September look back

I started visible on the 24th August, OK It's part way through September as I start writing the but I think its important to chronicle this for myself. I want to chronicle it on a monthly basis because I think that's where I can see improvements over the longer scale of a month.

September did not start well, scoobs had a planned trip and I didn't want him to postpone it, it was a one in a life time trip. I was sure I could manage myself 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ well I did but I was in the middle of a crash, all the telling everyone cancelling things realising I had been way over doing it without realising it, all far too much. Getting out of bed was a challenge, getting up and down stairs was almost impossible having to stop at least 3 times on the way up for at least a few minutes to get heart rate down. Making meals took forever even just opening a tin was like climbing a mountain. 

Anyway his trip didn't go as planned and he came back early which I was so grateful for. The next week was mainly spent in bed

This week the 17th has been better I am seeing small gains but I need to see if they last? 

Showering is now taking way less out of me thanks to visible and cold water!

Driving to Doctors for bloods was far less taxing

Although I may have blown it today by trying to set up new smart watch 🤦‍♀️ so I need to look back on Friday and see if there has been any pay back, the physical I can track and limit but the cognitive energy is so difficult to see until it hits you.

Anyhow Mark sent me some pictures of the meter square today, I hope it's not long till I get to see it in person

I think there is some payback for all the exertion so need to take it very easy, I'm not using all my points no where near it but that's OK I need to stabilise at this stage and work up to using all my points

I saw the full moon last night, what a privilege to lay and watch it, also the space station! Those poor stranded astronauts what must that be like?

Loving the new watch though it means I don't have to use phone as much and i think it will be good in the longer term to manage this

Small wins, my HR is way more stable and  it isn't  spiking all over the place as much. I actually walked around the kitchen yesterday and went back and forth from the kitchen to the neuk. That's actually quite big! What is also big is my new watch 😊😊 it may have been a faff to set up but it will help a lot going forward 

A new view!!!! That's big! I was waiting for my soup to heat up and managed to stand on the balcony for a minute or two to watch the trees 

I got to see the meter square too!!!

More kindness of chums! This just blew me away completely, I had to be up because Mark was away and my meds were being delivered I heard a knock at the door and to my utmost amazement there was a chum from the quilting group! She was as surprised as me! She was just going to leave it at the door! We could only speak for a minute but it was so so so lovely to see her!

But the present was just incredible. Sea water, sand from Broch beach!!! Badges from Fraserburgh, a postcard of my favourite place tiger hill, and gluten free shortbread!!!!! I think this has to be one of the most thoughtful presents I have ever received!

And all in a beautiful box too ❤️❤️❤️

This week has been hard, there are lots of things happening which I should have been going too, also next week was supposed to be a trip to Prague, all of course cancelled, I know I will at some point get back to these things but it's hitting me just now and I'm scared I get forgotten and left behind. But I can't think like that, it doesn't help, hopefully most friends will remember me and I'll be able to get back to doing some things with them but what? No point in thinking like that, just need to trust in the process. But it'd hard 

Today we tried something,  I went downstairs fir the first time in 3 weeks ... I actually managed to get into the garden for 2 minutes 😳

I did go slight into over exertion but kept under 88, main take away though was I got back into rest zone quite quickly, that's progress 

Not going to try again for a while,  let's see but it was good, and grey donkey loved it 😊

It was all OK but at the end of the day I found it hard to get heart beat down into rest zone, also had an OK sleep but my heart rate was never below my resting HR must watch that

Camp coffee is NOT decaffeinated 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

So ..... lesson learned 🤦‍♀️

Mobility aids 🤣 this old IKEA office chair has always been useful now it allows me to scoot around the kitchen and also handy as  a footrest 🤣

I can now open the kitchen balcony door more and more, it's beside the microwave so I look out while soup or veg is cooking, I'm intrigued by the vegetation growing out of next doors guttering very pretty another of my Long Covid views 😊

I am continually blown away by the support from chums, this is the latest card from my selkies chums, I think they have a rota to send me one a week!

