmas however, as always tends to be the case, things have somewhat slowed! ...the initial few days in between Christmas and New Year, it was nice to kick back on the old double recliner sofa, watch crappy films and eat equally crappy food! ....but there's only so much of it you can take!! So the plan for the New Year was to get cracking on the exercise front again and get a bit of structure back in my days, especially as Jenna was back in work which was an unfortunate reality check, but meant I need to get doing thinks a bit more independently and just generally get on with things!! ....unfortunately, this was the plan for New Year, but come New Years eve I started to feel a bit sketchy, this became increasingly sketchy throughout the day, then at about half ten I started shivering and feeling freezing despite my temp being really high, a sure fire sign of an infection and that has kind of been the case on and off for the first couple of weeks of the year! So yep it was a fitting end to a rubbish year really shivering in the start of 2013! However 2012 started really well with a cracking New Year's eve and went rapidly down hill so here's hoping for a complete reversal on that, and this slow and sometimes stop start to the year turns into a great 2013  (fingers crossed at least!)

Its been about three days now, seemingly infection free so also fingers crossed on that front as I've been getting pretty fed up with it and undoubtedly not been the best company in the world so apologies to Jen and the folks for that! ....And I'm hoping to make it to the gym for the first time in what seems like an age today so that is certainly going to be a shock to the system as I've definitely lost a bit of strength over the last couple of weeks and I didn't have much to start with!!

In other exciting news, whilst being somewhat housebound, I've been looking through some work stuff and it seems landing on my head has affected my ability to concentrate, either that or not really using the grey matter in what is nearly eight months has! As it seems after a couple of hours I need to take a nap, as I was literally falling asleep with the mouse in my hand! Now it could be argued I wasn't 100% anyway so this could have played a part and probably more significantly what I'm looking at is accountancy stuff so in its very nature is somewhat sleep inducing! But seriously I think as well as physical exercise I'm going to have to start exercising the brain a little more too otherwise going back to work may actually kill me!


...oh and finally one other incident to report, I managed to fall out of my chair for the first time last week! I've messed up transfers before but this was a bona fide fall out of the chair! Sadly I wasn't even doing wheelies I was just sitting in the kitchen rolling back and forward, a little like a crazy person on reflection! but I just pushed a bit too far and the chair tipped backwards and I ended up on the floor! oops! thankfully Paul was there to pick me back up and I escaped unscathed but it was little worrying!!



Right I'm off to the gym then, wish me luck!

Going out in May, coming home in December.

'Here's to going out in May and coming home in December' (my toast from the night I got out!)

Well time certainly does fly! It's been nearly two weeks since getting out already, apologies for not updating but we've been surprisingly busy really! I must admit being discharged just before Christmas and also my birthday, has been very lucky in a way, as there's been so much going on that's kept the days full and stopped me from entering a bit of a post discharge lull that I was warned of in the hospital due to the lack of structure in the days when you first get out.

Although I don't think the sort of structure the staff where speaking of included quite so much alcohol and eating out, but more on that in a bit! I've also been really lucky too as Jenna took a few weeks off work to help with the whole process and it's been great being able to spend so much time together, mostly just doing normal things and catching up with people. Starting with a surprise birthday meal, which I must apologise to all those who came for my initial somewhat underwhelmed reaction, I was knackered from pushing myself and feeling a bit low on the old blood pressure front so struggled on the effusive happy stuff! It was lovely though so thank you all! ....in general I've been getting on ok since being discharged, everything is obviously a bit different but like I've said so many times it's just a case of practise making perfect, the more I do things the easier they become and that's what it's all about really, finding your feet! Sort of!

The drinking stamina continues to be a long way short of pre accident levels! I made it out on my works Christmas do, putting in what I thought was a decent stint from about 2 til 9 and thought I was still in decent knick, Jenna however tells it a little differently, apparently I was rambling and slurring all the way back and more alarmingly woke her up in the night by "trying to get out of bed", with no chair in sight, that could've been very messy indeed! ....the next day was unsurprisingly a bit of a write off!

....on a different note, Again I can't thank my parents enough for the effort they've gone to, to get the house ready and to make myself and more importantly Jenna feel at home, and our little 'apartment' is not too shabby either to be honest, they've even put a number 10a on the door! ....thankfully the rooms are pretty big as we had our new bed delivered the other day and it's about the size of my old flat!  But I tend to hog the bed a bit these days so needs must! But the piece de resistance is our new double recliner sofa thanks to father Christmas for popping round early with that, unfortunately we haven't spent as much time as we'd like on it yet but it is amazing, I thought I was going to have to get Bebbo evicted from it the other day!

