Update 4

Yet another unimaginative heading but I am trying to keep this particular section of my MS journey together because it does seem as if I have been having infections which could’ve been going on for many months. It does seem as if taking antibiotics have improved my life immeasurably.

I will return to the factual part of this blog in a moment but I have some good news to relate in that our house renovations are now proceeding at a pace. The Annexe in the garden, known as the Nest, is at last finished. There is a gap of about 7 m between the nest and the barn, and the foundations and wall are now in place for the greenhouse to be attached, which will hopefully arrive in early September. The barn, which has been absolutely stuffed full of the contents of Dadmans (apart from the few bits we really need to live) has been tided and rearranged again and again, and we actually have some space in it. That is thanks to Pips amazing hard work and organising.

That is just as well, as we have now chosen the builder we would like to carry out the work on the house and of course we now need to move everything out, either back into proper storage or stored in the barn. And there will be the incentive to get on with the job before the cold wet weather begins as the seasons change. Obviously all three of us will be living in the Nest, which in the summer is going to be like camping and it is just glorious to be sitting in bed in the morning, which is what I am doing right now dictating this post for my blog, with the double doors wide open and I just look at the grass and the trees and a black and white spaniel has just catapulted through the doors and thrown herself at the edge of the bed where she knows a hand will come down and hold her paw, or tickle her tummy if only she would keep still for a nanosecond. With a welcome and start to a day like that what could be better? It is impossible not to smile and have one’s hopes lifted after a greeting as ebullient as that.

We have a meeting with the builder tomorrow to discuss things like time schedules, insurance, building programs and the like. We have the building regs so we can now proceed with the next phase of our project here. I know this is not particularly relevant to my MS journey however in terms of keeping my interest and the small part of my brain that hasn’t turned to mush turning over in some sort of fashion; this is the sort of project I need to make me think and feel that there is a purpose to life. You all know me, I am a doer, not a procrastinator and in the absence of looking forward to being well and enjoying a full recovery, (I would settle for a part recovery even), I can derive some form of satisfaction in seeing our ideas take shape. Mabel is brilliant in enabling me to get round the garden. Yesterday I managed quite a few tasks in the morning. As I am now living in the nest (therefore all on one level) I try and go up and down the stairs a couple of times each day just to keep the muscles in my legs used to that action and it is incredible how much better the second attempt is than the first as the stiffness in my legs is eased by action. But there then comes a point when I go over the top and then I just get weaker and weaker so those muscles which I have got working suddenly get to the point where they can’t even support me. That is where planning my day is so important in terms of evaluating when and how I’m going to use my valuable muscle time. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the feeling of achievement having been upstairs got the washing, got back down again and pushed it in the machine and to then hang it up was my one big achievement yesterday. And tying up the tomatoes!

So, back to the medical, factual part of this blog, I had a telephone call from my GP last week and after another 20-30 minute conversation she prescribed a different, longer course of antibiotics, Trimethoprim, and as I’m just about to take the very last one of that course I am happy to say that I have enjoyed a week of unbroken nights and controllable pain. That last phrase is something else I can expand upon as I have been doing an online course of pain management that my GP or possibly the MS nurses arranged for me to follow. I am now 2/3 of the way through the course which I have found interesting, not unhelpful, easy to do, and when I finish it I’ll tell you what I really thought about it. She, my new GP is also wanting me to have an MRI followed by a consultation with Dr Muller as the ultrasound scan I had showed up various polyps and other things. That scan, twinned with the blood tests have made her wonder if there may be something else going on. So the NH are really performing ultra efficiently and seeming to explore all avenues as to why I have these debilitating spasms. I am reducing the dose of Pregabalin every 7-10 days and am now halfway down to where Dr Le May wants me to be. Now I’ve finished the course of antibiotics I think more tests will be done and I will have another telephone appointment with her.

But why do I keep getting these UTIs? I have my theories and I will elaborate further when I have something definite to say. In the meantime I am overwhelmed by the attention my GP is giving me. Is it because she has more time at the moment because the surgery is not full of people wishing to stay away or being kept away by the Covid risk? Is it because the time when I was unable to speak because of the pain which had driven me to tears at that point made her realise the distress I am in?