Thursday 24 November 2011

Walking. Carefully.

Little Family Outing yesterday.
Two days of snow and ice and Okaasan hadn't been out at all.
So yesterday we took advantage of sunshine and a slight thaw and walked with her to the next station down from us for lunch.
Okaasan NEVER goes here, so it was all new to her.


She is very dependent on Yujiro for help with walking on potentially icy places, holding into his hand and following his directions. Her walking is slower now, her balance not great - at one traffic signal crossing, Okaasan appeared to teeter on the slight slope to the curb...and as I rushed to hold her she grabbed the traffic signal to lean against it.


But all was well, she enjoyed the walk in the sunshine and looking at new things. It was a public holiday, so not many shops were open - but a good change from the living room and the TV.


She takes a long time to do things: folding up her shawl to drape it over the chair in the restaurant took several minutes, deciding HOW to put her handbag over her neck/shoulders...each decision seems to take more time.


At home we got done a whole lot of Prepping for Winter stuff, I even made a Xmas card list and thought about end of year things. It's a useful holiday.
I got my icky samples into the hospital the other day. Now I have to wait 2 weeks for the test results. If questionable, I  will need a camera stuffed up a place where NO camera should ever go. In Japan these kind of tests are very regular - I am getting a free one as a 50 year old.I think in the UK only people on big company private health insurance schemes get regular tests.


Slightly nervous about the results.
I've never had much to do with hospitals in my life - until last year of course, when what I thought might be a stomach worm-infestation caught from the cat toilet box...ended up being multiplying ovaries and an operation to whip 'em out. But thankfully, no cancer.
Health can change so suddenly. In 2 weeks time I could get a call back for a closer examination,  then suddenly Xmas and end-of-year could all be a hospital drama....


The other week I was just leaving a private student's home when she got the call from her sister to say that their mother has advanced lung cancer...the late-afternoon "feeling hot" and subsequent health checks had revealed a shaddow in the lungs etc etc. This family have just been celebrating the arrival of the first grandchild....so to have THIS news now is a shock.


So. Nervous. I am not ready for "Camera! Action!" in any part of my lower body....I am very grateful for all that KKR Hospital did fior me last year, but I don't want to spend Christmas there...

3 comments:

  1. Aww. Don't worry. These tests are just routine, unless you feel that there's something wrong, like you figured out before with the 'worm infestion', I'm sure you're fine.
    I've done the pooh test each year at school, too, comes with the job. Nuffin' to it.
    If you've always been in tune with your body, and you haven't felt anything is wrong, then don't worry about the results.
    I was so dumb once. I put on weight around my belly, looked 9 months preggers, and so on, had acid reflex when I lay down, peed heaps, and so on, dohhhhhhhhhh, it was a huge ovarian tumor, boderline, returned to the UK, had it out, but had to really be on the NHS for the op to happen asap, phoned every day, kinda deal, had it whipped out, all was benign yay, but it certainly taught me to listen to my body.

    So unless you feel something is amiss, relax.

    ReplyDelete
  2. good luck all is well! i understand what you mean that health can change so quickly. i am sending good vibes your way.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thankyou for supportive comments....I am nervous, but after the events of last year I know it's important to have stuff checked and as I paid vast amounts to join the Japanese health system I should get service like free check ups on my insides...
    But....nervous....

    ReplyDelete