Oh and in other exciting news I've ordered my new car a nice sporty Astra which I should have in just a few weeks as they had one in stock, so the new traffic warning is for the south Liverpool area!! But I can't wait to get it as it'll mean a lot more independence, this won't just please me, Paul sadly drew the short straw of taking me to and from rugby this week, which is in Southport and on for four hours! And to cap it off, I was that knackered from the training he had me snoring all the way home! But a big thanks for that x

And finall, hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and gets everything they wished for!

All the best

Mark x

12.12.12. Homeward Bound

....And the big day has finally come....

Homeward Bound!! ... I've definitely reached the stage of being excited to be getting out, obviously there's still a wee bit of trepidation but that's definitely lessened and I'm feeling much more prepared for my imminent release! ....I honestly don't think I could play another game of shithead!! Which unsurprisingly is what we decided to do for our final night on the ward, it was the only fitting way to depart, shithead, takeaway and whisky, standard fare in Room 9 over the past months!!

....I say we, as there are three of us leaving from our room tomorrow, I think they'd had enough of us!!  We've managed to drag out the leaving pretty well, so we had a few beers with some of the physio's and ot's on Friday, we took a load of the nursing staff out on Monday night which turned into a pretty lengthy session, certainly the most drunk I've been in a while anyway....half 6 til we got chucked out of the pub really! ...and I've changed my drinking so as to minimise volumes, so I'm still finding my feet on the red wine and whisky, not quite sure of the old tolerance yet! Something to work on I suppose!! ...but yep beer is going to be more of an occasional treat as sadly what goes in has to come out and that end of the bargain is just a faff especially when you've had a few!! .....and Tuesday night was as I said just a low key one on the ward, a nice way to finish up!

On the home front everything, fingers crossed, is coming together. we've operated on a just in time system so it should all be falling in to place as I leave the hospital hopefully! ....a massive thanks to my mum and dad for all the upheaval, mess, expense etc... you've gone to, to get things ready and thanks to Alan and Jay for helping on the wardrobe moving front at he weekend and Paul for hospital removals, it seems you accumulate an awful lot of crap over six or so months! And as ever a huge thanks to Jenna for just being Jenna and bending over backwards for me continuously whilst managing to still just be my girlfriend, I know that sounds a bit disingenuous but what I mean is through all this crap and everything that's come with it that she's had to deal with, when we're together and out and about and doing whatever it just feels normal like it always did, and that normality really means the world to me, just like she does, love you Hughes xx.
And whilst I'm on the thank you's, Rose and Peter have also done a great job in making their place as friendly and accessible for me too, so again thanks a million.

All I've really been doing this last week or so is getting set to leave so the physio and ot has been wound down, but I did get the chance to get out on the roads in the adapted car the unit has which was brilliant! It really felt great to be driving again, the method was a little peculiar but the end result was the same! We just did a short spin around the hospital and a bit of the surrounds, I'm pleased to report it all went swimmingly with no incidents to report! The hand controls are a bit bizarre but took no time at all to get used to, just a lever you push and pull to brake and accelerate and a ball on the steering wheel and that does the job! ....we also went car shopping at the weekend, as I really want to get something ordered pronto, as independence wise it's a massive thing, thinking an Astra is in pole position at the mo, as it looks pretty decent and more significantly it's cheap compared to some of its rivals, I must be a proper accountant!!

Cartoon by Tony Husband www.tonyhusband.co.uk

Oh and if anyone has seen my Facebook and wondered why I keep getting tagged in photos of Christmas trees, it's a long story! ....a good one mind, albeit pretty grim!! ....far too grim for the blog but ask me when I see you next and I'll let you know! ....it may however slightly taint Christmas forever!!!



Take care

Mark

This one Is dedicated to Mark Swift and his true love Jenna

Well I'm not one for overdoing the status updates on Facebook but felt it would have been rude not too after the Elbow concert, it went a little like this:-

                 ".....So, Elbow gig was amazing, can't decide if the highlight was having some beers with them backstage or when Mr Garvey dedicated a song to Jen and I mid concert!!! ....all in all not too shabby really!"

