Over the past few days, my ability to get about and do things has gradually begun to improve. I even managed to get up two flights of stairs to our home office and my toy/wargame room yesterday, and to walk up to the local postbox to post our somewhat belated Christmas cards. The latter involved a walk of less than three hundred yards in total, but it took me nearly ten minutes and I needed a long rest afterwards.
The problem with my excessive exudate seems to be coming under control, thanks to a course of antibiotics and regular changes of the wound dressing. I am hoping that by Christmas I will only need to have the dressing replaced every two days rather than daily ... but whether or not that happens is not in my hands.
Sue is planning what we will need to buy to get us through the Christmas holiday. Before the latest changes to the Coronavirus Tiers, we had booked Christmas lunch at a local restaurant, but since London moved into Tier 3 from Tier 2, it has shut. We have looked at various alternatives, but it looks as if we will have to eat Christmas lunch at home, something we have not done for years.
One thing that I have managed to do since I left hospital is to read quite a few books, and once I am able to spend some time in our home office, I hope to write about them on my blog.
Thanks again to everyone who has sent me emails or made comments on my blog wishing me a speedy recovery. I am told that I can expect to have made a full recovery in two to three months, depending upon my body’s ability to heal.
Hi Bob, very pleased to read you are making steady progress. We wonder if your stair is winding with 3,5 7 or more steps? 😀 Either way I am sure you will enjoy Christmas at home. S&F Mike
ReplyDeleteMike C (Mike),
DeleteThe stairs do have turns, but not with the ‘right’ number of steps between each turn ... and luckily for me, I have yet to be challenged by anything more than fatigue when I reach the top!
Have a great Christmas!
S&F
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteVery glad to read you're making progress - albeit slowly - on the road back to a full recovery. Enjoy your Christmas lunch at home and take it easy.
Best wishes,
Arthur
Arthur1815 (Arthur),
DeleteI am having to take things a bit easier than I expected to, but I can see that I am getting a little bit better each day.
Being at home for Christmas will be a bit of a change for us, but during the break we hope to ‘meet’ with friends and family using the Internet.
I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
All the best,
Bob
Great to hear that you are making good and steady progress Bob. Little thinkgs like that walk to the post box or to the top of the stairs, although little things in themselves, are signs of the progress you've made to date. I remember my first walk outside after being cooped up indoors and how good it felt to get some fresh air and a breeze on my face.
ReplyDeleteStay safe, keep healthy and I hope you and your wife have a good Xmas!
Steve J.,
DeleteMy problem is trying not to push myself too hard too early. I’ve never been one to just sit back and let things drift, having been brought up to be a bit ‘gung ho’.
It was good to actually breathe fresh air after being inside for so long. I only wish that I didn’t live on a hill, as everywhere I can walk involves going up or down a slope, which can be quite tiring.
I hope that you and your family enjoy a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
All the best,
Bob
Hi BOB-
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased for you that your making steady progress there- Christmas at Home sounds good- we've always stayed Home- we're having our Friends around for Christmas Day supper- our Scottish Friends. Glad you can reach your Office/Study and we look forward to your near future Posts. All the best to you Bob and Sue. Regards. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteLondon is currently under what is termed ‘Tier 3 restrictions’, which have closed all bars, cafes, and restaurants for anything other than takeaway service. Most shops are open, but we have to wear masks and keep 2m apart. We’ve been advised to travel as little as possible, and only for work, education, or medical reasons.
Over Christmas we will be allowed to meet up with other households (a maximum of three) to celebrate, but no one is allowed to stay overnight, and the number of people meeting together is restricted.
Over the years, Sue and I have either gone away for Christmas (to a hotel or on a cruise) or lunched out in a restaurant with some friends. Those options aren’t open to us this year, and we are having to plan to eat Christmas lunch on our own for the first time in many years.
I hope that you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.
All the best,
Bob
Good news that you are making progress albeit more slowly than you had hoped. There will be more to come.
ReplyDeleteI remember the 10 minute walk that took half an hour at first but that will improve soon enough.
Remember to give the brain something to do as well as the body. You'll soon be back to normal, trust me.
Jim Duncan (Jim),
DeleteI’m hoping that the pace of my improvement will increase as the days pass ... but I am a very impatient patient!
That first walk outside really took it out of me, but it does give me something to aim to improve on as I recover. It was never an easy walk when I was well (it is a 1 in 10 slope in places), but once I can do it at the speed I used to manage it at, I’ll know that I am better.
