Author: Gaynor Leech, Founder of L-W-O
I would like to thank everyone who contacted me to say how much they loved last weeks Lymphoedema and Gardening video. One of the questions I was asked was "When did my love of gardening start?" The easy answer is at a very early age and probably started with my Great Grandad Fred who loved gardening.
Sunday 19th April – very much a non-day news wise, although it has become about the ‘blame game’ on how Covid-19 has been handled. How is it everybody has become an expert? So much rubbish being spouted.
So here is my two penneth worth. Hubby and I are incredibly grateful we have no relatives in a care home, we know from experience that there are good ones, but we also know that there are some poor ones. Sadly, deaths in care homes have been under reported and the toll is horrific. I understand everyone is blaming this on an underfunded social care system by government, which it is. What about the care-home owners being held responsible for the exorbitant charges of amounts between £2000 - £3000 per month and could be higher depending on where you live? Yet the care staff are underpaid for the work they do. Looking after the frail and elderly when they can no longer look after themselves must become a priority in the UK.
Monday 20th April – L-W-O support group over the last six weeks there have been questions on the effects of lymphoedema -v- Covid-19 and whether those of us who live with lymphoedema are at higher risk. The simple answer is ‘NO’ we are not at greater risk and are friends at LSN have produced a particularly good leaflet which please do read.
I had started to wonder about skincare and Covid-19 as every time I watched the news when patients were being interviewed I had noticed how skin was blotchy looking and initially had put it down to high temperatures. On Monday morning one of our expert patient members posted this interesting article on temperature and skin discolouration and the relevance to lymphoedema possibly indicating cellulitis.
Tuesday 21st April – This morning we shared the Juzo care app which is available for download via Google Play Store or the Apple app. This very handy app is on my phone it has two sections one for HCP’s and one for patients and is highly informative for those living with lower limb conditions and in need of compression hosiery or wraps. I must add at this stage that all the compression manufacturers are working hard to keep supplies going. With the power of technology many have stepped up a gear to produce well informed articles on taking care of lymphoedema and wound care.
Our eldest son dropped hubby’s prescription off, our son is not working as he works on the construction side of exhibitions and conferences throughout the UK and Europe. All his work this year has been cancelled; postponement was not an option. If social distancing is likely to stay in place until Christmas or the end of the year, then exhibitions and conferences will find it very hard to maintain social distancing, for him work wise it looks as if the rest of the year has been written off.
Wednesday 22nd April – Some of our members have been sharing their activities and taking pictures of their walks which, I find uplifting.
As the weeks go by they certainly get quieter and hubby is finding it harder to keep busy, possibly because he can’t get to browse for the tools, paint goods he needs to do the jobs he would like to do or finish. I give him his due he does his routine exercises in the garden, three times a week as given to him by the heart clinic. The exercises are on a sheet of paper pinned to the shed door, each exercise is two minutes duration, followed by a walk. On the other days he just goes for his permitted walk. I am relieved that he has managed to keep busy even more relieved he is retired. For 50 plus years he worked in construction the mentality of those working in this industry is that if you have or cold or flu you work, if its wet or snowing you work through 12/14 hours days were common, in our younger days seven days a week. The longest he worked was on exhibitions 70 plus hours was the norm and on one occasion he did 107 hours in one week, so he would never have coped with not going to work.
The amnesty on political party fighting now appears to be over and things are getting nasty again not helped by negative news reporters asking ridiculous questions.
Thursday 23rd April – St Georges day and Facebook in their infinite wisdom have decided to remove many of the posts as it is not in keeping with their policies, so If you live in the UK its OK to be proud of being Irish, Welsh or Scottish but you are not allowed to be openly proud to be English. On checking this out apparently this was a glitch in Facebook's algorithms and three posts were removed; Facebook has since apologised. The other Facebook removals are posts of music I have a friendly acquaintance who is doing regular music from his shed to cheer people up, he clearly states he doesn’t own the music but they block him, threaten him with account removal. One of our close friends is exceptionally good at Elvis Impressions and has a good voice. On a Thursday evenings during clap for the NHS he has donned the gear and gone out to entertain the neighbours. What did Facebook do? Allow the video to play but muted the sound. Really!
Friday 24th April – One member posted about receiving a text from government saying she was at high risk of Covid-19 and that they must stay at home until the end of June our member asked whether this was a scam but I see several members on the cancer groups are asking the same question. On this occasion not a scam. However, there is so much fake news about, and I am regularly being sent private messages about do not open this or that. Please, please do not be taken in and before littering mine and all your friend’s inboxes with utter nonsense, check out the information first via Snopes or the one I use That’s Nonsense.
Saturday 25th April – Saturdays are our worst day because it is always the day we would go out, have lunch or visit places and people. Today was Anzac day and there is always a tinge of sadness because my great uncle Tommy signed up for the 15th Bn Australian Infantry Force and was killed at Dardanelles in August 1915 aged 20, he was my great grandads brother so I grew up with the stories of this conflict. My great grandad died in 1955 when I was four, but I have fun memories of him, and this was probably where my love of gardening started. My great Nan who was a big influence in my life, lived on until 1975.
What have we learned this week?
No great insights to offer this week other than the importance for all of us to keep busy.
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"Keep busy at something: a busy person never has time to be unhappy."
~ Robert Louis Stevenson
