Ukulele and me

My good friend Nicola and I have taken up the Ukulele. I'm rather excited about it and even though I've only had it a few months I'm doing ok.

Nicola has a distinct advantage over me as she is a fiddle player, but then I have played a little bit of guitar and have more time on my hands for practise.

Now, I'm not saying that after 3 days I'm as good as Mr Formby, but I can rock a mean version of Sweet Child O' Mine. If you've never heard a bit of Guns & Roses played on the ukulele then you haven't lived!

On a serious note, I'm actually rather surprised at myself. It's been a long time since I felt like playing music. I've forgotten so much that I haven't really bothered over the last few years.

A few months ago I sang at an open mic in a pub (it's the pub where we go knitting on a Thursday so I know a few of the regulars). I got a great reception. Comments like ' I didn't know you could sing' and 'you're a dark horse' and my most favourite comment was, 'are you a professional?'

That afternoon I was reminded that I've spent most of my life mastering a craft that I'm very lucky to have. A lot of people tell me how they would love to be able to sing and that I have been given a gift. (I wonder if it was Gods way of making up for the RA!)

I always thought that everyone could sing and that you could teach anyone to discover their own voice but maybe I'm wrong. The voice is an instrument that we all share but we can't all use it. I think that some are born with something that makes a singing voice extra special. In the same way others are good at cooking or art or sport or French. (I'm rubbish at ALL of those things by the way!) Maybe it's all programmed into us before we're born.

Mmmmm food for thought me thinks!

A catch up...



My 10% Keyring



So I'm still amazed everyday with how much weight I've lost.

After last Friday's weigh in I've lost 40lbs and I got my 10%. I can't quite believe it. I'm going to be so excited when I get to 50lbs and then 60...and so on...and so on!

I promise there will be photos soon.

Dieting

As you know I've been losing weight. My reason for writing about it on here was because if I wrote it down, I had to do it.

People who start to lose weight have what they call a trigger, this could be one trigger, or several triggers that kick start them into losing weight. I'm guessing the people who stick to it are the ones who remember those triggers and keep them in their mind throughout the journey. I had several triggers that motivated me to diet and I wanted to share them with you.

1. I looked like shit. There is no being nice about it, I did look... like... shit. I've always spent a lot of money on clothes, hair etc but when it got that I spent a fortune and still looked rough, then I needed to do something about it.

2. My second was my friend, she suffered a stroke at 32. She's absolutely fine now and it has done nothing more than given her and the rest of us a massive shake up. She ended up losing 3 stone and I decided that I needed to do it too. I also wanted to support her and the only way I could do that, was to do it with her.

3. I was fat at 30, I'm not going to be fat at 31.

4. I was putting more and more on everytime I went to the hospital. Discussing your weight with someone is just horrible, even if it is a nurse and they've seen it all before it still makes you feel like shit.

5. I was 16 and a half stone, size 22-24 and I couldn't fit into my old clothes.

I did really well on my own at first, losing around 16lbs. I wanted to lose it quicker so I joined Weight Watchers. It's been the best thing I've done. I've lost another 20lbs in 10 weeks on the plan and am really enjoying it. The people are friendly and I'm loving the meetings.

I learned a lot about portion sizes, I'm eating the same amounts of some things, some less but with some foods I'm actually eating more. I was having 25g of cereal and a Weight Watchers portion is 30g so now I'm eating more in the morning which is obviously why I'm not so hungry.

I've given myself lots of small goals to work towards which I think is really important. Before this morning's weigh in my goals were;

1. Lose half a lb and I'll have lost 2 and a half stone altogether.

2. Lose another 2lbs and I get my 3rd silver 7 on Weight Watchers.

3. Another half a lbs and I'll have lost 10% of my body weight on Weight Watchers.

To achieve all these goals I only have to lose 3lbs altogether. Yes the bigger picture is always in the back of my mind. I have another 4 stone to go but that's not a massive problem when you set yourself more obtainable targets.

It's not all about the numbers either, you can get all caught up with numbers and I don't think it's healthy. Clothes and confidence can tell a bigger story.

1. I've bought some size 16 jeans and I can do them up, but they're a bit tight so I'm looking forward to wearing them.

2. I've also got into to nearly all my old clothes.

3. My Mum has taken in several tops and dresses. Around 4 inches of material has been taken off each item.

4. I wanted to buy a top from the New Look Inspire Range in a size 16 only to be told 'I'm sorry madam, the smallest the Inspire Range goes is a size 18!' Well that felt good!

