Tag: progress

Bittersweet memories

Before I had my surgery on my hips and legs a few years ago, I also used to get a lot of pain in my shoulders too. This was caused by my posture. They hurt every day and the bones would ‘crack’ all the time which wasn’t very nice either. Some nights I couldn’t lie on one side because it was too uncomfortable. It’s not something I’d care to go through again if I’m being truthful.

At the time, my knees had rotated inwards thanks to the way I stood, to the point where they practically faced each other rather than facing outwards, so I had operations in which they broke my hips and one of the bones in my legs and reset them to correct this. Then I had another operation to lengthen all the muscles in my legs.

I’m pleased to say that after that the pain in my shoulders stopped and they haven’t really bothered me all that much since. Well, not unless I have quite a long day pulling my walking frame Martha around or decide to bring home one too many books from the library, which I hang in a carrier bag that I put over the side of Martha so that I don’t have to carry them in my handbag and get backache. I was guilty of probably taking out a stack of heavy books yesterday actually, but thankfully my dad was on hand to give me lift home so it saved my shoulders a lot of work. Thanks Dad!

But there is another reason for me writing this post today besides confessing that I am a bookworm who is often guilty of checking out more books that she can comfortably carry sometimes. Please tell me some of you have done that too and that it’s not just me!

Sometime last week I was laying on my tummy, which I personally find is a way for me to get a good stretch, because my legs and back were quite achy that day. I moved my arm to put it in a more comfortable position and I could instantly I’d done something that my shoulder wasn’t happy about because it ‘cracked’ and started aching right away.

Thankfully, the achiness is starting to subside now, but having discomfort in my shoulders again has brought back memories of how I used to be in the days before I had my surgery.

Although it hasn’t been nice to think about how much my shoulders hurt, it’s been quite nice to take some time to reflect and think about how far I’ve come over the last few years, which I think is actually further than I realise most days and definitely further than I give myself credit for.

Let’s hope it continues!

Getting butterflies

Once a year, I have an appointment at a clinic with various medical professionals, from doctors, to physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. My parents come along  for the ride too and we all discuss my progress over the last 12 months, and what we can do to make sure I keep improving in the 12 months ahead.

I’ve got butterflies in my tummy because that’s where I’ll be going tomorrow, and I always feel slightly nervous about what they might suggest. In the past there have been things like returning to using the AFO-style splints that I used to wear, to swapping these for my current callipers, and having Botulinum Toxin injected into my legs to try and make the muscles less tight. After those there is some intensive physio that I have to do to get the most out of them, but I’ve always found that they’ve worked well for me.

I’m sitting here trying to up with a list of things I want to bring up at the appointment, I have a few things already, but Mum and I are going to put our heads together and try come up with some more before we go , because we might as well ask all our questions in one go.

I’m nervous because I don’t know what (if anything) will be suggested. I always wonder if they’ll suggest some kind of treatments that I’ve never tried before. That thought always makes me feel a bit uneasy, but if they think that it will help me for the better in the long run, I will more than likely agree to it.

Wish me luck!