Late night ramblings

Hi Pepys & Co. So glad you're still fighting!! Hope you had a special Christmas & new year. I bet presents don't matter, when you're going through what you're going through. The best gift is LIFE!!! 

Your friend sounds lovely. So thoughtful & helpful. I miss my mum that way. When my joints got so bad. She was always ready to help. Unlike your friend though. She was a great cook. But these days, there's so much great, tasy food out there. You still can't lose with simple food. Beans on toast with cheese on top, egg on toast. I always swear by soup. When you make your own. You can put whatever you want in. So versatile.

By the way. Are you a hip granny yet??? x

Hello Vixen,

yes im a glammy granny for sure! I must apologise for my absence recently. I have problems with my legs and am finding walking quite difficult. I haven’t fallen over for a bit but I don’t think we’re far from it. 

Yes true what you say about food and I pretty much live for it. 

My ex’s husband has just lost his mother so trying to support him as much as possible. Life was very routine for him so things could be tricky. He saw her practically every evening and fed her. She was 96 with serious dementia. Rather sweetly he wants to devote some extra time to looking after me. 

Any tips for the neuropathy in my feet? It is bothering me a great deal and making me fearful of going out because of falling over. I never imagined breast cancer could extend so far  

Lots of love to all my friends

Pepys xxx

Hi Pepys

You know I am a wheelchair user, I have two wheelchairs in fact. One is the traditional self propelling one, but my elbows are so sore these days that I use it very infrequently, just for places that are close to where I have parked. 

The other is a small electric one which breaks down into 5 pieces, although the battery and base are fairly hesvy, I can just about get mine off the ground and into the boot, although usually there is someone around who is willing to help. I have never asked for help, they have always asked me if I need help.

Well, the electric (battery powered) one is very basic, just like a chair on wheels and costs around £800, so not too pricey. I believe you can get an even lighter one, but I came across mine at a Motability exhibition last June, just as I was leaving. 

Over here in Northern Ireland, there is a charity called Shopmobility, it's a charity that is mainly in shopping malls and hospitals in the Belfast area, and it is also in Belfast city centre where you can hire one to go round the city shops. They "hire" out the larger more powerful ones that would travel for a longer time than mine although mine can cover around 10 miles or more, depending on the terrain.

Shopmobility is mushrooming now. You need to pay a one off joining fee of £2 and that's it! That goes towards insurance, should you have a mishap. No more charges, even when taking one out. I would always throw some loose change into the tin on the desk though. 

There's a couple of ideas for getting around when you have neuropathy.

Oh, I forgot to say that if you have a Motability car, you can have a hoist fitted to lift your small electric scooter into the boot for a low price, sometimes for free but usually only before your 3 years begin. It lifts the scooter up and then you manoevre the scooter into the boot. Once in the boot I'll be able to loosen the steering column and lower it to fit in easily. I change my Motability car in April, so I'm making inquiries with Motability dealers now.

Hope this is beneficial for you Pepys, and I hope you get over this hard time soon, Granny Pepys 

Tvman xx

Hi tv man. 

I have been feeling rather depressed today about my mobility though not specifically about using a wheelchair. Many thanks for your comments, they are very helpful, and it’s nice to know someone understands. I haven’t used it yet but worry constantly about falling over. I hate the weak feeling in my legs, the cold and numbness. The only time there’s any improvement is if I stick myfeet on a hot water bottle! I do use an exercise bike for 20 minutes at a time to try to strengthen the muscles but I am pretty terrified of walking outside.

I did make a sensible decision to buy a stairlift and that has really helped as getting upstairs was getting to be torture! Strangely, downstairs has never been too bad although other people’s houses, including that of my eldest son, can be a real obstacle. Anyway the stairlift, at £1500, has been a real bargain. I can’t believe I hesitated for even a moment..besides, lovely middle son, brother and my (travel companion) friend all chipped in. I’m very lucky really. 

As for driving, I no longer feel safe so the car is insured for my eldest son and ex husband..me too though I’ve only stopped driving relatively recently.

Do you still have some mobility without a wheeytv man? And (thinking of the sore elbows) how bothersome are side effects? My leg muscles are now noticeably shrunken and I’ve gone from having really nice and quite muscular legs to a rather skinny and wasted pair of pins I don’t like looking at in a mirror! 