This one is for Mark Swift and his true love Jenna

So yep as concerts go pretty much the best one ever really! Nice meal beforehand, got to the arena just in the nick of time, met the drummer just before they went on, nice seats (well position that is, I come complete with a seat these days!), song dedication of "This one is dedicated to Mark Swift and his true love Jenna", Nice! And then downstairs for a quick beer afterwards, again met Richard Jupp the drummer (who knows my auntie, hence the special treatment!) was an amazingly nice guy, just really normal and down to earth, but for someone so busy and in demand he was very generous with his time and then also had a chat with Guy Garvey who was much the same really, I couldn't thank them enough....basically superb! ....oh and they where kind enough to sign some lyrics for my physio Ben, the old romantic! His first dance at his wedding was 'One Day Like This' so for his first wedding anniversary (paper) he printed out the lyrics and asked me to see if I could get them signed for him, nice! Although also absolute cheapskate!! ....massive thanks though to my Auntie Jan for sorting it all out and to Mr Jupp too!

Yep so that was definitely the highlight of the past week! As that aside its been pretty quiet really...physio is on the wind down in preparation for going home! Sounds counterintuitive really (and is) but there argument is when you go home you won't have scheduled physio everyday so it gives you some time to get used to that fact! ...but I've achieved all the goals we had set so can't grumble they've done a great job, the next phase is down to me and I've got to push on with it all, pardon the pun! ....in o.t. I've been doing more car transfers and taking the chair apart, it is getting easier but remains far from easy!

I'm looking forward to hopefully having a go at driving next week as the car at the unit has adapted hand controls, so basically a lever you push and pull to accelerate and brake and a handle on the steering wheel so you can steer one handed, surprisingly you don't need to do another test or anything you're allowed to just go for it! Which is a little scary, not so much for me but more so for all you other road users! ....if you're driving round Southport I'd look out for a maroon Focus over the next couple of weeks and take a seriously wide berth if you see it!!

Cartoon by Tony Husband.  www.tonyhusband.co.uk

 And speaking of the next couple of weeks, we're down to the final week and half before I am officially discharged and I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with the fact than I was a month ago as I've had that bit more time to polish up on certain things and also to spend time out of the unit to prepare for the realities of discharge at my own pace (which is a pretty slow pace these days!) ....also on the discharge front it looks as though myself and two of the other guys off my ward, Ian and Paul, are all going on the same day, which is pretty nice really so we might follow the lead of the guy from a few months ago and get the Jaegermeister in, see if we can get some of the staff drunk this time perhaps! And think any leaving do will largely feature shithead as the game has pretty much seen us through the past few months, almost to the point of playing virtually on autopilot now!! ....but no it's exciting to be leaving and nice to start thinking about Christmas and none spinal unit things!! Even started my shopping online this week!!

Thanks to all

Mark x

Six Bloody Months!

Where did they go!
Last I remember it was a nice sunny Friday in May and I was off for a weekend in the Lakes with the lads and looking forward to summer! Now it's a dank Tuesday night in Southport at the back end of November and I'm still in hospital....quite a wrong turn was taken somewhere!! ...sorry to sound grumpy, I just think the six month mark is making me feel somewhat reflective about it all!

It has certainly been something of a marker I've held in my mind, I've definitely moved past the 'it's still early days' phase of things into 'this is kind of where we're at' phase of things, so the hope is fading somewhat and the pragmatism is kicking up a notch! ...sad but true! ...don't get me wrong I'm still very very much hoping and praying for what will increasingly be a miracle but the longer we go without any movement in the legs the longer the odds become for there ever being any really, and that's unfortunately the reality of it!

The flip side of all that gloom is to look back at the last six months and be tremendously thankful for the progress I've made! The immediate aftermath of the accident, A&E in Middlesbrough, surgery and what not is all a bit patchy mostly due to the multitude of drugs I was on, but I was pretty much helpless, I could barely move my hands and was being fed by the nurses. Staring at my thumb and index finger and willing them to touch occupied much of those early days, the thought of being able to hold this iPad and type this message seemed a million miles away! But thankfully my hands are massively improved, the movement is all pretty much there I just lack some strength but this is slowly creeping back too. Below my level of injury (ie chest height) I can feel touch, this began to return in the first few weeks after the accident and was initially very faint indeed but has steadily improved, it's still a long way from normal, for instance I can't really feel hot or cold or pain but there's something there at least! That aside though as mentioned there's still no signs of life in the old motor function but the feeling thing shows something is getting through at least! ....all in all though, when I consider where I was initially and having met a lot of people with a similar level of injury to myself along the way I do have to count my blessings really, as strange as that may seem! But I am or will be pretty much independent upon being discharged which really didn't look possible at the outset, so I think we'll end this bit with a glass half full sort of vibe!! And this seems an appropriate place to once more thank everyone for all they have done for me since the fateful day, it really has carried me along. X
(oh and randomly stumbled upon these photos in my phone from said fateful day, pre accident of course!)