The thing with losing weight is that you have to really want to do it and believe me, I really want to.

Danger, knitters about!

I know I haven't posted for a while. Arthritis, weight loss and knitting has taken over my life but since we last spoke a few things have happened that I wanted to tell you about.

You already know that I dislocated my hip replacement.  Well less that a week after the hip incident I was out with some knitters at a Weatherspoons.  I went to use the disabled toilet but as I was walking back I fell over.  I'm not sure how it happened but I think I caught something slippy on the floor and went flying onto my front.  I had to put my elbows out to stop me as my hands would never stop me from falling, they are far to painful.  A few came to my aid and I was most grateful.  I had no idea how I would begin to peel myself up of the floor, having no strength in my arms means that I can't push on them.  Then I heard someone say, 'don't worry I'm a paramedic'.  Some poor man was eating his steak and chips and came over to look after me.  He managed to get me up and I was so greatful.

A few weeks later on Easter Tuesday, I was again out with knitters and I decided to drop a very hot black coffee all over my legs.  The first aid person was very quick to act as were all my friends but a special thank you to my friend Sylvia who, I'm pretty sure if she hadn't move my leggings away from my legs so quickly, things might have been a bit different.

Now I know what you're thinking. All three incidents are related to knitting.  You would be right in thinking it was a gentle pass time, but I'm here to tell you that it is a dangerous sport with serious consequences such as addiction, gossip, sore hands, wrists and fingers and of course with any good addict, the hoarding!

Heads, shoulders, knees and....hips!



I thought I'd give you an update on how things are progressing joint wise.

Well, the scar on my shoulder has been quite sore.  It's felt like a graze and the skin feels as if it's stretching every time I move my arm, which is pretty uncomfortable.  I was advised by my practise nurse to use bio oil which would help to soften the skin.  I used twice daily for about a week and I felt it made it worse.  I used bio oil when I had my knee replaced and the same thing happened so I should have known not to use it but I gave it a good go any way.

This all resulted in me going too see the Dr on Wednesday of last week.  He said it was an unusual complaint but gave me some hydrocortisone cream to try.  It made the skin feel better straight away and by Friday I was able to wear a proper bra again.  Up until now I've been wearing strapless bras therefore wearing a proper bra for the first time in two months has been awesome.

Physio is going slowly and is difficult. I saw the physio again on 28th February and she's really pleased with me.  I have to start lifting a light weight such as a half filled bottle of water to build up my strength.  My arm has been completely useless for so long that I need to build my muscles up to help regain the use.  Physio is progressing quickly and I'm finding I can do more and more for myself each day. 

Dressing myself is still difficult for me and I'm still requiring help in the mornings.  I'm told that a shoulder resurfacing is a massive operation, far more invasive than any other operation I've ever had before.  I was also told that it is a long operation so I suppose it takes longer to recover from.

I feel fine in myself, I've been back driving for about 7 weeks.  I don't drive if I don't feel well enough so I must feel ok.

In other news my left elbow keeps swelling up.  I've have had problems with it since last summer and the pain in it is pretty intense.  I have to be careful how much I'm using my arm when using it so it doesn't swell up.  I've been having a few problems with my hands too, they are swollen again and I'm struggling to use them.  I'm trying to keep them moving with my knitting but I can't do too much of that either at the moment. 

Anyway, it's not all bad news as I had my tocilizumab infusion last Friday and so my bones should be feeling better soon.

On Sunday I was turning to pick some knitting up and I felt my hip twist out of it's joint. It wasn't too painful but I knew that if I didn't do anything about it that it could be serious.  I straightened myself up and heard a large click and felt my hip go back into place.  It felt rather uncomfortable and the pain was quite bad over Sunday night and Monday.  I decided, with a little push from my nurse friend, that I would ring the surgeons secretary and she gave me a an appointment for Wednesday morning.

My dad came to the hospital with me where I had an X-ray to check it was all ok and I'm very pleased to report that everything is fine.  He said that it sounded like it had dislocated but that it's gone back in and that I haven't done any damage to it.  My dad and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

This just reminds me that I have to be really careful of my hip and that I must look after it as it has to last me quite a long time.

Feet, shoes and insoles

My new insoles.

