Taking stock!

I have just come back to my blog and this is a post that has been sitting in drafts since 2018.  This gives you an idea as to what a couple of years it has been for me .  So i am going to post this now and follow up with an update shortly afterwards.

I am a fiercely independent woman with Osteo-Artiritis.  I have had a life full of illness and challenges.  As I get older it seems to get worse....... yet I am determined that I will not be beaten!  

I have always prided myself on my willingness to learn and also my desire to be a better person through my challenges I have faced in my life.  I would not be the woman I am today if it were not for everything I have gone through.  This year I have turned a half a century and have decided it is time to take stock of my life and focus on what is important to me and my family.  Saying that,  it starts with my family, they are the most important thing in my life and always will be. 

So what does taking stock actually mean to me?  well according to the Cambridge dictionary it means....

So here we go! thinking carefully about my life.......

I have OA in the following places in my body:

1. neck 
2. lower back
3. knees
4. hands
5. feet

Reality says that there is no cure for Osteo Arthritis,  it is also likely to get worse as it is a degenerative disease.  So what can I do to manage my symptoms......

Having been for physio on my most recent diagnosis of OA of my other knee,  the physio has shown me some good exercises to do to strengthen my knees.  I do however feel as though I am being treated bit by bit and not as a whole!  I had arthroscopic surgery in December on my right knee and feel as though it had not made a difference.  I also had a torn meniscus in my knee so was in a lot of pain, the problem is my followup from surgery is in july 2019, a whole 6 months after my surgery!!!!!! No physio has been given so I have had to go back to the doctor to be referred to physio.  And then the waiting game continues!  

In early February I ended up in hospital and was diagnosed with SVT (supra ventricular tachycardia)..  This was the scariest thing I have ever experienced and ended up with a heart rate of 189bpm and having  an injection of adenosine  to shock my heart into going up to 189bpm then bringing it down to 60bpm.  It feels like you are going to die.  I am now on beta blockers and waiting for my referral to a cardiologist to come through. 

 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/supraventricular-tachycardia-svt/

So having had this health scare, I am going to take stock of the things that currently take up my energy and see what I can put a stop to.

1.  working as an Exams officer is hard work especially not being 100% able bodied.  the most challenging part of the job are the following:

• doing upwards of 10 000 steps every day
• lifting, fetching and carrying exam papers
• mental stress of following rules made by the Exam Board
• dealing with issues as they come up with students and parents

I have already cut down my hours to 6 hours per day but this does not seem to be enough to get the job done.

2.  housework:  really struggle when the house is a mess and feel the need to clean so that I can think straight.  grateful for a lightweight vacuum cleaner.

3.  shopping:  i need to use online shopping more to avoid having to pack bags and then carry them up the stairs to our house.

Enough for now.  Be back soon!