Trying to keep my brain active has been challenging at times, but reading has helped, as has doing things like crosswords. I’ve yet to do any writing, painting, or wargaming ... but with luck it will not be too long before I can.
All the best,
Bob
Good to get your news and hear how you are moving forward . I look forward to hearing about what you have been reading.
ReplyDeleteTradgardmastare,
DeleteCheers! I hope to write about what I have been reading in the very near future.
All the best,
Bob
Glad to hear that your post-op recovery is going OK, Bob. I hope it continues to do so.
ReplyDeleteI'll be spending my second Christmas in a row on my own, rather than heading down to my sister's in Sussex (last year I inconveniently went down with a D&V bug on the 23rd; luckily I had most of what I needed already in and was able to get to the shops on Christmas Eve for the rest).
TamsinP,
DeleteThanks for your best wishes for my swift recovery.
I hope that you won’t be too lonely having to spend Christmas on your own. Luckily, it is still possible to keep in touch with other people thanks to things like FaceTime. We are hoping to speak to our friends and relatives over the holidays using it, which will at least mean that we will be able to have some remote human contact.
Keep safe and keep well,
Bob
Great to read that you're able to get out even for a short walk - walking is so good for countering the old "Black Dog"!
ReplyDeleteMaudlin Jack Tar,
DeleteI hope to repeat the exercise again either later today or tomorrow. As long as it isn’t too cold or raining, it will do me good.
All the best,
Bob
Good to hear that you’re up and walking Bob. Don’t overdo it. Let yourself be pampered.
ReplyDeleteNundanket,
DeleteCheers! It’s great to be up and about ... and I am champing at the bit to get better soon! That said, I am trying to rest as much as I can.
All the best,
Bob
Glad to hear you are masking progress Bob- no need to rush these things so take your time getting better.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Pete.
Pete.,
DeleteCheers! My problem is that I am impatient to get better, and have a tendency to try to push myself to do things to early. I am trying to learn to be patient and to take things easy.
All the best,
Bob
Great news on the recovery front Bob. With this evenings tightening of the covid regs you are probably best having Christmas lunch at home. All the best. Howard
ReplyDeleteHoward Brady (Howard),
DeleteCheers! Thanks for your kind comment.
Now that we have moved into Tier 4, my wife and I have spent part of this evening buying all our Christmas food online.
Keep safe and keep well,
Bob
I have felt your pain Bob. In my 20s I broke my leg in a dramatic bicycling accident. The first week of my convalescence was rough. Just sitting up from a prone position took the life out of me as the blood rushed to my leg and it swelled painfully in the cast. I learned to deal with it by wrapping a belt around mt thigh and using it to meter the blood flow into my leg. Just going to the dining hall to eat was out of the question.
ReplyDeleteKeep on keepin' on and try to get that reasonable light activity in every day. It will help keep your spirits up and healing process less monotonous.
Mr. Pavone,
DeleteThat sounds like it was quite some injury! You seem to have found an ingenious and very workable way around the problem, even if you still weren’t able to make it to the dining hall.
Over the past two days, the amount of exudate I am producing seems to have reduced somewhat, but it needs to reduce quite a bit more before I can move with any degree of certainty that my dressing won’t leak. I’m just hoping that it will be manageable by Christmas ... even though the latter won’t be much like a traditional Christmas this year.
Keep safe and keep well,
Bob
Great to hear that you are on the mend Bob
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work :)
Geordie an Exiled FoG,
DeleteCheers, old chap!
I’m gradually getting back into the saddle ... but only very tentatively.
All the best,
Bob
Remember patience is a virtue Bob
ReplyDeleteI am just looking forward to hearing about all the ideas you will be gathering for new projects and different takes on old ones ;)
The trick for a long recovery is that day by day progression mate
Let me know if I can be of any "distanced" assistance
Geordie an Exile FoG,
DeleteThanks for the excellent advice and offer of assistance.
I never was very virtuous, however hard I tried to be! I am a very impatient patient ... and have a rather stupid tendency to push myself a bit too hard at times. It comes of being the son and grandson of senior Warrant Officers who always exhibited a very gung ho attitude to life.
My ideas for the future include at least two more PW books and a radical restructuring of my collections ... but I’ll be writing more about this in the near future.
All the best,
Bob
Glad to hear you are out of hospital and on the mend all be it slowly.
ReplyDeleteAll the best and stay safe
Gunnery Sargent Rock,
DeleteMany thanks for your best wishes! I’m getting better ... but a bit too slowly for my liking.
Keep safe and keep well,
Bob