Amazing 

I was supposed to meet up with this gorgeous pair but of course couldn't make it, but they sent me a picture and included the stitch on banner I made for Jo 😊

And last but most certainly not least is my wonderful Scoobs , whenever he is out on his bike he looks out for the donkeys 🥰🥰🥰

And it's all change in the neuk! I'm not spending any money so decided to upgrade my chair to a stressless recliner. We are still keeping the pink parker knoll but scoobs is having that as his seat in the neuk.

I've had that chair for over 30 years, got it when I slipped a disc it's a good chair but doesn't recline

So! I am typing this on my new bluetooth keyboard! and my new table, OMG totally love it. hopefully this will help with the wrist pain too. I hadnt realised how much I associated the laptop with HWU lockdown then TT, it felt so good to reset it and hand over to Scoobs, he is going to use it for zooms, his microphone has stopped working.

I am realising that this gives me an opportunity to totally reshape retirement in the way i want it, totally and utterly for me, thats not a bad thing!

Glimmers and much needed, today is not the best of days but its not the worst either, there is something going on digestively, think it might be dairy again so I will cut that out and see.

But look! I had a shower and its the best I have managed so far, 0.5 of a point

And 1.4 on intensity!!! I really want to get back to a shower every day, at this rate i might just manage it, but not quite yet 🙂

But it has really helped keep the HR low I managed to stand out on the balcony and see how the meter square was doing! Its looking rather lush i think, would love to get back to see it more often, 🤞

So! Fingers crossed I've not overdone it today 🤦‍♀️ but I also managed to sit out on the balcony for a cup of tea

So so lovely to be out here it really is

Cleaners day! Started out well, had a shower second day in a row, but nervous hope I haven't over done it 🤷‍♀️ but I won't know that till tomorrow or Friday but I still managed to keep it low

Them Cleaners came I do really like them, and their wonderful toilet roll art 😊

I then called other chum who is sick, I think that's enough for today, going to chill out

HOPE! today was a visit from my physio, I dont have POTS or if I do its well managed by electrolytes.  My blood pressure is good  but most importantly he sasid I can go dooking again!! He was previously unsurr but I think he changed his mind when he saw me, this lifted my heart soo much!

More improvements! Physio suggested another way to try the stairs, also I'm taking more electrolytes and at different times. So today after lunch I managed the stairs pausing after 3 steps and got all the way to the top without going into over exertion OR having to sit down this is huge

You can see above its much he same impact and intensity as other times I've gone up the stairs but this time I didn't have to sit down once and I didn't roll Immediately into over exertion and my HR came down quickly after

I also got to sit put on the balcony!!! That was soo ooohhh lovely 

Plus flowers from the rural, I miss them

I don't think I've mentioned these, my beautiful chum sent me these from the kimono to catwalk exhibition ❤️❤️❤️❤️

We are nearing end of September soon be October, what a crazy crazy few months it has been. Not all bad not by any means,  its at times like this you really find out who your chums are. And let's remember "green shoots of recovery" ❤️

Today was a mostly good day, I got out on the balcony!!! I go new biscuits too 😊 there are not many sweet treats I can have but I can have these!

Pretty tins too 😊

They tasted lovely as I watched the birds hop about in the trees

I had a cup of fake coffee with them 🤣🤣 caffeine sets my heart rate going so I've switched to chicory, it's OK no brilliant but it's OK 😊

But the birds or the wind have taken the interesting twig from the neighbours guttering

But I also managed to get down into the garden!!!

So! Today is the last day of September,  September started badly but I think we are ended on a more positive note, looking back I can see how much further forward I am. Its actually a huge gain from where I was to start with 

I now need to maintain this, not get too excited and overdo it! Life at the end of September is waaaay better than at the start let's keep it that way!

Let's end with Grey Donkeys first putting he came with me to get my blood taken this morning,  he had fun 😊