Health

[mebalshaw]

Health.
I thought that I’d tell everyone why I haven’t been as active on the forum as in the past. It’s not a question of lack of interest, but it is a question of health.

I think that I told you some years ago of a fall that I had on our stairs at home that cracked my skull, but apart from a poor sense of smell, and I certain loss of hearing in one ear, I made a full recovery, or so I thought.
Fast forward to around 12 months ago, and I was sat at home with my wife Susan when I had a seizure, she told me, obviously I knew nothing about it, as the next thing I remember was waking up in the ambulance that she’d called. I had several more over the next day or so during my stay in Royal Preston Hospital, and after having a battery of tests, including a CT Scan, an EEG, a lumber puncture and an MRI, the consultant came to see me and tell me that I’d developed a slight infection in my brain where I’d cracked my skull that didn’t initially show up on the tests, but had become worse over time, although with medication and a slight change in my lifestyle I’d be fine, which I have been.

It did, as you can imagine, scare the hell out of Susan, as well as my three daughters, but all is well now thank goodness, although the slight change to my lifestyle means that I can no longer drive. I can’t really say that it has bothered me too much, as I’ve done a great deal of driving around since I was 17.

It also helps that my wife and three daughters have all passed their driving tests, and are more than willing to take me anywhere that I need to go, and as my daughters all live quite nearby, that helps as well. Even better is that my two Son-in-laws, Andrew and Pete, are also willing to help by doing anything they can. This is really helpful as my sense of balance is now really poor, and climbing steps or ladders is a definite no-no.

To be honest, I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t miss driving, but although it is possible to reapply for my licence to be returned after 12 months seizure free, I just don’t think that it would be worth the risk of anything happening again, and neither does my wife or daughters.

There’s no doubt at all in my mind that I’m very lucky to have the help and support of my family over the last few months. I also consider myself lucky that my initial seizure happened at home with my wife, as it happened with no warning at all, I could so easily have been out and about driving, I dread of think of the consequences of that.