Here Goes

This is it!! I have just received a call saying the funding for my operation has been approved, so in the morning I'm off to hospital to have my slipped disc sorted out. I have to admit to being somewhat apprehensive, this is the first time I have ever had major surgery that I'm aware of and the list of the risks involved is fairly daunting! I did have some surgery as a baby but that was at eight months old when I had an extra thumb amputated (I'm pretty sure that it would have come in useful for something but my parents didn't give me the choice!). Anyhow, all things being equal I should be out again on Saturday and will be able to look forward to a few weeks off work. Hopefully I'll be able to move enough to get to the computer enough so that I can keep boredom at bay. If not, I'll be stuck into Sudoku and crossword puzzles. Wish me luck!!

Time Anomaly

I went back to work this week, only for a few hours a day as I have been put on what work call "Light Duties". Very strange, the four hours that I was there seemed to last a lot longer than a normal nine hour shift. I've been racking my brains for an explanation and I think I have put my finger on it. I believe that because I'm only due to work four hours a day, I'm effectively starting closer to my shift end time and the last part of the shift always seems to drag as you are looking forward to finishing for the day. Therefore, working less hours is in fact counter-productive as you are already into the time dragging bit. Strange, but true, I think.....

Back to back

Well, I went to see the consultant orthopaedic surgeon yesterday to discuss the results of my MRI scan. Amazing things these, a complete picture of my lumbar region and he was able to show me exactly where the problem was. One of the discs in the lumbar region is protruding between the vertebrae and is putting a great deal of pressure on the nerve that comes out at that point, which pretty much explains the agony I have been in recently, not only in my back but all the way down my right leg, especially in the calf area. This has eased a bit over the last week or so, as I have basically been lying in bed doing less that sweet f.a. Anyhow, he said to me that I had three options, the first being leave it alone and see if it heals itself, which wasn't an option as that's pretty much what I had been doing anyway and it clearly hadn't worked! Option two was to have an epidural and pumping a load of steroids and stuff into the area, which apparently can help, however he did explain that it was only likely to be a temporary measure and that the problem could re-occur. So, that left option three, which is surgery, a lumbar decompression they call it, where he will basically take a slice off the disc, patch it all up and hey presto, job done. Apparently there's a 90% success rate with this kind of operation with no further problems, so I have decided to go for that. So, in three weeks time, I'll be off to the hospital. Seems like a decent chance of returning to normal, or at least as normal as I'll ever be, but as most of my friends know, that's a completely different issue....

Blades Blunted by Bristol

Having been born and bred in Sheffield, I am a lifelong supporter of the red side of Sheffield, an ardent Unitedite. So I was quite pleased today to be able to actually watch them on Sky Sports this afternoon. I really wish I hadn't. Pretty much outplayed in every department, Bristol City ran us off the pitch and beat us 2-0, so from being favourites at the start of the season our lot are now facing the prospect of relegation unless our fortunes change soon! Ant and Dec's Saturday night takeaway has suddenly renewed its appeal.....amazing what a bit of depression does for you...

MRI Scan

Went for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan yesterday, managed to get it done privately through the medical insurance scheme at work. Well, what a difference with private health care! I walked, well hobbled, into the scanning unit at the hospital, it was all polished wood floors and yes Mr Johnson, no Mr Johnson, do help yourself to a coffee etc etc...

It's quite a bizarre experience, certainly not a good one if you just happen to suffer from claustrophobia! They lay you down on a table, press a few buttons and you roll slowly backwards into the machine, the opening probably no more than two feet in diameter. You certainly get a feeling of being very much enclosed. They also supplied me with a set of headphones and asked me which radio station I'd like to listen to. I asked for XFM, failing that I said that Radio 1 would do nicely. Needless to say, I didn't get either but ended up with Radio 4 and an episode of The Archers, marvellous! What surprised me most about the whole thing was how noisy it was. Beeps, buzzes and whistles and all sorts. In fact I'm pretty sure that some techno band has used the sounds and made a hit single out of it somewhere, more than likely Germany, the German taste in music being on about a par with their comic ability...

Anyhow, got to wait a week for the results before they decide what they are going to do with me, in the meantime I get to sit at home having been signed off work and watch England being battered by the Sri Lankans in the One Day International series.....I think I'd rather be at work....

What's in a name?

Went to the surgery today to get some more meds for my back. Dr K. Wan was the GP that saw me and it kinda got me thinking as to how his name would appear in the phone book.....
Wan,K, Dr......well it made me chuckle....