Who the hell needs two colour schemes on their head? - Microdiscectomy blog +11

It was an unusually nice and sunny day...
...on Monday when I walked to my Doctor's. It was a walk I had done before you may recall. This time I walked more smoothly. My walk to the station is normally 8 minutes, I got there in 10 and was at the Doc's inside 15 minutes. This is progress. I was a little sore as I sat down, but my major concern was avoiding the people with coughs and lurgies. The surgery's waiting room is not a good place to be if you have a low immune system. I wonder how many people have been finished off by their fellow patients.

Anyway I saw the very nice Dr Webb for the first time. I asked about getting a physio referral and she said she would sort it out. I asked about the rash around my wound and she agreed that it was probably an allergic reaction to my dressing. The rash is now dying down I'm glad to say. For the latest wound pic scroll to the bottom of this blog.

I asked about the sciatic twinges I've been getting. Dr Webb said (as expected) that this was normal. The nerve is recovering after being pinched for so long. It could take up to 6 months to settle down but this was nothing to be worried about. If the pain gets too much I can have more gabapentin.

My surgeon said that I should be able to start swimming after 4 weeks. The doc examined my wound and said that I could probably take a short dip after Easter. Yay.

Who the hell needs two colour schemes on their head?

All in all I left in a very positive frame of mind. So much so that I took this picture of me with my ginger beard in all its glory. What a cruel trick mother nature has played on me. My hair prematurely grey and receding, while my beard comes out in a totally different colour. What kind of design flaw is that? I'm like an 80s car in need of a go-faster stripe to separate two different shades of paintwork.

If I keep this beard (which right now I am inclined to trialling) I have a dilemma. Do I embrace the two-tone look or do I consider dying my hair, my beard or both? Thankfully as I don't have to go to work for a while this dilemma can be mused on for a couple more weeks. If you have any thoughts, answers on a postcard to...oh wait...just use the comments section.


Mo Visitors Mo Morale
Hot on the heels of my visit from Paul and Kay on Sunday, I received a text from my old Uni mate Stef asking if I wanted a visit from her and her one year old, Hannah. Of course! Even that text lifted my spirits. Well that was nothing compared to the visit itself. Nelson Mandela said that the thing he most missed while he was in prison was children. I can well believe it.

Stef suggested we went out for lunch, and so we headed to The French Horn in Steppingley. It's an attractive old pub which serves really nice food. We sat in the restaurant area and proceeded to enjoy a couple of hours of chat, lovely food and cooing over Hannah. If you don't believe quite what a cutie she is, here's a pic.

By the time Stef dropped me off back at home I was feeling really great. I really think good friends and cute 1 year olds should be prescribed on the NHS.

Boxset watch

TV

Utopia - full series (6 episodes)

Sopranos - S1 eps 1-2

Parks and Recreation - S1 eps 1-4

24 - S1 eps 1-4

Film

The Muppets 4/5

Beginners 3.5/5

Friends With Benefits (partial) 3/5

Jeff Who Lives at Home 4/5

The Space Between 4/5

The Challenger (tv movie) 5/5

Today's gratuitous Wound Pic