The really frustrating thing is that at the moment, I feel pretty much OK, 4 doses of drugs throughout the day and a lot of rest mean that just sitting doesn’t hurt. However, I know that after another night of sleep, the muscles will be stiff again, and sitting up will be like ripping my own arm off.

Well, all those people who think I sneeze ‘too loudly’ will be dancing in the streets – I’ve sneezed and cracked a rib [sigh]. I got a cough after the flu I had, and spent three days in a hacking-coughing fit, which left me with a pain around the bottom of my ribs on the right side, for about 10 days. Then, last night at around 10:30pm I sneezed and collapsed to the floor as by back lit up in pain. It appears that the cough has either weakened the muscles, or pulled some of then, and then the sneeze has either cracked a rib (if the cough didn’t) or ripped the muscles away between my ribs.

So, I’m in pain. Quite a lot of pain.

There isn’t a position I can ‘rest’ in, in which there isn’t any pain, only some positions which result in less. So I’m sitting at this damn computer, as ever, trying to take my mind off it. It’s fortunate for me that having my arms in a ‘typing’ position is slightly less painful than having them at rest by my side.

Isn’t life fun.

And my monitor is getting worse – and because I no longer trust myself with a credit card, I can’t purchase a new one until I get paid – it would be fairly typical that just when I need this computer
during the coming week (I don’t think I’ll be at work) to keep myself sane, it whines so much I have to turn the bloody thing off.

Went to see a GP yesterday, for the first time in 14 years. If I gave my customers that level of friendliness, concern and ‘visible’ interest, I’d be out of a job in minutes. I came out feeling worse about myself than I did before I went in. I’m not trying to suggest your GP should be a crutch, but some basic concern for their patient’s would be nice. I felt un-important and as though I was causing hassle throughout the whole 10 minutes I was being ‘seen’. Throughout the whole of this process, the only person who actually seemed interested in me, and how I was feeling, was the neurologist in A&E, the other medical professionals involved just seemed like they wanted to wheel me in and out as fast as possible.

To that specialist : No idea who you are, but thanks.

Well, as usual it’s been a while eh? The house move thing is progressing, still a worry but I know we’ll sort it, and if not, well, I know we have good friends here in Nottingham who won’t let us go without a roof over our heads for a moment.

We managed to spend 7 hours in casualty today. Apparently I’ve got Bells Palsy, which is essentially inflammation of the facial nerve, which causes loss of power and response in one side of the face (sometimes both). The pain is pretty bad at times as well, but I’m on steroids to reduce the inflammation, and so reduce the pain, they just take a while to kick in [sigh].