Hip Injection a Success - and Rant About My Car

Crikey, this is like a formal announcement!  I guess it deserves one because the cortisone injection in my hip worked really well.  I've been up and down stairs like a rat up a drain pipe.  No burning or stinging pains, no nerve pain shooting down my leg.  Nothing.  Nada.  I have no idea how long it will last, but after 2 weeks I'm walking much more normally, well there's still a slight waddle but nothing of any significance.  So while I'm blessed with this I'm attempting to make the most of it while I can.

I've tramped through town over the damn market cobbles, I've walked the half mile to our local shops, and hope to be back doing my exercises when I get the all clear to try again.  I never thought I'd see this day, I really didn't.  If I could measure my euphoria on a scale of Misery to Delight, it would be up the top end nestling about a 9.5 with Delight.  I'm taking a half point off due to a dull ache that persists when I get in bed.  BUT, that's the only time I need to take painkillers.  I've been a bit guilty from time to time of taking more than the prescribed dose - out of desperation, so it's brilliant that I only need 2 now.

Car problems
I have a nifty Vauxhall that developed a steering problem last week.  The EPS light came on so I contacted the main dealer who I've always had it serviced with and was asked to bring it in for a diagnostic check.  After the test had been carried out and I was £79 poorer, they told me I needed a new steering column and a new clutch.  There were some other bits and pieces that I already knew about but I certainly wasn't expecting a quote of - OMG wait for this......£2,500!!  My car's only got 44,000 miles on it and in top nick.  Anyway, the receptionist who looked like a false eyelashed, fake tanned 12 years old then announced to me that it wasn't worth repairing and I should think about trading it in.  Wait - it got worse.....or one of their own mechanics "would probably buy it off you to do up".  I was livid but calmly asked for my keys and walked out after telling them I was going for a second opinion.

To cut a long story very short, a  brilliant local guy who has a repair shop looked it over and declared nothing wrong with the clutch - just a bit heavy, but he couldn't get to the sensor on the steering to check that.  He also advised it should have been carried out under Vauxhall warranty - never mind demanding that I pay for it.  Oh, and one of the little jobs that needed doing that the main dealer quoted over £90 for, got done with local guy for £40.  I was seriously naffed off with the main dealer and put in a complaint.  The service manager rang and tried to give me a load of bull-shit but I stuck to my guns and they eventually agreed to replace the steering column under Vauxhall warranty.

However, the flipping thing is STILL not right - the indicator doesn't cancel after turning left (nothing wrong with it before), and the steering is also heavier while turning left.  It's much lighter turning right.  So, another phone call to the main dealer, this time to the head honcho.  Result - it's booked in yet again for Monday morning.  If they bugger me about again, they can get ready!

There....rant over - feel SO much better now!

It's been a funny old week..............

Hey you!  How are you doing?  I hope all's well in your household, and if you're in the UK are you making the best of this warm and wet summer?

Did it chuck it down in your neck of the woods tonight?  We had a belter of a storm together with so much rain.  There'll be Floody Hell's all over Britain again after this.  I'm not going to dwell on that. We need something cheerful and positive to focus on don't we?

I'm bullet listing below some of the positive stuff that's happened in  my life this week.

• Had an interview on Monday for a volunteer role with the RVS to be a member of the Home Library Service.  I was chuffed to bits to be accepted.  This is to visit housebound people to help them return and choose new library books, CD's and DVD's.  Apparently there's a great demand for the service and I'm looking forward to getting started.

• Not only have I managed to secure that, I've also been asked by them if I'd be interested in Community Driving.  This is taking people to doctor's, dentist or hospital appointments.

• Not done yet......because my IT skills are up to date, there's a huge need for tutors to help older people set up their emails and Skype.  I especially like the idea of this, if I can help even one person to communicate with their friends and family then I'll have done a good job.

• On Tuesday, I had the cortisone injection in my hip.  It felt a bit fragile immediately after, and the physio guy said sit would be about 48 hours before it kicked in.  I was also instructed to take it easy for a few days and not do anything to aggravate it, i.e. digging the garden (fat chance), or going hiking (even fatter chance).  When I got home, Grumpy Trousers announced we were short of a few bits and bobs from the supermarket.  I reminded him that I have to take it easy, and promptly wrote him a shopping list together with a route plan of Morrisons.  Bless him he got all the right stuff - and two cream cakes as well. 

• Grumpy Trousers and I spent a full morning out in Chesterfield yesterday, mainly for me to return some forms to the library, then afterwards browsing the flea market.  There's so much intriguing stuff on there, and it would definitely take a full day to get round it. I got tired quickly though and my hip ached a bit so we called it a day.  We later had lunch with our younger daughter.  She went back to work and us lazy sods went home for a nap!

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I've been busy decorating jars and bottles again.  There's a new batch destined for a friend's 90th birthday party, some for my elder daughter and I'm holding some back for using at a fund raiser I'm doing for The World's Biggest Coffee Morning for Macmillan nurses.

I've popped a few images on here so you can see what I've been doing, and it will also explain why my hair is full of raffia bits and my fingers are flaky with lumps of dried up PVA glue!

Friends are being so brilliant at saving all manner of jars and bottles for me to play with.  The one with the butterfly label above is a Shippams Beef Spread jar for example.  The square one at the top that looks like an inkwell had preserved fruits in it, and I think the rest are mayonnaise jars.  I'm in another zone when I sit quietly doing my crafts.  I have some relaxing  music on and all feels right with the world.

Oh, and I've had a right old issue with my car that needs a post all of its own.  I'll be ranting - be warned.

For now though, I do hope there's a good weekend ahead for you.

Hasta la vista xxxxxx

Post-injection progress

Well now, since I had the cortisone injection on Wednesday, my foot has behaved rather well.  My fingers are crossed as I say this, but I am cautiously hopeful that the injection hit the right spot.

I rested up for a full day after the injection, but since then I have been walking pain free, feeling more energised and generally going about my day with a renewed vigour.

The consultant asked me to keep a diary of any feeling or sensations I get in my foot, and we will be discussing this at my next appointment.  So far my diary entries show two complete days without pain. Today however, I'll be entering that I have some marginal discomfort which I blame on choosing to wear some sandals last evening. I got a bit complacent you see.  I have lived in training shoes or Fit Flops for six years, not able to wear anything nice either (I mean, who wants to wear a nice dress and spoil the effect with laced up black trainers FGS!!)  and so I figured a couple of hours in some pretty sandals wouldn't cause a problem.  Hmmmm, well, it may well  have done - there's an achy sensation in my foot that definitely wasn't there yesterday.  Still can't call it a pain, but an ache, most certainly.  I won't be doing that again for a while.  I should let my foot settle with the benefits of the injection and continue to wear the clumsy training shoes. As I was tidying my wardrobe yesterday I found my white trainers, so I can wear those now too.  I ditched them as they weren't suitable for work, but as that's no longer an issue I can get some wear out of them too.

Foot injection and a lot of swearing!

I had the cortisone injection today in my foot. It was a very different way of doing it from my last procedure back in 2009. More painful than I remembered despite local anesthetic, but it was over in less than 5 minutes. A very kind junior doctor held my hand and let me swear to my hearts content. She just laughed her head off and asked if I knew any more expletives!

They used a dye, then at the point of the cortisone going in they warned me I'd feel the joint stretching.  I certainly felt it alright, but it was over really quickly so I didn't have time to utter any more than ten swear words.  I was like a person with Tourette's!