And Back To Work
It’s been over a month since I’ve posted here. Busy, busy, busy. I have now found an apartment where I am currently working so no longer travelling on the trains every Monday and Friday. Just every alternate week – with Carol taking a turn and travelling to me. This weekend she discovered a sun-trap cove of a beach just five minutes from where I am living, so we spent a wonderfully lazy afternoon there yesterday.
While I sometimes struggle on an upward learning curve getting back into work, I am realising I have a lot to celebrate. And very grateful that I am able to say “I feel very well these days”. Most of the people I work with have no idea that I have been ill at all. Not that I wouldn’t tell them – just doesn’t seem relevant to do so.
My brain has really wound up from almost standstill a few months ago to full tilt recently. I still regularly have trouble remembering things – like the synapses in my brain aren’t joining up quickly enough yet. Probably two or three times a day I realise I can’t remember something I said last week, or the name of a casefile, or someone’s name. Other people probably just think I’m having a ‘senior’ moment but I know it’s still the leftover of those treatment drugs.
But I don’t feel badly about this happening. I have achieved a remarkable amount with this ‘rusty’ brain. I have met literally hundreds of new colleagues and staff in the past few week, learned three new computer software programmes, the policies and procedures of an organisation new to me, familiarised myself with a hundred or so casefiles, ‘hit the ground running’ managing a staff team of ten people. All in a city new to me – and I’ve found time to find a new place to live as well as commute on the trains.
Despite having to eat in restaurants while I was staying in hotels, I have managed to maintain my healthy diet and keep up the yoga. I’ve been walking a lot too. I think I am managing to avoid stress – I am so much more aware of it than I used to be. Two weeks ago I worked a 48 hour week – so I will take the extra time back for myself and spend a day (and a bit) relaxing. New rules.
August 11th, 2006 at 9:31 am
Hi Ron
It must be a plus to be able show the person to the world rather than the disease. I am always happy to hear that someone has claimed back their lives keep up the good work.
Sally