In February I had a podiatry appointment at Stafford hospital.  I met a lovely lady called Helen who asked me all sorts of questions about my arthritis and how I cope with daily life.

We then got on to talking about my feet and she asked me if they were painful, to which I replied 'they're fine'.  She laughed and said that I would be surprised how many people with arthritis say that, but in reality they're not fine.  I told her that I have pain in my ankle but that could be from my right knee which needs replacing and has done for quite some time now.  She told me that my right ankle is leaning over to one side therefore I have a high instep which could be why it's painful and swollen.

So she wants me to try some insoles in my shoes but impressed upon me that the insoles could undo the good that my joint replacements have done.  She also said that if they cause lots of pain then I can stop wearing them.

They arrived in the post last week.  I haven't tried them yet but I will let you know how I get on over the next few weeks.

Photography - 16th February - Museum of Cannock Chase, Staffordshire

Yesterday my Dad and I went to the Museum of Cannock Chase in Hednesford for the second of our weekly photography course.  The Museum of Cannock Chase is another place I haven't been to before but is only a few miles from where I live.

The museum is an old colliery which closed in the mid 1980's and it describes the rich heritage in the area.  Cannock was a mining town and the landscape is due to mining in the area.  Even the hospital where I go for my treatment boasts ward names of some of the old collieries, such as Hilton Main, Hollybank, Fairoak and Littleton.  Many of the minors donated some of their pay to fund the building of the hospital and the names are a tribute to that.  I still remember Littleton when it was a working mine, I remember driving past it on the way home from the hospital and seeing all the minors coming up after their shift had finished. Now, unfortunetly, it's a housing estate.

When we arrived at the museum the lecturer Steve came over to tell me that my picture of the Blackpool skyline (if you can call it that!) was fantastic BUT and it's a big BUT, I caught a girls head in the picture.  I knew I'd done this but I wanted to ask him if the basic composition of the picture was correct and he said that it was.  He then asked me if he could show the rest of the class my pictures and discuss how he would have taken the picture or if I could have done anything differently, he also wanted to show me how to crop extra bits out of the picture.

Here are some of the pictures he changed:

My photo of Blackpool with this girls head became.....

The idilic landscape of the Maldieves became...

My pool pic became...

and the reason, because I chopped the tow of the flip flop off!

And the picture we all want to walk in and take a seat became...

After this we went for a look round but unfortunately we lost the group because we decided we would stay in the warm and have a cuppa before we went.  My Dad and I ventured out on our own merry way which, to be honest, was better because I can’t walk as far as the others.  This was the first time in about 20 years that I had set foot on Cannock Chase and it felt amazing.  I drive through it all the time but I hadn’t actually be able to walk on it and although I only took a few steps it felt good.

Here are some of the photos my Dad and I took.

Here is my Dad walking through the chase.

Everything is so gloomy this time of year.

I wonder how long this has been there.

Forcing myself to read more

My friend told me the other day that his English language skills have improved greatly since he started reading more.  I told him that I've always struggled with the English language and particularly with writing.  This is maybe why it was such a massive deal for me to start this blog and why, at times, it can be such an effort for me to post.  Words don't flow even though I know what I would like to say.   Lecturers used to say 'you know what you want to say Sally, you just don't know how to say it,' and that is absolutely true.

I'm not sure that even my friends realise how much I struggle and that I'm actually rather embarrassed about it.  I suppose the general consensus is that, 'you got masters degree, you can't be that bad,' and I don't think I am that bad.

What I tend to forget is that my degree was in Music Performance and I got it because I was good at it. I wasn't necessarily good at writing about it, but I was good at the performing and that's what got me through it.

I'd love to get back into reading and maybe it will help with my English.  Don't get me wrong, I do read, but not as much as I used to.  It's commonly known that once you start knitting you stop reading and this definitely happened to me.

Therefore, following on from my conversation with my friend I've downloaded a few of the free classics on my kindle app.  I'm going on holiday next week and I'm going to make a real effort to read more whilst I'm away.  I've already started reading Little Women which is a book that I have always wanted to read so I will let you know how that goes.

Between reading, knitting and photography I won't have time to do much else, so here goes.

Photography - 9th February 2012 - Marquis Drive, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire

What most locals, like me, forget to remember is that we live almost on top of a wonderful area of woodland called Cannock Chase which was given Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty status in 1958. (reference www.cannock-chase.co.uk)

Cannock Chase is a haven for many people who live in the area, cyclists, walkers, adventurers and not least photographers.  So, why not make use of this magical place for a photography class?