Right I don't know where all that came from to be honest, just got myself ranting on again!! So whats actually happened this week? Erm same same really! ...in physio I've been managing to get upright on the tilt table, so it seems the blood pressure issues may be a thing of the past! Must admit its been nice to feel 6' 4" tall again as opposed to just being 6' 4" long! And it's funny to see quite how short my physio Ben is, as you don't tend to notice whilst seated! So that's all been pretty encouraging.

In O.T. I did my first transfer into the drivers side of the car and then practised dismantling the chair and lifting it over me into the passenger side! It was absolutely knackering to be honest and served to remind me how much further I need to go in terms of rehab post discharge from here! ....as what with getting myself up, washed, dressed, into the car, taking the chair apart, putting it back together again and getting myself out of the car I think I'd need to be up at about 2 a.m. on a work day and then need to have a kip when/if I made it to the office! ...but like with everything I've been doing practise is everything really!

Cartoon by Tony Husband. www.tonyhusband.co.ul

k

This weekend was a bit of a stop start affair! With a couple of nights at the Hughes residence punctuated by a Saturday that was something of a write off as I just generally felt a bit like crap, I had a number of things to do and pretty much failed to do any of them! I did manage to get my haircut which wasn't on the list but that's where it peaked! ...although that in itself was like most things not quite so straight forward! Jen and I rolled/pushed our way there, only to realise the step was a little larger than we remembered so a call for backup was made and Peter and Rose promptly arrived with the ramp and got me in but I don't recall the last time I arrived at the barbers with such an entourage! And just to finish it off nicely it seems my haircuts are now a committee decision! Asked at the end if I was happy with it, I was happily nodding when miss Hughes decided it was an open question and asks for a bit more off the top! Abuse of the disabled if you ask me ; )  .....but apologies to those I missed on Saturday it wasn't personal! ....again just another reminder for me of progress yet to be made in not just having random off days!

Sunday was the christening of Jenna's wee nephew Mr Harry Joseph Gilleece, to give him his full title! 'twas a lovely do and nice to catch up with people again, particularly liked the part where Harry falls over and started crying just as the deacon was saying the part about his mum and dad being there to look after him! Great comedy timing for one so young!

Oh and a big thanks to Lee and Lewis for their fantastic effort in completing Tough Mudder on Sunday! From what I've seen and read it looks and sounds pretty grim especially the wading through waist deep muddy water in mid November! Rather you than me! But thanks guys.

Love to all
Mark x

Two For One.... Special Offer!

So it seems there are some silver linings to life in a wheelchair after all!

Following last weeks two for one at Anfield, James Bond, or more precisely the Odeon at Liverpool One, decided to follow suit! Whilst I call it a two for one, that is very much a piece of internal 'spin' to make the whole notion more palatable to myself, as opposed to calling it what it is, that being a carers/disability allowance! But let's stick with the positive of it all! as this '2 for 1' lark is seems pretty decent to me. And while we're on the glass half full side of things, customer service in general has been really very good indeed, people really do seem to go the extra mile to help out, with the lady at the Odeon being a case in point (I must be in a good mood this morning as my natural cynicism would typically take that 'extra mile' as being patronising!) I'm probably tempting fate there, I'll have a pat on the head and buddy off the next person!

The film itself [the new Bond] was really good too, not your typical Bond but I'll leave it there for fear of having to issue spoiler alerts! And with our special discount it meant we could afford to go in the gallery, which is basically a slightly posher cinema experience! Free drinks and snacks and great seats right at the back, which is all important as the standard disabled spots are front centre  which isn't too beneficial for the old neck!

