That difficult second blog...

So, I guess I ought to get round to my second blog then. And, as the Arctic Monkeys and Bradley Wiggins have found before me, the follow-up is never quite as easy…

Especially when the first instalment has been met with such a positive response. Thanks to everybody who has passed on messages since I started the blog – they’re all much appreciated.

Positive comments from people aside, I seem to have had a week of not really getting anywhere. One of the things I’ve got used to over the last 18 months or so is that waiting for the medical profession, or their admin staff, to move at their own pace is part and parcel of this whole process. That’s still the case, and yet again there’s another week coming up where, hopefully, I’ll get a clearer picture of things. But that’s by no means guaranteed…

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I’m not able to live on my own at the minute, so have spent the last few months squatting at my mum & dad’s. Probably not the easiest situation for any of us, especially on the days when I’m not sleeping properly, the frustration of things are getting to me and I’m turned into a grumpy, miserable houseguest from hell. That does allow for the odd unintentional comedy moment though.

In the spirit of trying to atone for being the houseguest from hell, I popped up to Asda the other day – a big adventure in its own right for me at the minute! – and unintentionally found myself doing the Blokes Shop of Shame. All of a sudden I’m getting the odd raised eyebrow look, and when it comes to paying even the self service checkout seems to be cock a snook as if to say ‘which one was it then – forgotten anniversary or unwise comment about her sister?’ Yep, without thinking about it in my shopping basket is a bunch of flowers and a box of Roses…

Anyway, moving on. One of the things that has really helped me over the past few weeks has been a referral to Wheatfields, whose medical staff have provided a much ‘bigger picture’ look at all the problems I’m going through at the minute and proved a lot of help. If, like me, you grew up in Leeds, you might remember Wheatfields for their fetching brown and beige stickers you used to get for giving them a few coppers back in the 80’s and 90’s. Must admit that thinking back you think that is as far as your involvement with them will ever go. Anyway, just so happens that if you live in the Leeds area, you can vote to try and help them get a share of an award from NatWest’s Community Fund this week. Just go to https://communityfund.natwest.com/Vote and follow the process through. Shameless plug, but from my limited experience of them so far, they’re worth a vote…