Last Thursday my dad and I went off to Marquis Drive Visitor Centre on the Chase for our first photography class.  The first thing I learnt was that you don't have to have a fancy camera to make photos look good, anyone with any sort of camera can take good photographs.  We learnt how to create a good photograph by looking at the composition and how to frame the photograph.  I don't think I captured this very well but here are a couple of photos I took on a cold and gloomy day on Cannock Chase.

www.visitcannockchase.co.uk

Photography Class - The new Lord Lichfield...obviously!

A few years ago I bought myself a digital SLR camera and have been looking for a class where I could learn how to use it ever since.  So imagine my excitement when my mum saw a free class advertised in the local newspaper.  My Dad phoned up and signed both him and myself on the course which was, what we thought a one off two hour session.

So we arrived at Poplars Landfill in Cannock on a cold Thursday morning a couple of weeks ago.  Now I know a landfill site doesn't sound like a good place to take photographs but Biffa (the company who own it) are trying their best to make it look as good as they can by planting over it and generally trying to make it fit into the landscape of Cannock Chase.

We soon realised that this session wasn't the one off class we were expecting but it was the last week of a six week photography course.  So after a few conversations we signed up for the next six week course when it was running.

Meanwhile...The lecturer is a guy called Steve who is really nice and a great photographer.  He's obviously really passionate about what he does.  Steve came straight over to talk to me about photos I'd like to take, and what sort of experience I've got.  He soon realised I am a complete beginner when it comes to photography and he asked me if I would get together some photos that I'd taken and bring them to the next meeting.

I wanted to share some of these photographs with you. They are some of my favourites from over the last two years since I've had the camera. See what you think.

These two photographs were taken on a cold and rainy July day at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland where some scenes from Harry Potter were filmed.  July 2010.  Alnwick Castle is a lovely day out if you are ever in the area. www.alnwickcastle.com/

This was a day trip to Blackpool on another cold and blustery day in October 2010.

Our trip to Maldives in January 2011.

This is taken at the Green Grocers in Mill Street in Stafford in February 2012.

Losing weight and a dress size

As you know I've started using My Fitness Pal.  I started in December 2011 and I'm happy to announce I've lost 9lbs and am already wearing clothes that are a size smaller.

I'm feeling a lot better in myself and my joints are benefitting too.  Obviously the last month has been difficult and I haven't done much exercise but when I have managed to do a bit my joints have felt a little more comfortable.

The only exercise I've been doing is on the Wii.  If I exercise at home I can do a few minutes and then sit down which is a lot better for me than going for a 30 minute walk, which I couldn't do anyway.  It's worked well for me so far, some days I can't do anything and some days I can manage up to 10-15 minutes split up into small manageable chunks.

I find My Fitness Pal easy to use because it has a website (myfitnesspal.com) and an app but the best part is that it's free.  After adding a few details, height/current weight you can add in how much weight you want to lose, either 1 or 2lbs per week 2 lb per week, and it calculates how many calories you should be having each day.  The friends feature is also good as you can help each other along the way.

Adding food into the app is easy as it has a barcode scanner but there is also a search facility, then all you do is you add how much you've had and it tells you how many calories is it in.  The only problem with that is that due to the website being American people have put things in lbs, oz, grams, cups, all sorts of different measurements so I've also downloaded a free converter app so I know how much I'm having.  And no I haven't got a clue how big a cup is!  People also put calorie values that are totally wrong, either too much or too little so you have to double check.

The app also shows your projected weight loss if you continue eat like today, for instance if I've eaten 1350 calories it tells me 'if everyday were like today you will weigh so many lbs in 5 weeks'. I think this is good because it gives me something to aim for and doesn't leave me disheartened.

So will I continue to lose weight? Well I certainly want too so watch this space and see!

More physio...

Last Friday I went for my second physio appointment.

The physio was really pleased with me and said I was far ahead of where she would expect me to be at this stage.  I have been pushing myself though.

We've had to change some of the exercises due to the arthritis in my other joints.  I have to lift my operated arm with my good arm but my good arm isn't strong enough so my mum has been helping me to lift it.

