Posted by DMC on May 13, 2009 in
Diary I noticed yesterday, when I was tidying up before dinner, that I could only just get my right hand up to push back the hair over my ear. This is new and I just wonder how aggressive is the deterioration in my arms.
I started the day, as I have done for very many years, doing my morning exercises. These started when I’ve suffered badly from trapped nerves in the lumbar region of my spinal core (lower back pain). More recently, following the cancer operation, I added the pelvic floor exercises which have become more imperative since I knocked out the AUS. For details on these exercises, basically designed for back pain sufferers, download this file in pdf format – I have not included details all the pelvic floor exercises – mainly of interest to incontinence sufferers – but will happily pass these to anyone who would like them. The reason for mentioning this now, was not to prove what a great guy I am doing exercise daily, but to point out that exercise 13 is becoming progressively more difficult. I suspect it will not be too long before I am unable to raise my arms above the floor.
My great excitement today was having my toenails cut out at the local community hospital. There is no way I could do this myself now, and my dear wife, who is 70 next week, cannot manage either. This is a free NHS service for the ancient and elderly like me.
Tags: exercise, flailing arm syndrome, grooming
Posted by DMC on Jun 17, 2009 in
Diary Toenail day at the Community Hospital. A nice podiatrist who unfortunately confines herself to feet. The local doctors’ surgery do not wish to know about fingernails which I certainly cannot manage myself but I am fortunate that Alice is prepared to have a go. Having said that I’m going to try to find out what would happen if I didn’t have this option. I believe the Red Cross or Help the Aged offer some sort of service.
Tags: grooming
Posted by DMC on Aug 6, 2009 in
Diary I had to go into Saffron Walden this morning to have my eyes tested as the glasses l bought from Glasses Direct were not satisfactory. I drove myself but I really think my driving days may be coming to an end. I am O.K once I’m on the open road with my automatic, as my hands curl round the steering wheel and I can control the car. However, I struggled for over five minutes trying to plug in the safety belt before eliciting the assistance of a passer-by. I then had trouble turning the key in the ignition. All very frustrating.
I rang the District Nurse today and asked if there was someone who could come and cut my fingernails. I was told that although the NHS provide a free toenail cutting service they do not cut fingernails and that I would have to make a private arrangement. OK I can afford to pay somebody but what about other people on a fixed income who cannot afford to pay?
The District Nurse agreed with me that this was not a satisfactory state of affairs but that was a situation and there was nothing they could do about it. I think this is scandalous for poor people and therefore will raise the matter with my MP, Alan Hazlehurst.
In the meantime, having had this conversation, half an hour later the District Nurse rang to say that she had found someone who would pop in tomorrow to cut my nails for me. However, that does not solve the long-term problem for other people, so the MP will still get my letter.
I rang the Professor at Reading University again today about my bionic gloves. He explained that the problem is, to fund a research student for three years could cost up to half a million pounds, which, of course, is totally out of the question. In any event heaven knows where I shall be in three years time. The alternative is to find a Masters student who would make this the subject of their dissertation but unfortunately this process could not begin until next Easter. Again, an unsatisfactory time frame. In the meantime therefore I am seeking some charity who would fund the R&D for these gloves which undoubtedly would have universal appeal and be a great. benefit to mankind. Any suggestions of a charity, or philanthropists, from my readers would be welcome.
Tags: bionic glove, driving, grooming
Posted by DMC on Aug 7, 2009 in
Diary A nice young auxiliary nurse, Kelly, came and cut my fingernails. What is even more encouraging is she has agreed to pop in every 3/4 weeks to repeat the process. However, she accepts that this is not an ‘as of right’ service provided by the NHS, so I have now written to my MP on the subject.
My back scratcher, which I have had bent to a 135° angle as my arms are not strong enough to reach behind my back, was returned to me today. However, I can see now that the ideal angle, for someone in my position, would be probably one closer to something like 30°. I shall experiment.
Lunch at the Axe & Compasses, Arkestan with John Power and Michael Reynolds, who has recently ended an eight year marathon at LSE to earn his doctorate – well-deserved.
Tags: friends, gadgets, grooming
Posted by DMC on Sep 14, 2009 in
Diary A sort of personal medical day. It started with the auxiliary nurse coming to file my fingernails. She was followed by a medical engineer adjusting the geared arm support attached to my eating table (kindly supplied through my Addenbrooke’s Hospital MND NHS Unit) Finally, an optician, from Glasses Direct came to check that the replacement glasses sent by them, at no cost to me, were fitting properly. Having previously been very unhappy with this particular firm over the last order of glasses that I purchased from them, I have been very impressed over the way they have handled my complaint, and will certainly use them again.