Well, that message was intended to be a quickie. Thanks for reading, tv man, this has been my lowest point, I admit. Ah my goodness, I should stop moaning so much though! It can’t help. 

Pepys xx

Well hello there Peyps 

I’m always happy to see your name when I check in but sorry things are rough for you. Let’s take a look at a real positive. So you’re not comfortable driving right now, well other people are insured for your car. Why not take advantage and enjoy being chauffeur driven for a change. Instead of being lady Pepys you can be lady Penelope! I don’t mean to be flippant, just wanted to raise a smile. I miss our rambles. Much love to you fabulous lady xx

Hey Lady P. Everyone's so sorry you're having some 'low' times. We're not used to you being so down. Although it's very understandable. I know my arthritis isn't life threatening like i've said before. But i was 21 when i was literally bedridden. The pain was indescribable. I was told ice could help on my toes & feet. Or heat. So i got a heatpad that plugs in. I know neuropathy isn't the same. But it can be similar. I also had some hydrotherapy sessions. Helped a little. It's unbelieveable that people that are totally wheelchair bound, can still swim. Everyone knows swimming is great exercise & very social, if you go to the same classes. 

I had to go to bloody a&e about my glaucoma & iritis on Monday. Lots of inflammation in my rught eye, yet again. Hourly drops. Plus i've been told the glaucoma's getting worse in my left eye. The presdure's going up. So i might need another bloody procedure called needling... great in the eye!!!! Something to look forward to!!! Oh well. I think most people hate January. It's such a grey, damp month. Hopefully we'll all start to lighten up in the Spring. I wish you warm, happy thoughts Lady P. X

Hi Pepys

I'm so so sorry to be replying so late, I haven't been looking at the site much lately, I've been going round a few car sales looking at possible replacements for my motability car,  I'm due to replace mine in Apri, so time now to look at different makes and models. I never thought that I would be around to see this day!

I'm sad to hear that you are having so much weakness, pain and numbness in your legs, it must be so worrying for you, especially since you have had fine, muscular legs in the not so distant past. The stairlift sounds to be a wise decision and it's very good of your son, brother and friend to help you with the finance, that's so kind of them. 

Keep up with the exercise bike so that your leg muscles have a chance of recovery, it's so easy to look on that as a chore. I do a little from time to time, I don't want to lose the power of my legs. I can really only walk a little around the house, and even then the pain becomes so great that I need to sit as the pain becomes unbearable. I am also unable to stand for long to prepare veg and cook, I have a stool either side of the kitchen, one at the worktop and ovens, the other at the hob. The lumbar area of my spine is buggered and I have two discs out, it's very painful so I really see my wheelchair as a real necessity, to enable me to get around, pain free.

When I say getting around pain free, I am talking about using my electric scooter. Unfortunately, because of my elbow pain, I find it difficult to push myself far, using the manual wheelchair. Just not a viable option these days, I see my scooter as you see your stairlift, a knight in shining armour! My elbow pain is a result of damaged ulnar nerves at the back of each elbow, I've never heard of anyone having ulnar nerve trouble at one elbow, never mind two. My right elbow has given bother since I was 13, it was fractured in s car crash and I have had parts of bones cut off at the elbow joint in three operations over the years, so when I lean on it, I can feel bones moving around and crunching against one another, that's sore, and it causes weakness also. 

I'm happy to chat to you any time, you are at times now at low points, though you have blasted your sell by date into the distance, and being able to spend time with your beautiful granddaughter must be so wonderful, and also your family and friends of course. Don't see it as moaning, I feel the same way you know, life isn't a bed of roses, this isn't how I envisaged life in my sixties. 

I didn't expect this reply to be so long, Pepys, but there are so many issues to deal with, and I get a great feeling of content, talking to you, I can get an insight into your problems, and you mine, so if I bring a little light to your life, that's more than I can wish for. Try to have a little smile if possible, I certainly do when I see your name pop up.  Had a little chuckle there, because the oh so annoying predictive text had changed the end of my last sentence to "poop up", lol. That's the type of little intervention that makes me smile a lot. 

I hope you haven't dozed off, and you read this in one go, it's so easy for me to fall asleep these days, I have dozed off a couple of times whilst writing it! I have had to change so much because my forefinger jerks so frequently, due to trapped nerves in my spinal region, but at least I didn't have to restart, as happens frequently when I doze off and my finger slides across the keyboard, causing chaos, or my finger jerks at the wrong place and sends my post into hyperspace and I have to restart!

