So my shoulder is better than it was, and I’ve avoided stressing it at all, having some common sense when it comes to that sort of thing. My policy with injured bits has always been to do everything with them that doesn’t actually cause acute pain. That way you are still moving and encouraging blood flow so the bit doesn’t seize up, but you aren’t furthering the injury. Always seems to work for me …

Pain, and types of pain, is something that  I’m not sure is that commonly understood.  If you properly injure yourself ( like tear a muscle ) then you’ll suffer acute/ searing pain thats instantaneous when you use that muscle. Once the injury starts to heal, the pain changes to a different, less painful pain, that is more of an ache when you use the muscle. At that point you are quite safe using that muscle lightly, but not to the extent that you feel that searing pain sensation – that’s where you are causing further injury, and only making it worse again – you have to avoid that!  If you have actually injured yourself properly you’ll always feel that acute, searing pain. If you just wake up and something hurts a bit, without you having felt that pain the day before then you can’t have actually properly injured yourself, can you? You can’t injure yourself whilst asleep, unless you’ve stabbed yourself whilst sleepwalking or something. You might indeed feel pain from something – a trapped nerve, or an ache from exerting yourself the day before, but that’s not the same as being injured. Nothing has been torn or broken overnight whilst you’re in bed – that just doesn’t happen, or it would have woken you up in distress at the time…

Anyway, today I’ll have another go on the Seg and avoid chains. I feel like buying a can of red spray paint and going on a mission to spray all the chains ( that are actually widespread here ) so that further accidents are avoided. My good deed for the day – except I don’t have any paint. I could become a graffiti ‘ist too, and go round ‘ tagging ‘ everything…. I need to come up with a tag. Maybe a leek?

We watched a film last night featuring taggers, in LA. Obviously everyone ended up dead, like all the films I watch (?!) including the goodie, old Samuel L Jackson… he doesn’t normally die in his  films, does he? 187 it was called – good actually!

The sun is shining here, as it has for a while, and things are relaxed for me, or getting that way at least.

That’s gotta be a good thing.

The amazing off road Segfree- with me on 2 days ago.

Yesterday i got a little more adventurous ( like you do – or is it just me that always does that ? ) and went exploring a bit. We’ll surely that’s the point of it for me? Anyway, about 5 Miles later, and actually on the way back I failed to notice a heavy metal chain strung between 2 posts that was across the track we were on. I didn’t have a chance to even slow down at all, and hit it at 12mph. My help said it was a slow motion moment as I stopped very abruptly, it struggled not to fall over, sort of rocked twice before crashing down backwards. I saw the chain only as I hit it, and recall feeling no sense of emotion as it pulled me over. I don’t think i as yet fear impending potential disaster, coming from where I have in my head, but I should have. Anyway my head hit the ground as it tipped backwards fast, and  my body ( over which I’ve no control ) rolled off, leaving me in the gravel.

There was no way my help would have the strength to lift me up and get me back on, after first righting the machine and putting on the park brake, though he’d have tried, for sure. Two Germans appeared on bikes and between them they lifted me up and got me back on, without too much trouble.

I fell on my already injured right shoulder- the one that was just starting to feel better – doh (!) now it feels a lot worse again.

Lessons learnt – well, not many. It could have happened to anyone, couldn’t it? I know that the stopping distance is quite long so I have to be more prepared to stop fast, so I’ll practice that.

The positives ? If the chain had been higher, I’d have been decapitated. If I’d seen the chain and tried to turn right or left I’d have crashed down Embankments into water and drowned… so all in all I am relatively well off, I’d say.

I probably ought wear a helmet, and I will take a first aid kit and small tarpaulin, so that my help can roll me onto that and then drag me out of danger more easily.

Or i could just be far more careful? Mmmm, can’t see that really happening.

Blimey, I’ve seen the light. Having a Male Carer, is by far the most sensible thing I’ve done since my injury. I’m not sure i can ever revert to a lady again.

I probably should have known all along that this was a far better idea for me, but despite various people saying it and me even thinking it, the availability of males is not high.

Having someone with loads of energy, with male strength and Male thinking is ( no offence obviously ) just so much better for me. I can’t speak for the rest of the world, but for me it’s brilliant.

Last night we watched The Eurovision Song Contest and laughed the whole way through. He picked the winner as soon as he saw her – the ‘ well proportioned ‘ Israeli, whereas I picked the Hotty that ended up second. Horses for courses, I think that demonstrated, or as the winner said ‘ a victory for diversity ‘ ?!

My new help said ‘ Fat is the future ‘ …. and perhaps he’s right….maybe cake is the answer to everything?

I’ll be sticking to my specific carbohydrate diet though, with no dairy, which definitely does seem to  agree with me. My spasms and my tendency to bloat have definitely decreased.

