“Trainus” – possibly the funniest word I have heard this year. Crying laughing, and keep starting laughing again whenever I say it.

I think you need to make badges.

L

Hi Russ,
Just read your latest blog. Glad to hear your positivity.
If, over the coming months, your daily life & chores, legal cases, family and friends don’t keep you busy enough as you wait for your body to fully embrace your titanium rods then please start to write your book. It’s all their in your blogs. You’re a brilliant writer. Imagine it becoming a best seller, educating and inspiring others.
Just saying….

Love
A
Are you doing special rates for Pensioners? We could organise a coach from the local Day Centre. Refreshments would be nice as well if you could organise this (free of course), and biscuits Front row seats would be needed as most of them can’t see very well these days. ……

M

Saw your blog and felt your frustrations over past week Russ – challenge after challenge -I cannot even begin to imagine the thoughts re incompetency of disparate advice and contrasting opinions at hospital. How f’ng mind blowing – I would want to screAm at them – you are a magnificent super human being to keep battling for what is only right and just – I know you will endure – when are you Chiswick based ? Can visit later part of next week -multiple kisses etc xxx

Russ

Thank goodness for your blog, it seems as though making things public really has it’s benefits.
You are doing so well, you’ve got the constitution of an ox, which after everything you have faced is a god send.

Keep posting it keeps them all on their toes.

Loads of love xx

Can’t believe the appalling saga you have had to go through to ensure care at home. Clearly the system needs a reshake as it shouldn’t be that hard for any of the parties involved. Again, thank goodness you are articulate, totally dogged and have humour – otherwise it is easy to see how something like that could tip someone over the edge.

Good for you for bringing out the total unabridged force of your Welshness to prevail 🙂 x

After an incredibly interesting and long discussion with a psychiatrist today,  we decided that it was in the interest of myself to delay my leaving here until Sunday.

That avoids various complicated scenarios that may otherwise arise.

District nurse availability and a paid for help with washing and dressing  is my immediate future, indeed barring a miracle my long term future too.

But hey, worse things happen to people, I’ve finally realised.

It’ ll be lovely to hopefully see a fair bit of my daughters ( who do of course have their own lives ) and I will have mine too, with a fair few fantastic friends that I know I can rely on, all of whom have their own busy lives to lead.

I can’t do anything that active that will stress my last chance fixation for 3-4 months at least, and possibly up to a year, so I’ll have to use my regained brain to compensate for my further losses.

As mentioned before, various legal situations are alive and active, so they’ll keep me focussed, but not down!

Brilliant to see Cherie and Leigh Jones, my school buddy, who is a lot wiser than he looks.

Thank God.

( that was a back handed compliment – to an extremely talented sportsman, particularly tennis player )

From a student of mine, 15 years ago?

UPDATE!
At last- after an exhaustive process, it’s all come good.

Teddington hospital will provide a District Nurse from Monday – my arse will be used as a training anus ( trainus? ) for a group of trainee Evac nurses.

Ticketmaster will be advertising ticket prices, face masks, and safety eyewear.

HUGE thanks to Caelan, Anne Marie, Jenny and Toby Strauss for their persistence, which paid off in the end.

Because I posted a line or two about me feeling very down, half a dozen of the hospital BigWigs arrived at the same time to tell me that I had to ‘ assessed ‘ and to advise me not to leave the building.

Ironic given that they couldn’t wait to get rid of me as recently as last night….

So after my buddy, Mike Smith, left  I’ve turned on the telly and put on a film. As usual, after 5 minutes I’ve become distracted.

This morning I’ve talked to the Spinal Injuries Association and to a lawyer, as well as to my GP, who has at long last recognised an obligation to look after me.

It now seems that I’ll be returning to Chiswick on Thursday instead, assuming  they’ve not put me into a straight jacket, that is.

When I crashed my bicycle 3 years ago, it was no ones fault but possibly my own. As I can’t remember my crash, I’ll never know.
I’ve never been bitter or angry, as I had nothing to direct it at .  I was however a bit mentally altered, having concussed my frontal lobe ( my bike helmet was smashed to pieces – I  saw it about a year later, all covered in blood. That was a very unpleasant experience  )

Certainly there are those that have mistaken/ explained away my altered personality for anger, but I think I’d know how I felt inside, better than an observer.

I have made a quite amazing mental recovery whilst here though, as I’ve written about.

I did enter this hospital as an independent paraplegic, and I’m going to leave it so very much worse off than when I arrived 2 months ago, with no chance of improvement –  2.5 feet long titanium rods don’t slowly become more flexible, despite lots of optimism from friends.

This time there is blame, for sure.

I’m trying not to be bitter or angry, but I think most in my situation would be?