Help!

When I was younger, so much younger than today,

I never needed anybody’s help in any way.

Today’s been strange. I do feel a little bit like a fraud as for the most part I feel quite alright. Every so often my arm feels stiff and my breast pounds almost like it has a memory of what just happened to it and it’s trying to shake it off.

Yesterday I was still in hospital in the morning, but by evening I was able to prepare a meal. (I wasn’t allowed to lift any pans to cook dinner but managed pretty much everything else by favouring my right hand). I have been told to keep my left arm moving so giving it something to do (hold onions to chop, pick up chopped peppers and so on) was a good way of doing so.

I made the following 12 minute dinner:

Fresh (shop bought) pasta with onion, peppers, chipolata sausages, sun dried tomatoes and olives, with a red pesto mixed with pomodoro sauce. Yum.

At some point in the next 2 weeks I pledge to use my pasta roller to make real fresh pasta though – once my arm is feeling less sore.

Today I’ve been able to have a shower and wash my hair (though I did have some help). There’s something very lovely about having one’s hair washed by someone else. I like it at the hairdresser’s and I love it when it’s my other half. It’s probably that stroking your head reminds you of the way your mum does that when you’re little and you’re not feeling well.

Mum and Dad have found it difficult being let in on my news quite late on and then being a little bit of a distance away, but they were kept updated by text and phone through the day on Friday (whilst I was awake, anyway) and we’ve been on Skype yesterday and today so that they can see my cheerful face and see that I’m ok. I’m looking forward to seeing them soon.

This afternoon we had lovely weather – it was a shame I wasn’t able to mow the lawn… but again I have a helper for that so I just put the kettle on (right handed) and pottered about toasting some bagels. The other half has finished yesterday’s pasta off. Those were very nice chipolatas from the local butcher – and I do like to shop locally.

Also we had some cheesy blues and disco going on the radio today so I took that opportunity to get the arm moving again. It’s been ok. I’m keeping on the tablets (paracetamol at 2pm and 6pm, ibuprofen at 11.30am and 4pm) – by spacing them out and overlapping by 2 hours like the hospital does, I haven’t had more than the odd twinge really.

I am pretty amazed at how this weekend has gone. I really wasn’t sure what to expect last week and I certainly didn’t expect such a tidy job. I am a very lucky girl.

 

“Help!” – Beatles lyrics