I know, I know.   I haven't posted here in ages, but I got spurred on to do something about that just now (blame Harry).

I'm much better now.  My back is healing nicely, I am mostly pain-free and getting close to operating normally.  I have started driving again (after 12 months standing in the drive-way, my car started first time once the battery was re-charged - I was pleasantly amazed), although I can only manage about 30 minutes behind the wheel at the moment, so no zooming around the country just yet.

I should be going back to work in the near future, too, which I am quite looking forward to.  I have tried to keep medium-busy whilst recovering - I've taught myself PHP and Python, read some books I would not normally ever considered reading, oh and got a PS3. mmmmmmMotorstorm!

Miche has done wonders to the garden, now she doesn't have to look after me all the time.  She's doing well and has all sorts of designs for the home - inside and out, which is nice.

We hope everyone reading this is healthy and happy.  We do sincerely hope to see everyone next year, so I invite people to let us know when various events are on, so we can try and get our acts together and attend *something*. I don't know if you can PM or email me or something - I barely operate LJ, so I'm very much a "hunt'n'peck" chicken user on this website.


"Stream-Of-Consciousness" EOF.

Wow. You guys ....

First of all, may I say that I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the well-wishes I received after joining LJ and posting my first .... I suspect that Elani had a little to do with that (my userid is not an obvious one for me, unless you really know my love of Rocko and that my intended userid of "DefinitelyCheese" was 1 char too long).  So, thank you. To her and to the rest of you.  Originally, I was going to reply to every comment, but I'll just use this post to say that you are all Heroes. You really brightened my day.

Speaking of which (smooth segue? I don't think ...), earlier this evening, Miche and I watched the latest Heroes episode (ep.20?). Oh. My. God.  I'm absolutely loving that show. There hasn't been a duff episode yet, for me.  It wasn't what I expected at all to start with, but now it's a firm favourite with both of us. Roll on 21.

I just managed 90 minutes of sleep or so, and I suspect that'll be all I'm getting tonight.  Still, 90 mins is better than nothing ....

I've also discovered a clone of the old game Elite, called Oolite - and Open Source Win/Linux port - you can download it for free (just Google for Oolite as I can't remember the site off the top of my head). In my youth I had flown the length and breadth of the galaxy, so it was nice to put on my nostalgia hat and go cruising around my old haunts.  Joy.


For anyone who didn't know ....
About 8 months ago I developed a bad back which quickly spread to crippling Sciatica down my right leg.  After 6 months of going to the GP and being told it should clear up itself, it was eventually decided I may need to get it looked at properly (X-Rays, MRI scan).  As I am on the company BUPA scheme, I could go private, so I did.  I had a prolapsed disk and it was squeezing my Sciatic nerve on the right hand side.
I had a L4L5 Lumbar Microdiskectomy on Tue 17th April 2007.  The day after the operation I was on my feet, in absolute joy that I could once again put weight on my right leg without shooting pains travelling up and down it. It was wonderful.  So good, that they discharged me after 1 day (normally 3-6 days). I went home very happy.
Then the swelling on my back around the op site started to get radially smaller, but grew in height until I had a golf-ball sized swelling in the small of my back.   This was translated into an  agony of pain down my right leg.  Proper, screaming agony (well, fer a soft lad like me, it was) that no amount of pain killers would touch.  A hellish 8 days followed in which food and sleep were things that happened to other people. It felt like my ankle was broken, my hip dislocated, and then someone had set the whole leg alight. If I believed in Karma I would now have excellent evidence that in a past life I must have been some sort of deranged killer, slave-trader or lawyer, 'cos the pay-back was a bitch.

Then last Friday I suddenly felt my back get very wet.  The swelling was a hematoma, and it had burst out my stitches.  Although it wasn't a very large amount of blood, it was very thick and dark and slowly, but freely flowing. The hospital I had gone to did not have an Ambulance Service and so I ended up having to dial 999 (after Miche had rung the hospital and NHS (re)Direct).
The paramedics cleaned me up and patched my back, but between us, we decided that to go back into hospital was a bit pointless, as all they would do was observe me. So I stayed home.
The burst actually did me some favours as it seriously lessened the pain I was in.

So that's me now. For the last week I have been slowly improving.  I am mostly bed-bound but I try to do some exercise on my feet every day, even if it is just to walk around the block. My back is still bleeding after 6 days (well, it's more like seepage), but Miche assures me it looks better every day. The pains come and go now, but I'm still on lots of powerful and addictive pain-killers. 

I'm looking forward to a nice few weeks in The Priory once this is all over.  :)

Well, don't expect too much for my first attempt. 
I suppose I'm here for another distraction as I'm still laid-up after my back-op 16 days ago (17th April).
Once I get up enough energy to rant, I will.