Tags: glasses, grooming
Posted by DMC on Sep 26, 2009 in
Diary With the Irish commitment out-of-the-way my thoughts have begun towards the lectures in China and wondering how well I will manage even with the good doctor’s support – certainly, there will be no liquid lunches on those three days!
I suppose I started thinking about this as I sat, in a deckchair, in the warm sunshine, on the most beautiful of early autumn days. Alice had popped up to the shops and I needed to go to the bathroom. It took me the best part of five-minutes to get out of the deckchair – indeed, at one stage I almost gave up and waited for her to return. It was then I realised how weak my arms had become.
This lead me to thinking how, when I was having my shower this morning, I realised that it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold and manipulate the long handled sponge.
I told ‘my lovely’, as she dried me, that I would try to hang on until I got back from China, by which time I was pretty sure that she would have to wash me and even perhaps operate my electric razor and toothbrush. Good evidence of the weakening of my arms is that once the wrist support is attached to my right hand it becomes too heavy for me to lift without assistance from the other hand.
Tags: China, grooming, washing, weak hands
Posted by DMC on Oct 14, 2009 in
Diary My biggest excitement today was having my toenails cut at the Saffron Walden Community Hospital. The podiatrist is a kindly, personable young lady, who, during the cutting and filing, confided in me how much she would like to be married with a family. Apparently once one is past one’s teens and most of one’s friends are married it becomes more difficult to meet Mr. Right. I suggested she might think of joining something the Young Conservatives who hold various functions where young people can meet but I think she’s tried that already. Beyond that I was bereft of ideas other than to suggest there are over 300 societies, of one sort or another, in Saffron Walden, where she might meet someone with similar interests. In short I suggested ‘putting herself about a bit’: she certainly won’t meet Mr. Right sitting at home!
Tags: dating, grooming
Posted by DMC on Oct 18, 2009 in
Diary Packing and final tidying up before the trip with a nice lunch at the Axe & Compasses in Arkesden. I had a phone call today, from my friend John Gray, re the pimpled material, about which I rang him only three days ago and which, through his son in Australia, he arranged to have sent from India. Can you believe it the package has arrived!! Amazing. In view of the impending postal strike, scheduled to start later this week, I think Royal Mail may have to look to their laurels.
The other big excitement today was having my fingernails cut by the social services nurse. She made it clear that they were doing me a favour so I will be very interested to learn the outcome of Sir Alan Hazlehurst enquiries – following my letter to him on the subject- to the Essex County Council about the provision of such a service to all elderly citizens of this County.
Tags: gadgets, grooming
Posted by DMC on Jan 5, 2010 in
Diary The severe winter weather continues so the golf course is closed. In any event, I would not have been tempted to walk around the course in the freezing weather, instead I spent a little longer in bed listening to the first day of the second test match, against South Africa, which started with the almost daily predictable drama we have come to expect, the loss of two of the remaining English wickets in the first over. Fortunately Prior and Onions managed to drag the score on so that we were only left with a deficit of 18 when South Africa opened its second innings.
The great excitement today was Anthea coming to do my use nails, both feet and hands. Although I had a perfectly good arrangement at the Saffron Walden Community Hospital with a charming poderist for my feet, hands were not part of the deal thus my taking the matter up with the Deputy Speaker, Sir Alan Hazelhurst. (Our local MP). He is still battling away in the background for the Essex County Council to provide a fingernail service for Essex residents. I believe he is winning but in the meantime ‘my lovely’ decided that the whole business of driving to Saffron Walden etc. was just too much of a fag and has made arrangements for me to be topped and tailed at home, of course, at our expense. I suppose we are one of the lucky ones and can afford it but I will still battle away to get this service providing free for others who are not as fortunate as we are and can afford it.
Tags: cricket, golf, grooming, winter
Posted by DMC on Feb 9, 2010 in
Diary Nail day – feet and hands. Although I have these done privately at home, at my own cost, I am sanguine that between Sir Alan Haselhurst (the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and my local MP) and I, a free fingernail cutting service will shortly be introduced, by The Essex County Council, for all elderly people in Essex.
Tags: grooming, nails
