It’s been a while since our last post, we’ve been busy working on bringing Zed back to life and pushing Chris’ new build forward. But we’ve also been having to make some tough decisions with regards to our Euro trip: we’ve had to postpone it.
I’ve had a couple more physio sessions, concentrating on my right hip joint to try and ease the pain that I’ve been experiencing. It’s mainly been manipulating the joint, trying to loosen it up, but being honest, it wasn’t really helping.
I joined the gym and have been going everyday, focusing on getting control of my own health again. No lifting weights like Arnie, but small swim and cycle sessions. Exhaustion sets in afterwards, but the satisfaction of doing something productive with my day makes up for that!
I also got myself a little car, that might be nothing special, but to me it is FREEDOM!
Me and the Pug in the peaks
I had a few emotional first journeys in the car when I realised I could now get around myself and it didn’t hurt too bad.
It’s also been a good introduction back onto the road, the anxiety I was feeling after my accident is fading fast. I was always a very alert and confident driver/rider so I wouldn’t say I look at the road different, I just feel like I’m getting back to enjoying it again and not being super paranoid every time I see a vehicle wanting to pull out or turn across my path.
The transition from walking with one crutch to no crutch had to be quick and smooth so I didn’t develop a limp, and having the car helped that as it meant I could walk from my house to the driver’s seat and get to where I was going without crutches. In the supermarket I use the trolley to aid my walking even if i’m just grabbing a cheeky pint of milk. I was walking very uncomfortably, with a monster limp and my face probably looked like I was angry as fuck but I was just concentrating on every step to not fuck my hip up.
one small step at a time without my crutches
I was still suffering from this pain in the right hip joint, still leaving me couch bound, which had me up and down with pain and with my mental health.
It seems to be getting harder to cope with mentally, the closer you get to normality the harder it is when you have a shit day. Boom, in an instant back to crippling pain and not being able to live my life the way I want, not knowing when it’s going to calm down.
My friend has been going to an osteopath and she mentioned my situation to him. He asked for my details as he was soon to be trailing the K Laser, a type of laser therapy aimed at speeding up the healing process.
He was offering the treatment for free, in return he just wanted my feedback. At this point I was desperate, physio wasn’t working and was few and far between. After an initial assessment and looking at my X-rays, the osteopath recognised almost straight away that all my pain was coming from the screw in my sacroiliac joint – the screw holding my pelvis to my spine. I was impressed by this diagnosis, he was more thorough and seemed more informed than any other professional I’d spoken to, so I swiftly agreed to an intensive 2 week treatment plan.
I had the first session with no real expectations, but man, afterwards I went food shopping and for a split second I felt as if I’d never been in an accident – I couldn’t believe it!
I haven’t felt that good in eight months now. I was walking smoothly without feeling every step aching, pulling or crunching underneath me. I was trying to tell myself: ‘this can’t be true, it must be all in my mind!’
I was instructed to keep it warm, so I strapped the trusty hot water bottle to me. The area was painful and achey towards the night and it kept me from sleeping until the early hours, I was worried thinking, ‘what have I signed up for here?’ But in the morning I was walking about with no limp, no sharp pain, and I was absolutely over the moon.
Having my car has given me a new lease of life, I’ve been to so many places: driving out to the peaks to eat my dinner, popping to Hull to see my family, and Leeds to visit friends. My former life, of being busy, active and sociable, is slowly coming back to me. However I’m still in constant pain around my pelvis, spine, knee and hip joints, and it’s exhausting, but it is more manageable than before. Slowly I am able to do more with my days, before I have to hitch a ride on the kip train like a nanna.
So, I’m sad to say, with our trip approaching soon, we’ve made the decision that I’m not fit enough to endure a month on the road, and we’re absolutely gutted beyond belief. But for the first time in my life, my health has to be my priority. I cannot deal with the consequences of hurting myself anymore or potentially prolonging my injuries. We haven’t written this plan off completely, far from it, it’s still a goal, the posts have just been moved back.
I feel strangely sensible, mildly boring but confident we’ve made the right decision however sucky it may be – I’m not the tough cookie right now that I used to be.
We’ve still got loads of mini adventures in the pipeline and obviously Chris is still building his new beaut of a steed, so we’re gonna keep updating the blog and insta.
Thank you for all the responses to our blog so far, its awesome to think people enjoy reading our little updates, makes it all worth while.