Hitting a brick wall

I broke my left leg eighteen weeks ago ... and I have been striving to get better ever since. For months I was basically confined to my bed or a chair next to my bed, and it is only during the last fortnight that I have begun to get the sort of treatment that I need to regain my mobility. I can now stand (with assistance) and I have manged to walk a few steps using a Zimmer frame (which is also known as a walker or walking frame) to support me. I no longer need a hoist to get me in and out of bed and can do that myself (using the Zimmer frame) as long as I am supervised ... just in case I run into any difficulties.

All of this is very positive, and the fact that I now have a diagnosis of axonal polyneuropathy* in both my lower legs means that the physiotherapists can devise a programme of exercises that should help me regain more mobility in the future.

What has yet to be determined is the cause of the neuropathy. The most common causes are excessive, long-term alcohol consumption and diabetes ... but as I don't drink alcohol and blood tests show no sign that I have diabetes means that I will need further tests in the future to identify the reason why I have developed this condition. My fear is that it might be something that cannot be treated and reversed as this will mean that any mobility that I do regain might be restricted for the rest of my life.

During the past eighteen weeks I have been using my interest in wargaming to help keep me from falling into a state of despair. The old 'Black Dog' has been sniffing around quite a bit of late and there is only so much thinking and writing about wargaming that one can do before a state of ennui cuts in. I have now reached that stage and desperately feel the need to set up some terrain, get some figures on a tabletop, and play a wargame!

To date I have been very lucky in that I have had the support of my numerous wargaming friends and acquaintances, many of who have written me wonderful messages. Thanks to Zoom, I have even been able to observe at least one wargame and been involved in it at a distance. However, I can sense that my enthusiasm for arms-length wargaming is waning, and I really need to take a step back and reappraise my future wargaming projects.

I had already decided to concentrate my efforts on my Belle Époque project, but to do so I really need to have access to a better computer than the current, small 12-inch laptop that I am using as well as to the Belle Époque figures that are in my currently unreachable toy/wargame room. I need to find a way by which I can undertake further work on this project within my currently restricted circumstances. I have a couple of ideas ... but I need to think about them before committing to one of them.

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* According to online sources, axonal polyneuropathy is defined as follows:

Axonal polyneuropathy is a type of polyneuropathy, which is a systemic process that damages nerve cells, nerve fibres, and nerve coverings. It causes symptoms and signs related to axon loss, such as impaired sensation, muscle weakness, or pain. Axonal polyneuropathy can affect both large and small fibres, but small-fibre polyneuropathy can specifically interfere with the ability to feel pain or changes in temperature.

Those sources identify its main causes are:

• Nutritional deficiencies, most commonly of thiamine, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, or vitamin E, or from excess intake of vitamin B6 or alcohol.
• Metabolic diseases such as diabetes, kidney failure, connective tissue disease, deficiency syndromes such as malnutrition and alcoholism, or the effects of toxins or drugs such as chemotherapy.
• Nerve compression or injury.
• Hereditary diseases.
• Autoimmune conditions.