Pillings Lock Marina 2010 #14

Tuesday 20th July and I now have just eight days to go before my knee operations.

Just recently, when people ask about the op, some seem to think I am being pretty brave in having both knees replaced at the same time. Nothing could be further from the truth because, being the coward that I am, I can see no advantage in suffering the after effects of the operation, on two separate occasions. Believe me, having had one knee sorted out, I would be pretty reluctant to go back for more.

Yesterday I took our friend Brian up to Huddersfield to collect a car that he had bought through eBay. Personally I would rather go through a dealer than travel over 100 miles at the behest of an eBay trader. In this instance though, Brian seems to have struck lucky. The car he bought was an ‘R’ registration Renault Scenic, although the back plate said Megane. Apart from a few light scratches to the bodywork, the £500 he paid looked to be money well spent.

I expected to travel about 90 miles each way, which is why I agreed to go. Unfortunately and unbeknown to me, the car was in Linthwaite and so the total round trip was just under 230 miles. What a day! The only saving grace was the climate control in the 147, otherwise I would probably have been even more cream-crackered than I was.

Wifey is out with Marian again today and they have gone to Derby. I don’t expect to see her now until about five or six o/clock.

Monday 26th July and just two days to go for the op. Wifey is out with Marian today instead of her normal Tuesday. This is because she feels she should be here with me on Tuesday to help prepare all the stuff I need to take to hospital with me on Wednesday morning.

Amongst other things; which do not include the laptop; I shall be taking a small notebook, into which I intend to enter all the nice and nasty happenings. As soon as I am able after arriving home; Saturday, I hope; I shall bring this offering up to date and post it, along with all the gory details.

I am assuming of course, that I actually live through the experience. Of course, if you are reading this scribe then I obviously satisfied the Powers that Be that I am worth keeping on this planet for a while longer. Do they not know what a pain in the ‘arris I can be?

On Tuesday evening, before retiring to bed and on the orders of the hospital hierarchy, I am to take a shower – a strip-wash will have to suffice here I’m afraid - using their special soapy liquid and I am to also wash my hair with said liquid. I can follow this with my own shampoo if I so wish but, since I would only normally was my hair once in any given day, I think I’ll skip the shampoo bit. And besides, I really don’t have much hair left to bother with. No self-respecting bug would even dream of taking up residence there.

On Wednesday morning, immediately upon climbing out of my pit, I am supposed to repeat the above procedure. I shall of course endeavour to do so but, at 05.30 I’m none too sure that I’ll be up to the job, I do have to be at the hospital by 07.30 you know. I understand perfectly the hospital’s need to ensure that the nasty bug they call MRSA does not find its way into the hospital, but they may as well pass all their in patients through a sheep dip immediately upon arrival, thus saving everybody a whole lot of time.
So, for now, I will draw this feeble attempt at levity to a close and look forward to completing and posting this latest blog.

Tuesday 3rd August and I am finally home from the meat-grinding factory, a not very comfortable experience. People have said to me, on a number of occasions, what a brave fellow I am to have a bi-lateral knee replacement. Such is not really the case. Even had I known that the anaesthetist was going to make a hash of fitting of the epidural, I would still have had both knees done at the same time. I really could see no good reason to endure this amount of pain a second time; once was enough for me, thank you very much.

The epidural is an injection that goes into the spinal column and deadens all of the body below the waist, that’s assuming it is placed in precisely the correct position. Any deviation, as I found to my cost, means that one side of the lower body comes awake much earlier than the other. In my case this was the left leg, which soon made me aware of its existence.

After much dithering and farting about, it was decided that perhaps the epidural should be re-positioned, which gave almost immediate relief from the pain. Sadly this did not last very long and the darn thing had to be removed, at which time they then tried regular injections through a vein in the arm, which only added to my distress because, each time an injection was made, back came the shrieking pain. Finally, at great cost my well-being, they decided to give me oral morphine, which seemed to – almost- do the trick. Whilst the right leg was still well and truly dead, I could still feel a nagging ache in the left, but life was a little better.

Glenfields Hospital in Leicester boasts a second-to-none reputation with regards to MRSA and other such bugs so, why did they single me out for a urine infection? They hadn’t done enough damage already? Yaveh! Sheila, poor lass, will attest to my rantings and ravings whilst this infection took hold, because she was sitting by my side at the time. It didn’t take them long to recognise the symptoms and take prompt action, but one’s body can only be subjected to so much bouncing around like a demented grasshopper, before it gives up and goes bye bye. So, more intra venal injections, this time with some serious antibiotics.