Meat Ball Sandwiches... lunch anyone?
On the ward at the mo I'm continuing with o.t. and physio as normal, things are moving towards more fine tuning and making sure I won't kill myself upon release, for instance I had a cooking assessment last Wednesday, it wasn't John Torode and the fat greengrocer style assessment, they just wanted to see that I could use the kitchen safely without setting fire to the hospital or myself! Thankfully we survived and the guys on the ward got to enjoy some nice meatball sandwiches for lunch instead of the usual hospital gruel. ....speaking of which I seem to manage to avoid eating the hospital food almost all the time now, without really making a conscious effort to do so! So a really big thanks to everyone who brings me food or takes me out for it, I suppose it's part of the preparation for going home, reminding your taste buds that there is still work out there for them!

And in physio I've been trying to get vertical again, sadly this requires mechanical assistance of course, no miracles to report! : ( ....but getting into a standing position is good for the body, as despite efforts to the contrary since the invention of the t.v. we are not designed to remain seated, so using a tilt table and then hopefully a standing frame I'm trying to get upright! Sadly my old adversary, blood pressure, rears its ugly head at this juncture and I tend to go more than a touch pale! It's getting there though and I have a new 'binder' which is helping a lot but is not doing any favours on the moob front as its like a corset! But is doing its job of helping to maintain a decent blood pressure!

Going on the run!
Oh and in other ward related news ....I haven't mentioned the bloke who jumped out of the window to escape the police in a while....but apparently when he got discharged last week, there was a police van waiting downstairs for him, and in what seems like the most ridiculously inept bit of policing ever, they asked him are you 'Rob Bear' (not his real name!) he said no, gave them a different name and simply wheeled off in to the night, not sure you can really call it going on the run in this case! and not 100% sure of the factual accuracy of this but I'm led to believe, from various sources, it's true. (its enough for the bbc!)

On the home front, JK is in full swing getting things sorted for my home coming. They've been fitting a new boiler this week so they can build around it and make a wet room for me.  I'm expecting a really posh pad when it's all finished!  Thanks to everyone for all the hard work.

                         It's Tough Mudder!

And last but definitely not least....up on the top right of the blog you may have noticed some info about 'tough mudder' it is basically a hard core obstacle course that's about half a marathon through a whole lot of mud and over a course designed by the special forces (i.e. army type people, not anything to do with star wars, or some new 6th sense I've developed since being in a wheelchair!) .....a couple of our Paul's more sadistic friends are taking part in it and are looking to raise money for the fund. So a massive thanks to Lee (cozzy) and Lewis for their efforts and good luck to you both, fingers crossed on the weather front for you too!


Hope all's well?
Mark x

Discharge Date

It's been pretty quiet on the whole this week really, which, after the main topic of last week may not be such a bad thing!

Thursday saw my latest meeting with all the various specialists, and in what probably sounds like bad news but really isn't too bad! The original discharge date of the 12th December was agreed upon as still being a realistic target date for me to be turfed out! So the talk of November has been quashed, which I must admit came as something of a relief to myself, Jenna and probably more than anyone else my parents, as the downstairs toilet, which is to become a downstairs wet room is still very much just a downstairs toilet! ....this isn't however my parents fault but more to do with what is quite possibly the most illogical system I've ever encountered. Basically the community o.t.'s who come to your home to assess what needs to be done to make it suitable for you, don't actually come out until you're discharged! Ridiculous! I gather their plan was for me to sit by the back door for three weeks while the work was done once I was discharged! ....thankfully the o.t.'s in the hospital fibbed a little about my discharge date and JK also made a somewhat persuasive phone call to help them acknowledge the stupidity of their system....and someone did come out this week who was apparently very helpful indeed and things have now begun to kick up a gear so I may be able to get in the house using something other than the makeshift wooden ramp I'm currently using and will also hopefully have a bathroom!

But back to the discharge date, within the next couple of weeks idea did seem very daunting, and to be honest a little premature, the original date gives us a bit of breathing space and time to feel a little more prepared for it all!

Aside from that lot I had another nice visit home this weekend,  nice manly night in with my dad, watching Take Me Out and XFactor! Thankfully we rounded it off with Match Of The Day so hopefully restored some manliness!

And then Sunday was a visit to Anfield thanks to Jen for sorting the tickets! Two for the price of one as Jenna gets in free as my carer, makes you feel a bit special but all good if it's saving a few quid!! ...not a bad view either sitting down at the Kop end of the Paddock, front row! Thankfully I managed to avoid being hit in the face by the ball and also avoid the rogue sprinkler that soaked half the crowd, as that would have been very grim, it was absolutely freezing at the ground!

