I woke up this morning feeling very achy. My legs
hurt! My arms hurt! My shoulders hurt! However, this was not a bad thing
because it meant that I could feel the effects of what I had inflicted on
myself on Saturday night. Let me explain.
We had been invited to a 50th Wedding
Anniversary party on Saturday night. 50 years is a great feat, and the happy
couple were boogying the night away to Bollywood tunes. A quick glance over to
my dear wife, and I knew she was desperate to get on the dance floor. So off we
went and spent the rest of the evening dancing (well, Vineetha was dancing and
I was moving about in a not so pretty fashion). At one point, I did lose my
balance and ended up grabbing her bottom to stabilise myself. She just thought
I was being frisky!
The great thing is I didn’t fall over, which I
probably would have done pre-HSCT. As well as having increased energy, my
balance has definitely improved!
So, a little re-cap on the month since my last
update.
I had been summoned by the DVLA to take a driving
appraisal. I thought I was a relatively competent driver (Doesn’t everyone?),
but I was apprehensive about taking a test. After all, my last driving test was
taken when I was 17 and I was pretty sure I had accumulated a multitude of bad
habits since then.
A quick eyesight test (by reading a number plate on a car in
the car park), and then followed a 40 minute drive, which was partly
independent and partly instructed. Believe it or not, I received an overall A grade
assessment, and left the driving centre with a bigger head than when I arrived.
On the physical side, I decided I should start
walking outside. On the first day, I left the house to walk up the hill on our
road. I reached a bus stop at the top of the hill, and decided to take a rest
before returning home. I felt good enough to carry on, and so I did, walking a
further mile until my legs started buckling.
At that point, I felt like the Apollo
13 astronauts questioning whether I had enough energy to get back home. Fortunately,
Vineetha was at around. So a quick call and she was there to rescue me, again!
Halloween arrived, and I had booked the Fright Night
event at Hylands House. We had been warned that it would be very dark, and I
was a little worried because of my poor balance. The girls really wanted me to
go, and Vineetha told me she be there to hold my hand as support.
When we
reached, I took my crutch with me and managed the whole evening walking the
Halloween trail and the grounds of Hylands House without any other help. This
was proof to myself that my balance has actually improved, as well as an
increase in my physical stamina.
Over the last week I have started some gym work,
mainly using the treadmill and the weights machines. I can’t lift very much at
the moment, but my strength is improving after each session.
And finally, my hair is growing back with a vengeance
… even my eyebrows. Actually, my excessive eyebrows have been really bugging
Vineetha, and I was coaxed into having them threaded and plucked to make me
look less Neanderthal (apparently). It’s painful!! And my advice to all men out
there is, DON’T DO IT!!
The last month has demonstrated slow but steady progress,
and I can only pray that this will continue.
Thank you Dr Burt!