With my mums help I've managed to get it moving.  I'm so pleased that I'm getting better.  The physio said that it wouldn't be long before I can do things for myself again so that's given me hope.

I've got a few more exercises to do but I've not been doing as much physio this week, but I need to get back to it.

Shoulder Resurfacing 2 weeks on, a little late I know

A few weeks ago I went my first physio appointment since the surgery and then I had a 2 week check up with the consultant straight after that.  It went really well although this is when I have to get my arse in gear, no more sitting around!

I saw a lovely physio called Rachel who was really nice.  She asked, as they always do, about work, I guess she's trying to get me back to normal life as soon as possible.  Rachel gave me about 6 exercises to do at home.

I had to take my sling off for the first time since the operation; it felt really strange at first.  I quickly got used to not having to hold my operated arm with my with my other arm, it felt a little uncomfortable but not painful.  The exercises weren't as painful as I'd thought it would be, I was prepared and took some oramorph before I went to the hospital.  My shoulder moved quite well although it was difficult to move it and the scar felt like it was going to burst.  I felt that the joint did move further than it had done before which I'm obviously pleased about.

I was told that the rehabilitation would take around a year and I am really quite disappointed about that.  I just want to be able to dress myself again.  It's so frustrating to have to wait for my carer in a morning and I'm getting really fed up of them coming in really early.  I have 8am starts most weekends which would be fine but I have to be up and hour or so before they come in so I can have my tablets before they get here.  It also means that the whole house has to get up early and when I have a quiet day at home being up so early makes the day seem never ending.

After I went to see the physio I headed off to see the surgeon.  I saw a different surgeon to the one who did the original consultation but it sounded like he was in my operation too.  I get the impression that they don't do shoulder resurfacing very often so they all came in to have a look!  He said I could start back with everyday life as best as I can.  So I can start driving and having a shower again which I'm most pleased about.  The surgeon also told me that I don't have to wear my sling anymore and I just have to wear it for 'comfort'.  It feels kind of weird without it, but amazing at the same time.

So now just to do much physio as I can and fingers crossed I'll get back some sort of movement.

Shoulders and flare ups

It’s quite common for someone with arthritis to go into a flare after surgery and I think I might be about to have one.  Only this time I don't think it's got anything to do with the operation but I think it could be because I need my medication.

I have a Tocilizumab infusion every 4 weeks and I went for my last dose on 15th December, which means I was due my next one last Thursday.  Unfortunately, I can't have my infusion until 2 weeks after the stitches have been taken out.

The medication lowers the white blood cells and white blood cells fight infection, therefore isn’t a good idea to lower the immune system whilst trying heal.  This would be fine but my body is now feeling that it needs the medication.  I can always tell when it's time.  I sleep more and just generally feel achy and fluey, 2 really common symptoms of Ra.  My infusion is booked for 3rd February so not too long to wait now.

Wondering where I go from here

With this in mind I thought I'd tell you about the work I do for AC.

When I was 11 I went to a meeting at the Cannock branch of Arthritis Care with my Mum.  My friend Chris was there who at that point was looking into starting a group up for younger people.   In those days we had Young Arthritis Care, a sub charity which ran along side the main charity.

I didn't really have much contact with Chris and the others until much later when somehow I was asked to do some radio interviews on behalf of Arthritis Care and Chris sent me some information to help me through it.  My Mum, Dad and I took a trip to Bush house in London where BBC World Service is broadcast from...yes I was 15 and I was on BBC World Service!  The program was called Megamix and was dedicated to teenagers and the issues that affect them.  The program was broadcast to around 40 million people worldwide.  The interview was with a guy from Blue Peter and took around 10 minutes.  I could see my Mum and Dad's faces through the window to the side of the studio and I think they were pretty proud of me.  It all went very well and I was very pleased with how it went.

Over the next few years I was involved in Arthritis Care by doing some radio interviews for local stations including Radio Stoke.  I also sat on focus groups for YAC and went to positive future workshops with other young people with arthritis.

At 16 Chris got back in touch with me and asked if I would like to become a member of North Birmingham Young Arthritis Care, a new group which she and another friend Nikki were trying to set up.  I became a member and soon joined the committee.