The other big breaking news is that I finally have a vehicle that makes life fun and ‘ extreme’ – which goes with my nature. I’ll post videos of me and my Off Road Segfree soon!

My new help has started, and  I’m ok, all things considered.

The spasms have been a bit much, I’ve had more mechanical complications with equipment, but hey, I’ve had worse.

Ashley has made a big difference to my life, more than I could have hoped for, I have to say, and I feel a lot of gratitude for the good things that I have. Thanks to my mother for her ongoing words of encouragement, which does help me, as do all positive people in my life. I really have no desire for conflict in my life, and do aim to be free of what there is by the end of the year.

By then a lot ought be resolved for the better, I think.

From a piece by someone who has actually tried the new iBot!

Kim and I made the 90-minute drive from South Portland to Manchester, so I could try out one of their prototypes. The new iBOT is a thing of beauty. After driving it for a couple of hours I made a few suggestions, but they were minor because DEKA has this thing well designed.
When they roll out the next generation iBOT, it won’t have many new functions compared to the old iBOT. It’s just that every function has been improved. The seat is more comfortable. The transitions between modes are quicker and smoother. Stairclimbing, balance, and four-wheel-drive work better. The controller and joystick are more ergonomic. The software is more intuitive. The chair is lighter and smarter. And the batteries? No more deep discharge required. Enhancements, such as tilt, recline, leg elevate, and automobile docking will be considered after the initial rollout.
With the redesigned iBOT, Mobius Mobility, a new company in Manchester, NH, is entirely focused on the manufacturing and distribution. Although they have obtained FDA approval, DEKA and Mobius are still working on a Medicare reimbursement strategy, and have confidence they can achieve a much better result this time around.
I wish I could answer questions like how much is it going to cost and when is it going to be available, but I don’t know those things. I do know that I saw lots of very smart people working on iBOTs last week, and these people are motivated to make the iBOT business permanent this time — permanent and better than ever. I can’t wait.

Note: Look for announcements in the coming

I can cope with a fairly sleepless few days, but not so well when I get really bad spasms as well. Of course it may be the lack of sleep that makes the spasms worse, which then prevents me sleeping ( and so on etc ).

Today and for 36 hours I’ve been spasming all the time, and the whole airport thing wasn’t helpful at all. In any event it’s not exactly fun – more something I sort of quietly dread – but with the added distraction of constant spasms it’s pretty crap to be honest!

As usual the foreign end country’s airport people were better than our own, even at speaking English (?!), and certainly more communicative and smiley- and that does make a real difference.

Tomorrow I’ll have a fasting day again, as that definitely seems to be a positive thing for me – giving ‘ my system ‘ a chance to clear out, and reset itself.

I was thinking about going back to London again in a few weeks, but now I don’t think I will, as I cannot help but push the pace too much and it takes it’s toll. I think I forget that I’m paralysed and take on too much, but anyway I’ll see. I have a skin cancer appointment but I’ll try to see someone here if I can instead. None of the doctors i see in London are British, so I may as well be abroad and see a foreign one, right?

Im travelling back to portugal 🇵🇹 today, this time having engaged a MALE carer. I reckon that’s almost certainly a great thing for me – you know, men are a bit easier, aren’t they…?

This having a carer malarkey is more about me ‘ managing the carer’ than it is about them looking after me, I’ve realised.

I travel back with some off road wheels for the Segfree wheelchair, which in theory make it able to go pretty much anywhere, through anything. I might get a waterproof cover for it so I can go underwater as well.

And guns on the front as well.

You may as well be prepared for angry golfers, when you’ve wheeled slowly across the fairway, right ?

Lots of golfers in Portugal, see. And they can get a bit upset about things – especially if I wasn’t dressed appropriately, just to make things even worse.

Right, almost at the airport.

Anita and I. 

I seem to have injured my right arm in the gym, doing too much. This is something I’ve been really careful about avoiding, as once your arms are buggered, you are left with little. I’m sure it’s not that bad, however, although painful at the moment.

Also i managed to yank the catheter that goes into my abdomen( bladder ) and injure that area too. Now THAT makes my spasms awful – which they have been for 2 days. I had to take a sleeping tablet last night just to knock me out enough to be able to sleep through kicking and jerking legs, which did work.

Reef in Hammersmith were so good ! I was very tired by the time I got there, and thought a bit about not going, but the survivor in me makes me go, and then, thankfully, it’s ALWAYS worth it. Not drinking lager/ wine, but instead lots of soda water and lime, is actually much better for waking you up, I’d say – that’s my tip for today…

Reef 8.5/10  in the Russ Gig rating

Gomez – incredible – 10/10

Plan B – 9/10