Going it Alone

I have to say, I am really was quite proud of myself last week. I have finally managed to look after myself and Walter whilst my husband was away on business. And I went to work as well. I cannot say how chuffed I am that I coped.

Up until recently Walter has been having a short trip to a local kennels every time my husband was away as I couldn’t cope with looking after him and myself. But a little while back he was away for just one night and I thought it would be good to test my capabilities. So Walter stayed at home and we managed just fine. 

This time it was a little longer and a bit more effort was required. So I did a bit of preparation to make things easier. When I did the shopping (I do grocery shopping online) I ordered myself several ready meals so that I wouldn’t have to do much to cook my dinner. Thereby eliminating something that requires quite a bit of energy normally. I also downloaded a flashlight app onto my phone so that when I took Walter out for his last toilet trip at night I wouldn’t trip on the garden steps in the dark.

So on Sunday afternoon my husband dashed off to catch the bus and Walter and I were left on our own. We watched some TV together for most of the afternoon and then I microwaved my own dinner and fed Walter. Finally at bedtime I took him out for his toilet trip and safely navigated the garden with my flashlight app. All my preparation was paying off. 

The bit I was most concerned about was getting up early to take Walter for his morning walk, but I stumbled out of bed and we did a short walk down the road. Back home and we both had breakfast and then I left Walter to his own devices whilst I did my light box (it’s a visor and frightens him) and woke up a bit more with a cup of tea. Later we did a trip to the canal for a proper walk and then I made a cake to take into work as my birthday was imminent. Sadly for Walter it was a chocolate cake so he wasn’t allowed a little taste of anything, but he lay and watched me very carefully and cleaned up a small spillage of icing sugar. Yet again my ready meal for dinner proved to be an excellent way to preserve energy and my flashlight app worked a treat. 

Finally the real challenge was on Tuesday morning as I was working, so I had to walk Walter and get myself organised for work. I did a few time saving things the previous evening, like putting some water in the kettle for my tea and laying out my clothes for work (normally I’m never that organised). And I managed fine. I headed off to work, leaving Walter to nap until his dog walker arrived. When I got back we had a quiet hour or two in front of the TV and then a bit of a play after dinner. I did almost fall down the steps when we came back in after the bedtime toilet outing, but that was because I was foolishly turning the flashlight app off rather than paying attention. 

My husband arrived back in the small hours and kindly saved me from having to take Walter out as well as getting ready for work for a second day. But all in all I think I coped very well. It was also nice to have some furry company rather than being on my own. 

I think this has made me realise how far I’ve progressed. Not only did I cope with looking after myself and Walter but I went to work for a few hours. A year ago this would have been impossible. I may still not be normal, but to be capable of looking after myself and another being (albeit not human) without help has given me a huge confidence boost.

Back to Business

Well, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had a chance to sit down a write a blog post. I do apologise for my absence. So this is a post just to fill you all in on what has been going on in the last few months. To say a lot has happened would be an understatement. 

Back in September, I was looking at getting out into the world a bit more again, I’d been to a WI meeting and I have since joined. I also started going to a choir. Whilst this was all going on I had been quietly hunting for a part time job. Fairly soon after I started at the choir I got an interview and then offered a position, not one that I had applied for, but actually a far more suitable one. So I started back at work for a few hours a week. 

Just to make things even more exciting Walter started being sick again. I find taking him to the vets incredibly stressful and the poor little chap had to go for all sorts of tests. However, finally we have a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This is not IBS, but something rather more detrimental, where the immune system attacks the gut and can potentially cause a lot of damage. Fortunately at this point Walter has it fairly mildly, so fingers crossed it stays mild. He’s now on some medication and much happier and calmer. It was only with hindsight that I realised how much it had been affecting him.

 
What with everything that was going on I decided I had to drop the choir, it was just too much. Then, to top everything else off someone close to me was diagnosed with cancer. It was a bit of a shock to all of us. They have had surgery and are now recovering well, but it hasn’t been an easy time. As a result I’ve missed a few WI meetings, but I have every intention of getting to the February meeting.

Just to add a few more minor problems, several household items have expired in the last few months, so we’ve had to replace our microwave and TV. The washing machine is spouting water in all directions, we’re about the replace our car as it is on it’s last legs (wheels?), and although it seems a while ago now our central heating stopped working in the autumn. And just to add to the excitement we have discovered a damp problem in the corner of our kitchen.  All in all it’s been an exhausting and expensive time.

It doesn’t look like much all written here, but probably more has happened in the last few months than the whole three years I’ve had ME, so my spare time for writing has been a little limited. Now, at last, I have time to catch my breath and I shall be getting back to some writing with the aid of a wonderful present from my husband of a laptop - which I am currently using to write this. 

I wish you all a happy new year and I shall be writing more very soon.