Termie termite

[nickliv]

Great news mr T.

Have you got a portable DVD player? I can send my copy of can - am thunder over if you think it might perk her up.

Cheers

Nick

[Lawnmower Man]

It's great to hear good news for  a change.   

I've been away for a week and have only just caught up with all this good news.   (Plus a bit of Thread creap)

I've Deb my regards.   

Tell her IMHO Lawnmowing is the best Physio you can get.   

t.

[Mr Termite]

Deb has no real history of lawnmowing. She grows silly plants, then goes to England for 3 weeks each summer, leaving me to look after the s*****g plants, plus mow the lawns, pick the tomatoes, feed the horses etc. I agree lawnmowing is good for you - I do it all!

Deb's portable DVD player died in the crash. It was a super-duper one from Richer Sounds, in that it was All-Region, with a 10" screen! I've bought her the only one I could find in a hurry on Saturday afternoon, which has a 7" screen, was a rip-off price, amd of course can only play Region 2.

We hope to get some money back from the insurers, and Deb will procure a canine's cojones version in due course.

[Bas]

Good news Mr T. hope she gets moved closer to home soon

[knetter]

Just read this thread now!!! Just gotten back from hols in Tanzania. Such bad luck, but good to read that she is on the road to recovery!!! Pass on my best wishes to her and I hope she will soon be up and about again!

[Mr Termite]

Today’s visit was courtesy of a petrolhead couple living south of Le Mans – generous of them to give me a lift, and their other car is a 70's Corvette! In fact, their lively conversation kept Deb giggling a lot of the time, so a huge success. The surgeon came in to manipulate Deb’s legs, which was a bit uncomfortable for her, but clearly left him happy with progress. He was also happy to talk to Deb, and to me, in a most matter-of-fact way, about her future and so-on. Deb had also had a wheelchair ride – few of us would relish that, but to her it was like growing wings!

Sadly we have no further info on the move to Parigne L’Eveque – near where my chauffeur and his wife live.

[NorwayNick]

Good to here she is on the mend, hope she is moved closer to Le Mans soon.

[Mr Termite]

No real Termie news, and now the weekend's here things go quiet at the hospital. I will visit today, and a kind neighbour is ferrying me again tomorrow. All those trips on the A28 produce some views of cars, though - mainly Brits, of course. Pair of big Healeys parked in the service area on Thursday, for example. A 1964-reg model was on minilites - is that kosher? Then yesterday, as I entered the A28 at Gace, there was a trio of cars parked waiting to go through the peage. Drivers were chatting - the leading car being a Swiss-reg Bentley drophead - brand new. Behind him were two Brits, an AC3000ME and a frogeye Sprite, complete with mandatory lady in headscarf - what a mixture!

Sadly, the other side of the coin was on my return. A truck coming round the Rouen bypass was clearly on a rescue mission to Blighty. Up top there was a Caterham 7, then a distinctly secondhand-looking  Fabia, like mine but much newer and with panels missing, and there were three other cars that appeared simply to have given up the ghost. A few holidays ruined, I'm afraid.

[Perdu]

Ian we are glad you keep us updated on the young lady's progress

We're all waiting news every day and we are so glad that for every setback she seems to come straight back, fighting and winning

You are a real hero spending so much of the time on the road too

I wish some more of us were in France and able to carry some of the burden for you

anyway, good luck and thanks

god bless

[Mr Termite]

A kindly chauffeur took me to Rouen today – and we pushed Deb around in a wheelchair, taking her down to the hospital café for a Coke. She had been feeling a bit down earlier – the weekend is such a quiet time from an activity perspective, so she was pleased to be given a trip out! It takes 3 physios – 2 are students - to lift Deb in and out of the wheelchair, and that is in no way a reflection on her weight. The surgeon had been back to see her this morning, and he remains delighted with progress, so more movement is now being allowed on the right knee. It just seems endless to Deb – and the accident was only 4 weeks ago.

As I said a few days ago – the move to Parigne can’t come a minute too soon.

[mgmark]

Ian,

Must be getting very frustrating for both of you, with the travelling for you and the boredom/immobility factor for Deb, but it is the start of the road back to normality, and it is a real delight to hear the snippets of good news that each of your posts brings, whether it relates to her progress, your fortitude, the support you are getting from those around you, or the moral support from here.  Aside from the fact that the content of Women's Weekly or People's Friend is unlikely to appeal to Deb, let alone keep her mind occupied for more than a nanosecond, and DVDs can pall after a while, have you thought about taking in any talking books on CD?

MG Mark 

[Mr Termite]

Hi Mark

Deb can just about now manage to hold and read a hardback book for a short period at a time. paperbacks need to be held more securely, and that she can't manage yet. Other friendly folk have suggested talking books but she isn't keen. As she says, the visual appeal of a DVD really helps to escape the tedium - just listening requires too much concentration.

On one level I don't mind the driving - after all, some of it is through delightful countryside, the roads aren't all busy, and they are all getting awfully familiar! But up to 5 hours behind the wheel per day is a bit novel  - my daily commute used to be 10 mins in the car, then by train! The weather, on the other hand, has been lovely for nearly a fortnight, so that is a blessing.

Deb and I just have to grit our teeth and get on with it, frankly!

Warm and supporting comments on here never go amiss, mind you!

[Piglet]

Hi Ian

Glad to hear she's coming along well, I wonder if you have any DVD rental services in France?  I've been using the free trial at Tesco.com DVD rental and it's cracking.   Even if you had to pay for it for a few months it might give you a good supply of DVD's?   

[Mr Termite]

They’d changed Deb’s antibiotics, and this proved a mistake, as she turned a bit lobster-colour in places. Now they’ve changed them again. 

Pushed the wheelchair back to the café today, which was fine, but when we got back to the ward they said people had come for Deb for an x-ray. So I pushed her back down to x-ray! 20 mins later we had some fine images of an awful lot of Meccano here and there! Again the physio trio are simply magic – much Deb’s favourites among the many who look after her - and are happy to help her in and out of the wheelchair so we can go off together.

[Mr Termite]

A

The DVD mountain in this small house is simply HUGE! Deb really does have the world's leading private collection! Of course she can now only watch Region 2 (see earlier in this thread for arcana on the dead DVD All-Region player) but that should not be a real inhibition! She's currently munching through The West Wing Series 4.....

One item worrying her is that I don't seem to have received a confirmation of our booking for LM next year - has anyone else? Of course, if her legs don't work, she won't be able to get up the stairs anyway....