At 17 I became a local contact for young people.  I didn't like doing this very much and really wish I hadn't taken it on.  I suppose I'd been talked into it really.  I never felt like I did that much as I was always at school when anyone called, I don't think they realised how old I was.  I always felt like I was letting Arthritis Care down when I couldn't manage stuff.  Whenever I went on a training course I always had to arrive late or fit it in around school.  It was a good job I could drive by then as I was able to go straight from school.  Sometimes I would have to take schoolwork with me any trying to fit it all in was really difficult.

As Young Arthritis Care fizzled out so did the contact role but I ended up joining the Regional Committee which I still do and I'm now the vice chair.

When I was at university I would often be asked to do media work.  One particular Wednesday in April I had a phonecall from Arthritis Care head office in London.  I was rather surprised when they asked me if I would like to go on GMTV to be interviewed by Lorraine Kelly.  I straight away said YES, absolutely.   As the phonecall ended I ran into my flat mates and told them about it, they were really excited.  The experience was just fantastic.  We filmed for what seemed like hours the following Sunday and my feature was on the TV on the following Tuesday.  It was great fun, I was obviously nervous because it was live but it was great all the same.  Calls to the helplines at Arthritis Care increased far more than they ever thought and I'm so pleased I did it, if I encouraged one person to pick up the phone and get some support that day then it was all worth while.

After I finished university I was looking for things to do as I wasn't well enough for full time work so I was asked by my old friend Chris I'd I would join the local committee again. I went along to my first meeting at Cannock branch and offered to take the minutes to help Chris out. I emended up being the secretary and have been doing it for around 6 years. I also write the newsletter along with my friend Seona. We also do a lot of awareness days at the hospital where we give out information to the public and tell them about our support group.

I hope my work doesn't come to an end as I feel I can be a value to others with rheumatoid arthritis.

Changes in Arthritis Care

Before Christmas I went to a rather sad Arthritis Care Meeting.

Arthritis Care, like many other charities are having financial trouble.  Charities rely on donations, legacies, sponsorship etc, and in this climate the donations coming in have dropped dramatically.

Our problem is that we're not a sexy charity, you can't die from it, and it's not a children’s charity, therefore not sexy.

A business plan has been drawn up which will hopefully pull the charity out of the deficit that we're in, but unfortunately some staff are to be made redundant.

Here is a link to a statement on the Arthritis Care website.

http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/NewsRoom/Latestnewsstories/planning-for-2012

I'm obviously really upset for the staff members who work so hard to make a difference to the lives of so many people.  I feel sad that they, along with many others at this time, have had to go home and tell their families the news that they might not have a job soon.

Staff might rely on this charity financially but us volunteers rely on it emotionally too.  Arthritis Care has been in my life for such a long time I couldn't imagine not doing it.

Over the last 15 years Arthritis Care has been a massive part of my life and I have treated it like a job.

The best thing about volunteering when you have an illness is that everyone understands if you can't make it on a particular day because you’re not very well.  Volunteering gives me a sense of pride in the knowledge that I am helping support people in community when they’re struggling, something which I know most rheumatology staff at our local hospital value.

I know I would be sad if this all ended and I strongly believe that the NHS will have to pick up the fallout from patients who can't get to talk with anyone with living with arthritis or a musculoskeletal condition.  I believe that if patients don’t have anyone to talk to, who understands their situation, then their health might suffer.  People with any long term condition need to learn coping strategies or 'tools' to manage their condition effectively.  Also some people don’t like to talk to family and friends as they don’t want to upset them or they feel like they’re moaning.

I hope this isn't the end of the work I do, maybe it's a new beginning.  Whatever happens I'm always ready to help people with this condition, whether it is in person, at the branch meetings, on the Arthritis Care forum or on twitter.

And lastly, I would like to thank everyone, staff and volunteers for all their hard work and dedication in helping people with arthritis continue with their lives.   I hope the charity will continue to give others as much support as it's given me.

Billy

I'm afraid I have some rather sad news. Our beloved pet Billy the budgie passed away early on Tuesday morning.

He fell ill on Monday night and we did our best to keep him comfortable. My Mum and Dad stayed up with him and we think he died at around 3am.

He found us in April 2002 when he was flying round at my Dad's work. By morning he was hungry and exhausted so my Dad bought him home where he's been ever since. We advertised for his owners but no one came forward to claim him.

He's been all over the country in my Mum and Dad's caravan and he enjoyed a trip in the car very much, whistling all the way. He also enjoyed music and whistled along to whatever we had on or whatever was on the telly.

