When did I last post? I have no idea, but I am conscious of not having turned on the computer much this week. It was one of those weeks with lots of appointments and things to do. The GP has signed me off for a further two months with "neuropsychiatric complications of subarachnoid haemorrhage" - he said he was laying it on thick so the "powers that be" get the message. Should I worry about the use of the term "neuropsychiatric" I wonder? I joke about it, but it's actually not that funny. I'm finally, with the help of the neuropsychologist, coming to terms with my limitations. I know, I know, I've said this before (repeatedly, apparently!), but I don't think I really accepted that I was not the same person as before the haemorrhage. I'm sorry if it's repetitive - feel free to switch off or just skip to the next paragraph. It's as if by writing it over and over again it'll sink in... I'll just copy and paste a couple of bits from the Brain & Spine Foundation website, because they explain better than me how I'm feeling:
Emotions
Many people find it difficult coming to terms with having had an SAH. You might feel depressed, tearful, angry or anxious for no apparent reason. These feelings can be physical (related to what has happened to your brain), emotional (a reaction to the traumatic experience), or both. Many of these changes are temporary and will improve over time.
(...)
As time goes by, it can be hard to express and explain to others how you feel and how you have changed, especially as you might appear to have recovered physically. This can lead to feelings of isolation.
(...)
Feelings and worries
It is natural to feel anxious and to worry about the future, especially when you are back at home. (...)
It can be difficult recovering from such a major life event. The first few weeks and months can be a very intense time and you might find that friends and family treat you differently. Everybody has different ways of coping.
If you are struggling to come to terms with what has happened it might be helpful to keep a simple diary of your thoughts and your physical recovery. This will also help you to record how you are improving as time passes.
See, everyone's telling me to write everything down; even my GP said to me this week "Do you write? You strike me as someone who would keep a journal" - Hmmm is that a compliment I wonder?
Meanwhile, World Cup fever has gripped the nation. I've surprised myself by actually getting quite excited by the whole thing and actually watching matches of my own volition. Of course, England's first two matches were dire but they made up for it in the third one and scraped through to the next round. The French team, however, disgraced themselves so the less said about that whole saga the better.
And now, we have the joy of Wimbledon coverage. For once I actually have the luxury of being at home and therefore able to watch the matches, which I've only been able to do at weekends previously. To mark the occasion, we got some strawberries the other day and well, what better way to eat them than with Cornish vanilla ice cream, I ask you?!
(iPhone picture)
So there you have it. I'm still working on proof-reading a friend's translations from the Spanish, and I've got rather behind on them, so I'd better go off and do some more now. Ciao :)
