Today has been dominated by a physiotherapy class. I bit off a bit more than I could chew, and have been near-prostrate ever since. I could do all the stunts, but couldn’t keep most of them up as long as the others in the class. Various thoughts:
The class will have been self-selected as Cramond’s fittest.
I must have been nearly a month now without any cider. Increased vigour has not been the result.
This suggests that the root of my problem is respiratory rather than osteopathic or physiological. Although of course the hip remains necrotic.
Maybe I am expecting too much too soon after my ten days motionless in hospital.
I’ve finished “Changing Places” without remembering any more of it. I have thought of a book to use, though, if I am ever invited to play “Humiliation” — Moby Dick. I’ve never read a syllable of it and don’t intend to.
Eileen (comment yesterday) David Lodge was a colleague of my husband’s at the University of Birmingham — he English, of course; my husband Art History. We also met at Mass sometimes. Nice man. Nice family.
Knitting: I’ve reached the plain-knit rows which precede the edging of my shawl, as hoped, and have spent an agonised day on counting, two of the borders were right, each of the other two lacked one repeat. I hope I’ll start the actual edging tomorrow. Everything will be different.
Wordle: I got five today, along with Rachel and Thomas. Four for Mark and Ketki and Roger. Six for Theo. Alexander got three.
Jean, elderly people tend to lose strength and muscle tone very quickly when confined to bed. And I have seen medical websites propose that it takes a week of recovery time for each day spent in hospital. So actually I think you are doing very well. Maybe ask one of the physiotherapists how long they think is a realistic time frame for recovering lost strength in your particular case? They will have good professional judgement which is far better than my offering!
ReplyDeleteJennyS
PS, replying to self, I am intrigued by the "lack of cider" issue. The only way to do a fair test of this as a health bonus would be to have a period where you did without it and everything else - your lifestyle, usual activities etc- stayed the same. Then, and only then, could you assess whether you had better energy, persistence, motivation (or whatever it is the family think you would have more of in the absence of alcohol intake). I wonder whether you feel you are more aware of the hip pain without the comfort of cider?
DeleteJennyS (again)
Staying off the cider coincided with you being seriously ill. I wonder whether your appetite and intake of food has increased? That sounded like real progress yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI reckon chest infections and pneumonia take longer to recover from than one thinks. Especially the sort that land you in hospital. I hoovered our bedroom this morning and then didn't have the breath power to walk downstairs, which was not what I was expecting. Three steps forward and one or two back....
ReplyDeleteSitting and playing Freecell, and knitting was a good way to recover; that's why I like having a completely mindless project on the go.
Wordle in 5 f me.
Respiratory is physiological. A friend who requires continual work to stay even close to functional had a substitute physio who didn't push her; when the regular came back, the sub was fired. It's their job to push you. That said, you seem to be doing very well.
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