Hope this finds you well and brings a little joy to you, Pepys. Have a good day.

Tvman xx

Hi Vixen

Good to see your name on the site, hope life is reasonably good for you. 

Amazing that you say about wheelchair bound people being able to swim. Outside of my house, I am almost completely wheelchair bound as my pain is so great as a result of the nerves in my lower spine being affected by two discs pressing on the spinal region. Yet, when I am in a swimming pool, the water holds my weight enough for me to move around, no pain! I'm not a strong swimmer, and not keen on deep water because I almost drowned at the age of 12 in the sea, so lucky that there was someone around brave enough to rescue me. I have so much freedom and ability to walk around on the floor of the pool, overwhelming almost, emotional. 

My mother in law is 95, has glaucoma and yesterday she found out that she is almost completely blind in one eye. She had surgery on that eye recently to remove a cataract but unfortunately it hasn't helped her vision in that eye. It's an inherited problem as you probably know, and there are some on her side of the family who are affected, including my wife, although she has little trouble at present. 

The thought of a needle in my eye gives me a shiver down my spine, I have great respect for you to undergo that procedure, I don't know how you can do it, I sincerely hope that you don't need to have to have it done. 

I am getting quite tired now, I woke up with pain around 3 so I hope I can sleep until my wife's alarm goes off about 7.30 but I don't think so, that's a big ask. 

Speak soon, Vixen,

Tvman xx

Hello tv man, 

what a fabulous message. It sure does bring light into my life but will have to wait a little to get the response it deserves! 

It is very helpful indeed to hear of your experiences and feelings. How fabulous we can all help each other. As a matter of fact, I am very little inclined to depression. I don’t know why this is because on the face of it, things have deteriorated recently. I feel myself getting progressively weaker, can’t get out of chairs easily (sometimes find myself crawling along the floor) and live in fear of falling. But strangely I often feel very happy, in fact I’d say more often than not. At the moment I’m dying to get stuck into my new set of Sherlock dvds. Jeremy Brett all the way! There is always something to make me happy so I don’t want anyone worrying about this. I have a happy disposition in spite of the occasional moan. To be fair I’m pretty much pain free so that helps. 

Thank you for helping me. Thank you too Vixen. All this support is just fabulous. 

I will get back to you soon. 

Pepys xx

Hey Lady P. You're an inspiration!!! I'm pissed off. Some of my dodgy neighbours are causing trouble. I've got a very agressive alcoholic neighbour living inches across from me. She's a horrible woman. Lost her keys on Sunday night. Got her fellow alcoholic boyfriend to try & kick the door down!! Lots of noise. Didn't work. She selfishly rang the fire brigade. They came to her bloody rescue for free. Peabody will have to pay for the damage. 2nd time she's done that in 5 months!! Then she & her drunk boyfriend had a row on Tuesday at 11pm. 1 of them threw a vase of flowers. It really smashed on the wall of my flat in the corridor. She left some broken glass by my door. I' sick of some these supported tennants. They're spoilt people. I shouted at them to be quiet. She started swearing at me. The guy wouldn't leave our floor. He lives on an upper floor. She called the police at 2am. They came. They just gave him a warning & left. He came back at 4am. I rang the police. He was totally pissed. They could hardly understand him. Yet told him to sleep it off. He came back again. The selfish sod was in the corridor knocking on her door all bloody night. The woman called the police again at 7.30am. I was so fed up. Didn't sleep the whole bloody night. Was a rude zombie the next day!!

i'd had enough. So i rang our Housing Trust. Told them the Peabody people are sick of these supported tennants. They leave food, rubbish, dirty clothes & wee in the lift. Smoke cannabis everywhere. One of my normal neighbours came to my flat last night & we had a good talk. We're going to start a residents association & get the office people to sort these people out. They're here temporarily. These are our homes!!!!! 

Anyway. Rant over!!!!

You're going through some scary times Lady P & Tvman. The pain you're going through. I remember having the most awful inflammation in my hips. I couldn't even sit down. It was like being electrocuted every time i moved. Awful pain. I'm a moany bitch when i'm in pain. I can't be light hearted. Tvman & Lady P you're great!!! Hope if we get slightly milder weather it can help with things!! I wish you warm & cosy nights everyone!! X