WHAT AN INTERESTING MONTH

 6^th September, 2021

Well, August is over and what an interesting month it has been. I know I did the right thing to stop writing for a while. I love to write and it certainly has helped me through my weight loss journey, but to have a break even from things we love can be a good thing. The month started with our grandchildren coming to visit, and they stayed with us for ten days. We did a lot of things together and I am sure that I will write about our adventures as we move into September. I can definitely say we did things that me and Steve would never have done if it had just been us. After the grandchildren went, I had three days to prepare to go into hospital.

I went for my Covid test on the Wednesday, and then it was isolation at home for me and Steve for three days. I have spent time at home on many occasions but it feels so different when you HAVE to do it. :-) The time passed ok and as it happens a few problems arose that we had to deal with, so we didn't get bored. I am quite an organised person so I put things in place to help me when I came home.

Saturday morning arrived and off I went to the hospital, and apart from firstly going to the wrong place (not our fault), everything went to plan. Everybody was so good and so kind, and I met a lovely lady who was also having an operation.

I ended up being in the same ward as her post-op, which was great. We are very similar in age and in our values and I know moving forward we will keep in contact and develop a friendship. I was mostly quite calm the whole time. It had taken me a long time to get to this point and it felt very strange to be actually there. I had a spinal anaesthetic for the operation which was definitely a very strange experience. You can't see anything of the procedure, but you can hear a lot as you drift in and out of sleep from the sedative. At the time it felt like what I can only discribe as a strangely surreal experience but it wasn't until a while later that I thought about what it really felt like. All I can say is at that moment for the first time in many years I could feel no pain at all and I had no anxiety or worries. It was just utter calm, something that is hard to achieve in “normal” life. Of course, this didn't last for long before the post operation life kicked back in. It was all bearable, even coped with a Meniere's attack in the middle of the first night. There is a lot of pain and discomfort to deal with, and the next few days were definitely a steep learning curve, but the hospital staff definitely looked after us. I was in hospital for four days, and coming home definitely threw up a few issues, but Steve and I coped and Steve looked after me so well in a situation that neither of us have been in before.

I am here now just over two weeks post-op. Steve went back to work five days after I came home and I am managing. God willing I'm ready to get on with whatever life throws at me next. I will have to go back next year for a replacement knee joint, but for now I will put all my efforts into getting as well as I can. I know I have put some weight back on, but I am not worried. I know I have to get as well as I can. Size can go on the back burner just for now. Eating as healthily as I can will help me but I will eat what I need to be the best I can.

So, until next time I will put my pen down, but it's good to be back.

All for now,

Love, Jackie

xxx