My achilles tendonitis has flared up again, I’m so worried I’ll end up housebound for months again. Whenever people talk about strokes they never talk about this - how you can end up with one side so weak that even the simplest everyday activities can give you literal sports injuries that keep flaring up and never go away. An inflamed achilles tendon probably doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I’ve already spent months this year housebound because of it, gone through shockwave therapy and physiotherapy, it keeps coming back and as I don’t really have anyone to help me it means being unable to do basic things for myself for god knows how long. Being trapped indoors like a prisoner.
And to add even more stress I’ve had a letter from the DWP - they have a huge backlog of appeals and assessments so I’ve been told my appeal will take longer than originally estimated. It won’t be sorted by January. And I don’t know how I will manage as I have no family to fall back on and mutual aid seems to be dead now.
This is on top of all my usual stress and problems, I’m having a flare up of side effects from my thyroid cancer treatment, my eczema is infected again and I’m covered in oozing, itchy sores. I thought I’d be getting a hysterectomy to solve my bladder issues but that’s looking unlikely now. Bank charges that can’t be paid off piling up on my maxxed out overdraft, struggling to keep up with my medical appointments and absolutely nothing to look forward to whatsoever. It’s my shitty 42nd birthday this month and what have I got to show for 42 years on this earth? A wrecked body, no money or property, not a single friend in real life, no family and no hope. Can’t even do anything for xmas or my birthday, my landlady is going away and I’ll just be alone with nothing to do and no company. I wish I had some shrooms or acid at least, but that’s a distant dream.
I really love walking outside and I live somewhere with lots of nature and hiking trails, but this year I’ve spent most of my time housebound due to these endless ankle and foot injuries that never heal properly. It’s so frustrating and depressing being trapped indoors for long periods of time, I feel like I’m in prison. And it becomes clear that it’s not going to get better really, I’m stuck like this permanently. Every little thing, from walking a short distance to lifting a shopping bag, injures me now. I’ve been in A&E twice this year with arm injuries alone, simply from lifting light things. My left side is so weak that both times it tore all the muscles in my upper arm. You’d think you’d gradually improve your strength and mobility after having a stroke, but mine is clearly deteriorating even more over time.
I know what you mean about the cookie cutter treatments, the physio has given me a set of exercises to do every day and I’m sure these exercises do nothing at all.
It does help having people to talk to here, i don’t have anyone in real life any more.
For me personally it was the opposite. They mentioned exercises offhand but it was the exercises, specifically stretches, that helped the most. This is due to the nature of my problem (spasms). Not trying to say they would work for you. But they emphasised on in-hospital treatment because it would make them a buck. When I went through the physiotherapy sessions it did me zero good. As you can tell I am still extremely bitter about it.
The shockwave therapy actually helped, but then it got injured again a few days ago. It makes me feel there’s no point even trying with the exercises or anything any more, as it will always just get injured again.