Some people laugh when you tell them you have a budgie. When our last budgie had to be put to sleep people laughed when I told them. The reality was, the hours leading up to going to the vets we're horrendous, no one would want to see their animal in that way and I'm sure they wouldn't have liked it if they were on the receiving end of their jibes. I wouldn't laugh if anyones pet is put to sleep.

Our home is a rather quiet and a sad place at the moment. My only thoughts are that we saved his life once when he was starving and had no one to look after him, we weren't able to help him again. But while he was here with us we made sure he had a wonderful life.

One week post op

Yesterday I had my dressing on my shoulder changed.  It wasn't painful but it did make me feel a bit funny.  The nurse said that it's a beautiful wound which I was really pleased about.  I've always been good at healing, I always attribute this to a good diet.  I think if I ate convenience food then I don't think my skin would be as healthy and heal as quickly.  My scar is bigger than I thought which I'm not too bothered about, my body isn't perfect but I think these scars are parts of me and are an account of what I've been through.

A New Year, New Shoulder

Well the operation is done and all over. I am now the proud owner of another lump of precious metal placed in my body, in the shape of the ball joint of a shoulder

Wednesday 4th January - Operation day

I arrived at the hospital at 7:30am and straight away was admitted onto the ward where I had to get into a gown and some sexy stringy pants ready for the op.  I was visited by the surgeon, the surgeons registrar and also the anaesthetist before going down to theatre.  I didn't have to wait long as I went down to theatre at about quarter past nine.  I was really relaxed until the anethatist tried to find a vein in my hand.  Finding veins are common problems for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

To cut a long story short he tried to get a cannula in the back of my hand but he didn't get the vein so he said he'd go into my foot.  Now I'm a tough bird, but I'm not that tough.  So he said he'd put me to sleep with the gas and put the needle in after I've gone to sleep which is what he did.

The operation was a shoulder resurfacing to replace the ball part of my joint.  It's an operation they like to perform on younger patents so as when it comes time to replace the joint again it's much easier to redo.

Recovery

When I woke up I was in a lot of pain.  I'm told I was crying but I don't remember any of it.  I remember the nurse asking me where the pain was and I pointed to my shoulder.  Straight away I was given a morphine pump, which I've had before, where you press the button to give yourself a dose of morphine through a drip (which was in the vain in my foot).  It's controlled so you can't give yourself too much.  After about half an hour I felt much better.

People were in and out of recovery throughout the day, but only one other patient had to stay in recovery overnight with me.  Unfortunately he was over the other side in the men's bit so I didn't get to talk to anyone but maybe thing was a good thing.

After a few hours I felt the cannula in my foot start to sting which apparently happens when it has popped out of the vein, so unfortunately I had to have another one in my arm.  Rupert the Dr came to do it and got my vein on the first attempt so I was rather pleased about that.

At around 2am I woke to go to the toilet (it was a different experience having upper body surgery as you can go to the loo, when you have lower limb surgery the toilet has to come to you!  My morphine pump had run out so I decided that I would try and manage without it and just take oramorph, which is oral morphine, which I did and I have managed without it ever since.

Thursday 5th January

On the Thursday morning, after almost 24 hours in recovery I was taken back to the ward where I was greeted by the other ladies who were staying in my ward.  They were lovely and I had quite a laugh with them, although I wished they'd have put their phones on silent.  I would hate to think that my phone had woken someone up when their recovering from an operation.

I started my physio but I only have a few exercises to stop my fingers, wrist and elbow stiffening up.  I'm not supposed to move my shoulder at all for the first 2 weeks.

I was also taken down to X-ray where I was able to have a quick peak at what it looks like.

Friday 6th January

This morning I woke with quite a bad sore throat.  I'd had it a bit before I went in but it was quite bad on the Friday.  I spoke with Dr Rupert and he had a look and said he would prescribe some antibiotics and take some swabs to check it wasn't anything nasty.  I was given two bags of an antibiotic which was an ordeal in itself as I had to have another cannula put in, this time the Dr couldn't find a vein.  I think he was really upset but I really wasn't bothered, he tried his best and he wasn't an arse about it.

Later that afternoon I was able to come home.  I was so excited to get home and have a nice cup of tea and my own bed.  I know that life isn't going to be easy over the next few months.  I'm doing everything with one hand and it's my dominant hand thats in the sling so everything is hard work.

