16 September 2011
It is now precisely 4 years to the month since I became aware, when I was working out at the gym, that I had a problem of weakness in my left arm. At the time, I put it down to old age and did nothing about it until a health check-up at BUPA, scheduled for January. It was following that that I was referred to a neurologist and after nine tests was diagnosed with MND. Looking at the various reports on the disease, as one does, there was a clear pattern as to the prognosis. 50% of people who incurred MND were likely to die within 14 months, some less and some more. The other half would go between two and five years. When I raised this with the MND team, that I was ultimately referred to at Addenbrooke’s, they said that one in 10 could go for 10 years, so I immediately raised my hand and said I would have that one. Although, I am in a pretty sad way limb and lung wise, I have certainly beaten the first 50% and in a years time will have beaten the second 50% and will be in the no man’s land of the one in 10. The way I feel now, provided my lungs do not deteriorate too much more, I feel as though I might go and at least another year or two. Time will tell. Having said that I have noticed, quite recently, that after the is also in the company of other people were either join in the conversation, I feel quite fatigued and slightly breathless although I would have never believed it if you’d told me, I’m usually quite happy to go to bed at 9.30, I suspect it will not be too long before I need to use my respirator for brief periods in the evening.
Paul ‘the computer’ came round for a couple of hours this afternoon, as for ‘Jane the sheep’ is still suffering from a cold. I wish her well and a speedy recovery but with Paul standing in this gave Alice the chance catch up with some shopping and other errands. An added bonus to me as we were able to continue working on the media element my computer. I’m pretty sure I’ve cracked the simpler stuff but there are one or two niceties involving the videos with which I need to get a grips. I do hope that my readers understand that in order to access these Anecdotes; Videos; Photographs and Jokes, which I usually add when the blog is getting rather boring, appear at the end of the entry, all the reader usually has to do is to click on the highlighted word to get it up. Quite often you have to wait a minute or two for it to download but most of the things that I put on are either extremely funny or exquisitely beautiful if they are videos and photographs. Some of the jokes might be ‘old hat’ but they are usually very funny. What surprises me is with such a large readership-around 2500 a day-I do not get more comments on some of the more controversial subjects that I deal with. If you want to leave a comment all you need to do is to click on the comment I can at the bottom of the entry and I will always reply on the same page within a day or two.
England reinforced India’s misery in the final of the ODI’s cricket at Cardiff by beating them in a rain interrupted match by six wickets with 10 balls to spare. Poor old India, they came here as number one in the world and failed to win a single match on this tour and now go home ranked number six.
As most of this blog as being about me and my ailments, this little Sick Note   may amuse you,