brAMYacs - Blowing Raspberries to Cavernomas

So a small addendum to my post earlier.  Today Amy had an appointment at her local Doctors' surgery to remove her stitches.  She saw the nurse who removed the dressing and cleaned up the wound and 'had a go' at taking the stitches out but she couldn't get a hold of them so she decided not to go further, just in case. Amy now has an appointment at the hospital on Monday to get the stitches removed. To be honest, I think, judging by the wound, a couple more days won't hurt. When they arrived back at the flat, Amy was able to wash most of her hair and that helped make her feel so much better.  I spoke to Amy earlier and she sounds so much better. It's wonderful to hear whole sentences without too much of a stumble. Improvement again today and later she has very close friends dropping by which will be lovely. Another good day :)

And that, as they say, was that.  Yesterday I left Amy and Issy to their own devices.  It wasn't easy, even though I know they will be ok. Issy is very much on the case, knowing when Amy has to take her medication, making sure she eats well, and having such wonderful patience when Amy struggles with words. Amy is doing so well, she is doing things around the flat, has been out walking and is desperate to do more. They will be fine. Of course they will. Knowing all that obviously didn't stop me getting emotional when it came to saying goodbye. I mean, it's not like I'll never see them again and all I've done is take myself home and get back to normal, speaking to them on the phone, messaging, and seeing them occasionally. That's the norm, but this time leaving them felt very different.  Still, leave them I did and after a lovely journey home on Hull trains it was so good to see Dan and Steffy and to be welcomed with a wagging tail and plenty of licky kisses. Obvi

  I think we can safely say that yesterday's not so good day is history. Today was a good day. Although there were moments of sheer tiredness and a fair few word struggles, Amy was so much better today than yesterday. Much brighter. Even she could sense her improvement and felt very positive. We had a call from her local authority therapists today, the department responsible for organising her onward rehabilitation. A lovely lady called Tara who was very professional yet warm talked to Issy (Amy doesn't have the confidence yet to talk on the phone) about Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Psychotherapy. All bar Psychotherapy will be in touch with Amy over the next two to three weeks to organise visits and to get her back on the road to recovery. She will also, because she's Amy, try other ways in addition, to get her health and her words back so that she can be confident enough to go back to work. Amy also had an appointment with her consul

  I realise it's late and that it's already the very early hours but I had the last two episodes of 'The Traitors' to watch and I couldn't leave it with one to go!  (No spoilers here!). And to be honest, I wasn't going to blog tonight (is blog a verb? No idea). Either way, I wasn't going to do blogging, but I am for two reasons. One, it's Wednesday. That makes it a week since the operation. Just one solitary week, it honestly feels like a year. This has to have been the longest, and definitely the hardest week of my life. A rollercoaster ride of emotions, from the absolute lows to the hopeful highs. Banishing thoughts of negativity and trying to calm the positivity. Each and every day has been a challenge in some way, but as the days slowly slip by, the challenges we face seem to be a little easier and I'm hoping that by the time I head back home on Friday, I will feel as if we are on a very positive course. Today though, was a hard one. So I come to

  Today was Amy's first full day at home. She woke late, having had the best sleep she'd had for a week. Her wound had woken her once in the night but otherwise she had slept right through which was great. When I arrived, Amy and Issy were still in bed and Issy's mum had been working and doing yoga. She got herself ready to leave as the girls surfaced and we said our goodbyes.  Mid morning, Amy had an online appointment with Dominic, from the epilepsy department. Quite coincidentally because this was her annual appointment when Dominic reviews her medication. He had no knowledge of her operation and was pleasantly surprised, after talking to Amy, to find that it was only a week ago. He thought she was doing really well.  He had been about to drop the dosage of her anti seizure meds, but knowing that she'd just had the operation, he changed his mind, informing us that now she is more likely to have a seizure, for a while anyway. He thought her current dosage was fine, an

  I have an announcement to make. It's not earth-shattering to be honest, but it's something I haven't been able to say for a fairly long while.  I slept last night. Yep, I slept. Not just slept, I slept well. Whether it was because I was so shattered, or because Amy was potentially coming out of hospital today and there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I'm not sure. Whichever it is, I slept like a baby and woke at 7.30am. Unheard of.   I had nothing to rush for this morning but I did have a dilemma. Do I drag my heavy bag to the hospital, ready to go and stay with Amy and Issy for a few days, risking Amy not actually being discharged and therefore having to schlap the case back again, or do I leave it, go to the hospital and then come back, get it and go back again if Amy is sent home. Since my decision making ability seems to have been left on a train somewhere, I couldn't decide what to do so I messaged Issy. She is very good at problem solving I've disco

  Today is Sunday. I write that simply because I am completely losing track.  I spoke to Amy on the phone while I was getting ready for the day and she was fairly chatty. I understood some of what she was saying, and some of it was going right over my head. It's actually easier when I'm with her when her words fail her, because she's quite good at gesticulating. Not quite so easy on the phone, though she did say that she'd had a visit from Aisha, the assistant to the Consultant, though I'm not sure what Aisha's visit accomplished to be honest.  It was nice to chat to Amy though, it seemed almost normal for a while. This morning I also checked my TFL comings and goings. I don't understand TFL charges at all. They seem to change hour by hour. I really must phone them tomorrow, I'm convinced I'm being overcharged for my trips to London. And why I keep getting incomplete journeys when I am constantly tapping my phone is anybody's guess. Dan suggested