This blog post has taken me almost 2 days to write due to me doing it one handed and I'm a little out of it at the moment so I keep making mistakes, welcome to drugged up Sally world!

Christmas and New Year

My friend Seona with our tree.

Christmas and new years was so much fun.  Just what I needed to get me set up for what I know will be a difficult start to 2012.

Christmas started early for Arthritis Care as we were asked of we would like to be part of the Christmas tree festival at St. Luke's Church in Cannock.  One of the menbers paid for a tree and we set about decorating it in pink, our arthritis care colours.  We featured in the local newspaper and raised a lot of awareness.

Snow in Sawbridgeworth.

On the weekend before Christmas, I made my way to see my friend Kim.  She had lots of Christmassy things for us to do including a Christmas quiz at a local working mens/phoenix club and it was really lovely.  There were people dressed up in all sorts of fancy outfits including turkey hats, Christmas ties etc, and I, of course wore my beautiful bauble earrings!  On the Sunday morning I noticed some rather large white flakes floating past the window and, of course, it was snow.  It didn't stay long but I did manage to get a photo before it melted.

I really enjoyed driving my new car to Kim's.  I normally would have struggled but I think the new car mixed in with several stops made the journey a whole lot better.  I stop for around an hour every hour.  I know this is a lot but I feel so rubbish if I don't and I want to enjoy myself while I'm there.

On the 23rd I went to Chasewater to see Santa.  I went with my arthritis friends who leads a Brownie pack.  We went on the steam train and I got the Brownies singing all the way.  After the train ride the Brownies went to see Santa while I sat and drank tea, I also ate 2 mince pies which did nothing for my diet.

On Christmas Eve I went to sing in Stafford to raise money for Katherine House.  I do it every year and we usually get a really good reception.  Later I went to meet my friends and was shocked to see my old school friend Gemma who lives in New York.  She will be getting married this year to a guy from the Dominican Republic, he is very much what I expect a New Yorker to be.  He's a lovely bloke who tipped a barman £2 after buying a whisky the last time he was here and couldn't understand why we told him not to.  I'm so excited about her wedding and I'm so happy for them both.

New Years Eve was wonderful.  I went back to my friend Kim's for an 80's party.  I spent a few weeks getting my outfit together and ended up with Madonna.  I had my hair done in Stafford before I left home and went on my way with as much coffee and salad as I could manage and plenty of stops along the way.

The party was at Kim's mum and dads house. Here are the characters we had at the party;

                                        
Adam Ant
Wonder Woman
Teenage Mutant Hero Turtle's (all 4 of them!)
Superman/Supergirl
Bananaman
A coal miner on strike
A space hopper
Boy George
Alice Cooper
Slash


We had a brilliant brilliant time.  It had been a year since myself, Kim and Amy had been all together and it was lovely.  We spent the next couple of days together before I had come home and get ready for the first hurdle of the new year, my operation.

Blog round up

This is the second Christmas I have been writing a blog and it rounds up an eventful year in the life of Sally.

I'm not sure if I've achieved what I set out to blog wise.  I had such a gap over the summer due to the problems with my phone.  I know it's no excuse as I could've gone on my laptop to post but it's just far easier on my phone.

Health wise, I had my hip replaced in April which made such a massive difference to my life.  I started on the drug Toculizumab which has helped to make the arthritis readings in my blood the lowest they have been in twenty years.  I feel like I'm able to get around a bit easier too.

Knitting wise I haven't done as well as I'd have hoped which is probably due to my shoulder.  I'm really hoping to get back into it once my shoulder has healed.

Knits I made were:

Blanket for my niece
Cardigan for my niece
Hat for my niece
Little sisters dress for knitty friends daughter MJ
Cloths and comfort bear for another knitty friend's little one
Little baby cardigan for the lady who does my nails
Gloves for Amy
Lots of flowers
Leg warmers
2 scarves
Socks for Dad
Crochet shawl
Sock yarn lace fingerless gloves
Lacy gloves

Holiday wise, I spent a week in the Maldives, went to Glastonbury for the first time, I went on a knitting holiday and went to Holland for a week on October.

Looking forward to 2012.

Being able to knit more
Shoulder surgery and being more independent
Going to see my knitty friend in Cumbria
Another trip to Malaysia
Going to New York for a friends wedding
Going to another festival
Getting fit

So here's to 2012. Happy New Year everyone.