The one about physio therapy

It’s almost 4 weeks since my shoulder was ‘repaired’. Since I took the sling off (just 48 hours after surgery) I have been doing various exercises every day – 3-4 times a day. I’ve added more exercises, as instructed by my physio, and as promised, they are getting easier. I’m getting more mobility.

Today, I shall have my next physio session at the hospital. I’m dreading it. Not because I haven’t been doing as told. But, because if I’m not as mobile as expected, my therapist will become physio-terrorist and will push me through the pain.

I slept 4 hrs last night in total. I’m sure she’ll tell me I need more sleep – I can only agree!!

It is my plan to do 5k on the cross trainer tonight…so I’m hoping she doesn’t hurt me too much!

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The one about sleep

I was warned before surgery that sleep would be an issue. I knew that it would be a problem for about four months. I’ve never been a good sleeper, so this didn’t bother me…I was wrong! Here we are in week four, post surgery, and I’m beginning to value cat naps more and more – just to get through.

Why, you might well be asking. Well, I have always slept on my stomach, until the surgery. Now, sleep is about lying face up, waiting for sweet dreams to arrive. A couple of nights ago, I got brave. I slept on my stomach, with my ‘bad’ shoulder propped up on a pillow. Wow. I slept longer and deeper, until the pain began. Unfortunately, I then spent the rest of the day in pain. And the next night. The position I had put my shoulder in had obviously put pressure onto the raw bone surfaces. So, tonight I am back to lying face up, waiting for sleep to arrive.

If you are considering shoulder surgery, think about how you will be sleeping when it’s done. Pillows, cushions, bolsters, which side of the bed you sleep on and whether you can reach the bedside lamp easily are all things to remember…

I walked nearly 4 miles today so I’m aiming for 4 hrs sleep tonight. Wish me luck.

Personal Training

With physio therapy progressing well and getting much more movement back in my arm, I have tried a little ‘limited’ PT. It was OK apart from two exercises. I can’t do ‘plank’ and I can’t really do anything that involves bearing weight on only one shoulder (as opposed to balanced weight between both shoulders). The PT knew I’d had surgery only recently, so I think he knows what he’s doing when suggesting new exercises.

Today however, I have had to ice my shoulder. Whether that’s as a result of Tuesday’s short PT session, or me really pushing through the pain in my daily physio routines, I don’t know. It could, I guess, be a combination of those and the fact that I’ve tried to reduce pain meds to zero. I did a bit of searching on the internet and found some really interesting and informative videos from this chap. OK, so his injury was different to mine, more severe, but he’s getting the same physio routines and he has an ‘aggressive treatment plan’ from his doctor.

I’m back to the hospital again next week to see the physio lady. Keep your fingers crossed that she’ll be happy with me, rather than want to hurt me by pushing me ‘through the pain’!!

The three small incision scars are healing well. One of them has a bit of a lump in the middle, but I think that is still a little swelling. It should disappear.

New year, new smile, new me?

Three years ago I had braces fitted as part of a ‘rescue’ package for my teeth. I had broken a number of teeth and braces were the least drastic course of action. Reluctantly, I had clear plastic, self-ligating (ooooh) braces fitted with the expectation that I would be done and dusted within 18-22 months. Well, that timeframe came and went.

To begin with, I was confident that nothing would change because of the braces, but in reality, much changed: diet, confidence, the ability to smile, and me. I lost a bit of me with the construction site that was my mouth. And then, there was pain. I didn’t mention it yet, but I’ve had three years of aches and pains, blisters, ulcers, cuts and more. Not to mention a constant fear that I had awful breath (despite much flossing, cleaning mouth wash use…).

I didn’t go into the whole ‘adult braces’ thing without doing my research. I read the blogs, I watched the YouTube videos, but none of them prepared me for the blow to my confidence or just how un-sexy they made me feel. None of what I read, saw or listened to actually gave details of what it’s really like.

So, New Year, New Smile and New Me. Absolutely! The braces came off on Wednesday 16th Jan and I’m delighted. The result is brilliant. I have a smile again. I feel I am ABLE to smile again and I seem to have some of my old sparkle back. 2013 is going to be a great year for me and my long-suffering BF. Cheers!

Winter rules?

I’ve played very little golf this year. Not through any choices I have made, but on medical grounds. It’s been a strange year as a result. I went to Wentworth and saw Luke Donald putt for victory on the 18th. And, I, like many of us watched from the edge of our sofa as Europe held on to the Ryder Cup. But, I didn’t play. I had a couple of hospital procedures and lots of physio.

It’s now dark at 4:30pm. It’s cold. It’s windy and it has been raining a lot. That means Winter rules. At our local 9-hole pay-to-play, that also means Winter tees. (A raised platform with fake grass and a fixed place for your tee). Even so, I want to play. I want to get my clubs out of the garage, along with the Go Kart that has seen little action this year and play 9-holes.

I suspect I will be awful. My shoulder is still very ‘tight’. I won’t have much success. But that won’t matter. I’ll be playing again.