  Goodness me, this is a long ol' week. Just three days since Amy went under the knife, and it seems like forever ago. We are all getting weary, and to be honest, the one who seems to have the most energy is Amy. She had seen the doctor before we arrived at the hospital and all seemed to be ok. She has been complaining of numbness in her legs but the doctor thinks this is completely normal and is likely to be inflammation caused by the surgery and nothing to worry about, but he will make a note for the surgeon, just to be sure. Also, as we heard yesterday, Amy has 'Apraxia' which means, and I quote the dictionary definition, 'the loss of ability to execute or carry out skilled movement and gestures, despite having the physical ability and desire to perform them.' She also has Apraxia of Speech which means that she has trouble saying what she wants to say correctly and consistently. It's a fancy name for not being able to get her words out all the time. We have s

  It's Friday. The end of a very long week. And I'm pleased to report, we finish on a slightly upward trend. When I got up this morning I threw on my gym clothes and did my workout before I had time to argue with myself. Those arguments are futile, I know I'll end up doing the workout so why do I bother trying to fight it. Madness. Anyway, this morning I flung myself straight into it.  To be perfectly honest, I wasn't in the mood. Yesterday had been so draining, and all the emotions possible had been experienced by us all from dawn 'til dusk. I headed to the shower and felt the warmth of cascading water envelop me. It felt good and if it wasn't for the cost of living crisis I might have stayed there longer. I had an arrangement to meet my lovely oldest friend Nigel for coffee a bus ride away but decided to walk. I needed air and it felt good to breathe. Hospitals, as we all know, are hot and stuffy places, especially for people dressed for the outside world. It

  So it seems I was perhaps a little premature with my optimism yesterday. I had thought, probably a tad naively, that once the operation was done and Amy seemed to have come through it well, that was that. That anything after that would be recovery and an upward journey. But life isn't like that, is it. Let's be honest, we all hope for the best, and assume that's what will happen. Unless of course you're a 'glass half empty' person, and then I envy you your slice of reality. The day started normally enough. I had arranged to meet my lovely friend Linda (she of walking buddy fame) for a walk. As it happens, neither of us seemed in the mood for a walk, especially as the weather looked a little bleak, so we decided to go for a coffee instead. Chatting was the order of the day and sitting and chatting seemed the best option. We headed to a very cute café and chin-wagged our way through for a good hour and a bit before both of us realised we were a little peckish. A

Unsurprisingly, I had hardly slept. I suppose three hours isn't awful, and I thought if all went well on OCR day, which I was sure it would, I would sleep like a baby.  After updating the blog I tried, I really did, it just didn't happen. And when it did I woke at 4am, and that was that. Never mind.  I eventually surfaced at around 7am. Paul and I had agreed to head to the hospital around 10.30am, by which time the pre-op preparation would be almost done, and we would be on hand close by, should the need arise. So I got up and did my work out, showered and got ready for the long day ahead. Amy had let us know that the Anaesthetist had been to see her that morning, letting her know the timings for the day and so she could tell us she would, in all probability, be back on the ward by 5pm. As visiting finishes at 7pm, that would give us ample time to spend time with her after the operation. When we got to the hospital at around 10.30am we went straight to the ward to find out if A

Tomorrow is the big day. Operation Cavernoma Removal.  I was up early this morning, doing the last bits of packing for my (at least 6) days  ahead 'down south', taking the dog for a walk, though she wasn't that interested today in truth, too many scarecrow bangs going off in the fields, they freak her out; feeding next door's cat, getting the house ready for Dan's return home with his friend Garry, etc etc etc.  I was unsure whether to take a handbag or not. I know, it seems trivial. But to be honest it's the trivial stuff that gives me something to focus on so that I don't think too hard about the big stuff.  So, there was me, having a very lengthy discussion about whether to just stick to my wheelie carry-on, or take a rucksack as well, or my backpack handbag and decided I would stick with just the wheelie. Then I changed my mind, and changed it back again. I think what I'm trying to say is that I was a bit all over the place this morning. My lack of d

  I set off yesterday morning at 7.30am.  I had intended to get going at 7am but I dillied and dallied, dallied and I dillied. Thankfully I didn't lose my way more than twice. I was trying new socks. They have toes, it's the weirdest thing. But apparently they stop blisters so I thought I'd give them a try. I have bought two different makes, and this time thought I'd give the cheaper ones a go, because if they're good, I don't need to buy lots of expensive ones. In the training plan provided by Ultra Challenge, by next week we should be aiming for 18 miles continuous.  So, since I'm probably not going to get the chance to walk next week because I'll be being a mum with Amy, I figured I should attempt it this week. It was a beautiful morning as I set off and perfect walking weather. I had decided not to go as speedily as last week but to be honest, I was already a little knackered from a week of poor sleep so I didn't think I'd have much choice! I