Cartoon by Tony Husband - wwwtonyhusband.co.uk

Grudgingly I have to admit Jenna was right saying I should wear about 15 layers of clothes, as despite all of them I still had a bit of a shiver...think I might need to get me some thermals! And the game brought standard fare, loads of possession and not many chances! I also got the chance to give my Liverpool top a run out so big thanks to Uncle Kev and Auntie Chris!

The only other thing to report was a second visit to the wheelchair rugby, sadly I was still not allowed to get involved in the contact stuff, but I did a lot more of the fitness drills and was absolutely knackered, my shoulders have never done so much in their life! My mum had the pleasure of me yawning all the way home when she picked me up! Can't wait to get stuck in there properly, just hope the rods in my neck are well fixed!


Hope you are all good,
Thanks
Mark x x x

A Roll In The Doggie Do

So it seems shit really does happen and sadly all to frequently to me at the moment! ...hopefully nobody is eating whilst reading this! ...I haven't had a good rant in while, so that is were I'm going to start!

People with dogs who don't pick up the dogs business should be taken outside and shot, in fact no that's a little too quick something a bit slower and more painful would be more suitable!.....so having said that, I'm guessing you can see where this little outburst is going!!

Cartoon by Tony Husband

On Tuesday myself and Kal (one of the other guys from my ward) were 'bussing' it into the town centre with a couple of staff as a bit of wheelchair skills and o.t. type practice and on our way out of the hospital grounds there's a nice little winding path with plenty of leaves on it at present (that's my excuse anyway!) so yep, I managed to roll through some dog crap in my chair! ...now we've all trodden in some dog crap at some stage in our lives and well it's a pretty grim experience of shuffling you feet around for a good while to try and rid yourself of it.....well take that feeling and multiply it by at least 10 (I think I'm being quite conservative there to be honest!) and you'll be getting to where I was, as having rolled over said dog turd, the impact was compounded by the fact I didn't know I had! And what do I use to power my wheels? Yep, my hands....lovely....but even then I hadn't really noticed it as I wear some gloves to help me push, SO having pushed up a bit of an incline my shoulders were a little tired so I had a quick breather and somehow managed to touch my trousers in three different places. It was at this point my misfortune dawned on me and yep there really was shit everywhere! ....all in all beyond grim really!! (p.s. apologies for the language but I feel it necessary!)
....so yep I got back and got sorted out and then at the second time of asking had a nice trip into Southport, aside from a very miserable bus driver on the way there but it's just some people's disposition it seems!

We visited M&S to buy some lunch and it is a little like being a kid in a sweet shop every time I visit a supermarket at the minute as it hasn't happened too often in five months, so deciding exactly what I want takes a while and usually culminates in me buying far too much! There was a nice role reversal too when I dropped something off my lap and I had a 70 odd year old woman bend down and pick it up for me, makes the level of ability all a little too real!

On a much more positive note I've managed to spend a couple of nights off the ward, firstly a night at the Hughes residence one weekend followed by a night at ma and pa's the following weekend. Aside from a few minor issues everything went pretty well really. I think the biggest difficulty was trying to get back off sofas! I tend to forget quite how soft they are, so what looks like being relatively level with my chair, becomes a near vertical ascent after I've sunk into it and turns into quite a workout getting off it! Thankfully with a bit of clever thinking by Jen I just about managed to escape it via a second chair en route to my wheelchair.....oh actually there was another mini drama as we had the fun and games of my first puncture to deal with! The tyre was good enough to wait until we arrived back at Jenna's rather than go while we were out, but it meant an evening of wonky sitting, with the flat side being about an inch lower, there was also a definite tendency to go round in circles too. A quick repair job the following morning had me back on track and going in straight lines thanks to Lynsey and Peter!

And lastly I had my first bash at wheelchair rugby yesterday! I wasn't allowed in the full contact bit just yet but it was pretty full on, a few people tipped out of their chairs after heavy collisions! All were fine I must add....all I did where some of the drills of passing and fitness sort of stuff which I enjoyed and was suitably knackered from, so apologies to everyone I went out to tea with for my persistent yawning!! I'll definitely be giving it another go soon and will hopefully remain in my chair!

...here's a pretty unflattering picture of me in action!.....


Thanks as ever
Love
Mark x