Only, I know I have work to do before I can get on the course again. I need to be fitter than I am. I need to increase the mobility in my shoulders. I have to work on increasing my overall flexibility. And, I have to go visit the Pro at the local course as I suspect I have been compensating for a dodgy shoulder for too long… How does one learn a new golf swing and ‘unlearn’ bad habits?

Answers on a postcard, please?

Family traditions?

There’s a family get together this weekend – it’s in Yorkshire. I’m travelling up there to be with family, my parents are travelling down from Scotland. It’s a surprise party for an aunt and uncle. My Mum is doing most of the catering, because that’s what she does.

My only role is to bake Parkin. Yorkshire Parkin. I used a recipe today that had been recommended online. I had to make enough for 30 people. So, that meant trebling the recipe. Halfway through baking it, Mum asked if I was using the family recipe…oops. No, it’s not my Gran’s recipe, it’s another. I don’t have Gran’s recipe.

With the cakes (three of them) in the oven, the aroma starts to permeate around the house and it’s gorgeous. It also takes me right back to Bonfire Night when I was a child. Toffee apples, bonfire toffee and Parkin. All homemade. All yummy.  Seasonal treats. All steeped in tradition as they are made.

Mum is making toffee apples and bonfire toffee for the event, so I had a look at recipes for toffee. Comparing the online recipes to ‘our recipes’ was interesting. All the online recipes recommended the use of a sugar thermometer to check the toffee as it’s boiling (to get the right point for ‘crunchy or chewy’ toffee. I don’t remember my Gran or Mum having one of those. We used a jug of very cold water to test the toffee. You simply drop a teaspoon of the (still boiling, liquid) toffee into the cold water and then you test it. Simple.

I’m quite lucky that I come from a family steeped in tradition. Baking is relaxing. It’s part of what makes me, me. It’s tradition. Family tradition.

I’ve made my Christmas cakes (one rum, one brandy and one whisky). I’ve made Parkin for bonfire night. What’s next??

The other me…

I have had a couple of days to think about this blog and what I would like to do with it…

I have decided that this blog will be dedicated to fun stuff and musings about life, cookery, golf, wine and other ‘tribbles’ as they crop up.

For everything marketing, I have another blog over at dhtmarketing.co.uk. Drop by sometime for tips, tricks and insights by me and other B2B marketing experts.

What to do next?

I’ve kind of lost my way with this blog. It has been about cooking and recipes, marketing, working in B2B tech, playing golf and my family. I haven’t blogged for a long time as I had a feeling this was becoming a rather shouty, rant about everything negative.

I read through some of the more ‘focussed’ posts recently and really enjoyed some of the memories that they brought back. So, now’s the time for me to think through what I want to use this blog for.

 

‘I’ve got your back, trust me’

Whether you’re working for a new company and have that nerve racking first day ahead of you, or you’re part of an established team awaiting the arrival of new colleagues – the road ahead can be a minefield. New personalities. Skills. Moods. Contribution. Fit.

How do you work out the dynamic between you? How do you establish working relationships that count?

Teams of people work eight or so hours a day, relationships build quickly and common ground is established. You might even start to build trust between you and those colleagues, giving you a deeper understanding and empathy within the team. But, trust must be earned, as must respect. They are not given lightly, nor are they something to play with.

But, how do you know if trust is mutual? How do you know if someone is genuine? At what point do you ‘relax’, get back to ‘normal’ and do the job at hand, without distraction? Do you simply ‘trust’ your instincts and feelings?

There are people in life who are simply not genuine. People who are centred on themselves. Who think of themselves, before others and about securing their position in business. These are the people who tell you to (face to face) ‘I’ve got your back’. The same people who think nothing of calling with their woes and worries; a review, an issue with the spouse or kids or even a team member. So, what do you do, and how do you handle it when your trust is betrayed? Confront them? Ignore them? Get on with your job regardless? But, what happens when their actions have a serious impact on you, both personally and professionally? Where do you turn when the person you thought you trusted has betrayed that trust?

Karma really is a beautiful thing. The only thing you have to do is wait.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Other ‘Social Networking’

We live in a world that’s changing. Networks are expanding. Lives don’t move on and it’s difficult for people to make a clean break or a fresh start in any area. I’m not saying it’s wrong (or right) but, I do think it gives pause for thought.

Facebook allows us to reconnect with old friends, or those we’ve lost touch with over the years. It gives us licence to chat, post updates about our lives and tell others what’s going on. It allows people to keep up the happenings of far away friends, but at what point does it become a little bit ‘intrusive’? Or voyeuristic? Do you really want your entire friends list knowing what you had for breakfast? Or that you’re a bit drunk and threw up on the train?

And LinkedIn? The ‘professional’ network…? I have noticed recently that my profile gets a lot of attention from ex-colleagues – people that haven’t actually spoken to me in recent months. What do they want? Is it to know what I’m doing and where? Or another reason?

I’ve had a Twitter account for many years, but recently, my use of Twitter has changed. Is what I say interesting enough to warrant a post? Are my followers really interested in my life? What do I enjoy from the people that follow me? And why?

Are we creating tools and environments that allow people to satisfy curiosity or are we giving people windows into our lives that they normally would not have? Is it stalking? If it’s not stalking, at what point does it become stalking?