These ‘minor’ setbacks cost me an extra two days in hospital, but I have to praise the dedication of the doctors and nurses at Glenfields, without which I would not be hobbling around on crutches.

I kept a sort of diary whilst I was in there, which I will try to sort out at a later date. Meanwhile I really think I should tell you about the after effects of the op.

Initially getting out of bed is a triumph of ambition over reason, after all those nasty men with scalpels, hammers and chisels, had been mauling my legs about for about 3½ hours. The resultant damage to muscles and ligaments made everything associated with my knees somewhat fragile and unable to do what they were made for. However, with some assistance from the aforementioned nurses, I made it to the edge of the bed and the awaiting transport, which came in the shape of a wheeled zimmer frame, a wonderful contraption that eventually saw me shuffling along to the bathroom at breakneck speed.

After this came the crutches, a much preferred form of transport, albeit not much faster and the physiotherapists, in their infinite wisdom, eventually had me traipsing around corridors and giving me exercises designed to strengthen the muscles. I did so well, or so they tell me, at this particular routine, that I was allowed home yesterday afternoon. Having said that, I do believe there was a certain amount of reluctance to do so, because I heard murmurings to that effect, and they were not too far from my ears. But, I was having none of it and insisted that ‘today’s the day’, I’m going home and home is where I am at. I now have a regular exercise regime to follow, which should see me walking without crutches, within the next six to eight weeks.

Incidentally, I now have a very pretty row of staples running vertically up both knees, which are due to be removed on Wednesday 11th August, just two weeks after the op. By the looks of it I will be left with a rather jagged scar, but looks can be deceiving, can’t they? And anyway, who’s going to be looking at my ancient knees?

Looking on the bright side, we’re due to move to Mercia Marina at the end of the month, which we will do with the help of our very good friends, Brian and Marian and Clive. Even more so are we anticipating the pleasures of once again cruising the waterways next summer. Bring it on!

Wednesday 4th August and my legs are so painful that I am still unable to perform even the most gentle of exercises. This doesn’t mean I can’t get around the boat, it just means I am delaying the stretching of muscles until the pain has lessened somewhat.

Sleeping is problem right now. I am only allowed a certain amount of painkillers, and they don’t really alleviate the aches in my knees, especially on top where the scars are. I therefore find I am spending an hour or so in bed, followed by a similar period in the armchair. I toss and turn so much in bed, that I’m sure Sheila isn’t getting much sleep. But, she’s a game lass and will soldier on until I’m well enough to make the tea and do the breakfast and lunch. At which point she will probably collapse from exhaustion.

Our good friends Marian and Brian are off to Corfu for 10 days on Friday morning. When they return they then plan some cruising, part of which will bring them to this marina; somewhere around Marian’s birthday; when they will escort us to Mercia. Along the way we’ll celebrate the birthday girl with a bar-b-q along the towpath. I’m quite looking forward to that and am hoping I am able to move about more, without the aches and pains.

Friday 6th August and enough of the mundane details re my operation, after four days of being home and spending a few sleepless nights, I now feel almost human. Last night, for the first time since Monday, I actually spent more time in bed than in the armchair, so things must be improving. The discomfort in my left leg, which has been giving me trouble since day one, seems to be easing off now although, being woken up by our pooch just as I’m dozing off, can be something of a nuisance, as I’m sure you can imagine.

Before leaving the subject and before I forget, I would like to thank all of you who enquired after my state of health. Much appreciated.

Wifey has been across to pay for our pump-out of yesterday. Upon her return she informed me, that our MD, Paul Lilley, is, apparently, pretty upset at some of the comments I’ve made about him and the marina in this blog.

I have, as you all know, been writing this blog since way back in September ’09 and, although it is a public blog, it really is intended for just immediate friends and family, that’s you lot. What I hadn’t envisage was that Paul carries out the occasional search of the Internet looking for any other info – good or bad – which refers to Pillings Lock Marina and, because my blog is actually entitled Pillings Lock Marina 2010, he found it and took immediate offence.

Knowing me as you do, you will not be surprised to note, that further comments regarding this marina will be included in the next blog. Unfortunately, with Brian and Marian away in Corfu for 10 days, I have no immediate way of confirming a particular piece of information, and so it will have to wait until their return. However, being a fair minded individual, and having looked back through all 14 blogs, I will be itemising good and bad points about this place that have come to my attention over the past 11 months.

Mr Lilley will be surprised to note, that those comments even out pretty well into good and not so good. I am, as I said, a fair minded man.

All for now folks

Dave, Sheila and Rusty.