Ups, downs, and back up again...

My apologies, it's been a while since I've posted to this blog - work has been a bit mental, plus I had a slight setback - but I'm all back on track now.

I started physio a couple of weeks after the cast came off, and I have to say, Hayley, the six-year-old who's working with me (well, she's probably in her early twenties but she looks about six!) has helped me make a real difference. Within four weeks (that will be six weeks after the cast came off) I was back using weights with my lymphoedema exercises, and rapidly regaining flexibility

And then I entered the glory-hole to get the catbox out to take Cody to the vets, and in doing so dislodged some suitcases - put my left hand out instinctively.... - oops, sprained the damn thing! Bloody, bloody painful, almost thought I'd broken the damn thing again, but the pain was very sharp and localised, and I could still move it in certain ways so I was pretty certain that wasn't the case.

Anyway, I slammed on the glove and some tubigrip, swallowed some paracetemol (apparently ibuprofen would have been better because it targets inflammation) and took the cat to the flippin' vets. And rode it out for the next two weeks till my next meeting with Hayley, by which time I was just about back to the point I'd been at when she'd last seen me, though the range ot flexibility had gone backwards a bit.

The good news is, despite all this, I am back in my smallest size 1 sleeves. The haematoma around my wrist is almost gone, so I wear an integrated sleeve/glove about every third day. All I have to do now is remember to do some physio exercises evey day to keep stretching the tendons out.

It's annoying and a bit painful, but the pay-off is I get full mobility back and can live life normally again. Which is all I ask, and so it's worth the inconvenience.

The only loser, if I don't, is me.

Can't think of a picture to go with this, so I shall post something from my wedding, to prove that you can have lymphoedema and still go without a sleeve occasionally - and feel great!

Cast away!

I have to tell you, the removal of that delightful green piece of fibreglass that has been so utterly attached to me for the last six weeks was a terrifying surprise. But I am clearly a wimp with no stoicism or bravery whatesover.

No sooner had I put my nose into Beyond Bullet Points (my current tube read - I'm a bit unimpressed actually) than I was called into the fracture "action" area where the practicalities of applying and removing casts goes on. Giant man in blue overalls approaches with the kind of machine that looks like a cross between a hoover and a rotary chain saw. I quaked!

It's a simple process. The saw (a small round wheel driven by the "hoover" which also whisks the debris away) cuts a line along the top then bottom of the cast. Frankly it was terrifying, but I think Blue Overalls thought I was bonkers and ever-so-slightly over sensitive. The vibrations are nerve-wracking enough, however I could feel the heat of the whirring saw blade and honestly could trace it's journey - it felt a millionth of a millimetre from my skin. I kept squealing I had Lymphoedema so my arm was swollen right into the cast... in the end I couldn't look, I shut my eyes and went all girly-wimpy - completely pathetic! Blue Overalls did his stuff, split the broken cast off and sent me on my way with, I sense, a sigh of very unsympathetic sympathy!

I looked, expecting to find a fine red line etched on my skin top and bottom. None, of course.

But the pain took me utterly by surprise. I expected it all to be perfect, but my wrist really hurt. I expect the lymphoedema has something to do with it but not all by a long chalk. As soon as the cast was off, my wrist was limp as a kitten and painful as hell.

However, before I continue, I must add that as I write now 10-12 hours later, it's a million times better - about where I'd have expected it to be when the cast came off, actually. And I've been to work, had a stiff Personal Training session, cooked and been on the computer at home for a couple of hours. Not exactly recuperacting. And no more paracetemol so far.

So anyway, let's cut a long story short. Mr Marston reminded me some stuff about blood solidifying around the bone being the main cause of the pain. Still didn't quite get that, note to self to look it up. I should expect moderate pain at least another two weeks, and then still some on and off after that. He is booking me in for physiotherapy. And that's that as far as he's concerned.

The state of the skin under the cast was quite yukky. Immediately after being 'dismissed', I made for the loo and washed my arm and hand as best I could. I'd brought some moisturiser with me, and a full sleeeve, and I put both on - very gingerly, it was ruddy painful. I then crunched two paracetemol without water. Needs must...

I phoned Barts before getting back on the tube: must have sounded a tad irked, as they called back this afternoon, and I'm seeing them in the morning.

I spent every spare moment today - and a few that weren't - peeling dead skin off my hand. Reminded me so much of post-radiotherapy in 1980 when I used to peel dead skin off the back of my head. Yes, head.

After training this evening I has a good long shower and got rid of some more dead skin - and then had a really good moisturise. The skin looks much better and less at risk from cellulitis but my hand and wrist is very swollen still and the wrist is quite discoloured in places. Still, at least with a full sleeve back on I have consistent compression: what I really need now is a hand garment. Barts have said in the past they don't make separate ones any more: maybe I should try dig out the manufacturer details - I did have them years ago.

Onwards to Barts tomorrow...

Cast off!

I have been counting down the days to tomorrow when I finally get this darn cast off.

Getting back to normal won't be a breeze: there is a fair bit of swelling, comparatively, above the cast, and its been noticeably tight and uncomfortable under there for the last week, so I'm expecting it to actually swell a bit more once it's released.

But I can hear Eunice Jeffs in my mind... and it will all be about paying attention to the key basics:

• Compression - I shall wear my "younger" sleeves, and see about getting a few more from Barts


• Exercise (the Compliance part, as some call it) - Lymphoedema routine morning and night, without fail, and build the weights back in very gradually. Fitness training with Tim can get back to normal but we will not do arm exercises for a couple of weeks, just to see how it goes.


• Be healthy generally. It is no surprise that when I go on holiday, and go diving, I drink less, eat healthily, sleep plenty, relax, and spend lots of time outside - and even though I only wear my sleeve evenings and night, and even with long flights - my swelling is always the same or less than when I went away. There's a lesson there!

On which point, it's time I was in bed