This week I was contacted by my best friend at school, Pieter. It's been oveer 20 years since we spoke. My life from a high flying manager with an international job, has become a daily battle with paralysis and all the impact of the physical limitations I now have. Even simple things have become impossible or now require huge effort and patience. For example, I can't move below my neck but even just sitting upright is difficult without back and abdomen control. Probably the most frustrating thing for me is talking. Along with paralysis, I had some damage to speech and swallow. So for 6 months I was tube fed and couldn't speak. Trying to call someone like a nurse meant trying to click my paralysed tongue or moan and blink. I developed enough tongue movement to allow rudimentary montone speech in short bursts.
The changes to me physically haven't changed the essential man part of me. I have sensation and all normal bodily functofions. Without the ability to express myself in satisfying ways, I am very quiet and don't socialise as frequently as I need. I miss hugs and cuddles and although not impossible sex is not spontaneous and free. So I have become a less extrovert person and can spend endless hours on my own.
So Facebook has helped me stay in touch but it has also become a sink for constructive musings or activity. This is something to be guarded against.
The past week saw the completion of my kitchen repair after a broken drain had caused a large buildup of damp and damage. I include a few pictures. The challenge to do a good job of it within the budget provided was impossible so I told the insurers that if they believed it was possible to achieve they should do it. So they did. A month later they were still busy. I believe they never managed to stay within budget either. Indeed the time alone would have come to 4 times the offer made to me. I did need to keep the doors and drawers but changed the handles and knobs.
