Fed up but relieved!

You really should consider not doing a thing in the garden and minimal around the house until the Dr. gives you the all clear. This is one of those conditions where you can exacerbate the situation very easily and then it's back to ground zero again. I hope you you make a comfortable recovery and you have my very best regards.

Take it easy Stera, You will have to cultivate a gardening junior.

Better a trowel and bought plants than a longer 'lay off'. You can still enjoy your garden, just more gently than before.

Hope your sore intercostal muscles improve soon as they will if you behave yourself!:)

So sorry to hear that you are unwell and the diagnosis is so drastic, but necessary! I like Loosestrife's idea of "minimal around the house" but like you would be really annoyed about not getting out into the garden.
Also my OH sounds similar to yours! Not much patience, expertise (or want of it) when it comes to the boring bits, and of course you have to bite your tongue when you see them doing something 'cack-handed' when you know you could do it better, quicker and with less bad temper!
Bear with it and get well slowly.
p.s. I just looked up the expression cack-handed which us in Norfolk have always used as doing something awkwardly or badly, but seems to have a more base meaning (look it up if you don't believe me). I suppose it's another one of the quaint Norfolk sayings like 'Bugger me!' which is an expression of surprise when someone tells you something strange - but the literal meaning is not that at all. Excuse the above if it offends anyone, just something to make you laugh, but not too much, you might strain those muscles again!

Sent you a pm stera x

Sorry to read this,Sue,and you are going to feel so frustrated,not being able to do anything for a while..but,it has to be done..Yuo don't want to make it worse by even trying..I'm sure your OH will cope just fine,under your expert supervision..and he might enjoy learning in the process..get well soon..xx

Stera I'm sorry about your condition. There's still a lot you can do without digging. My beets, carrots & cabbage are all doing fine without me digging anything. I hope you feel better soon.

I am sorry to hear this. I hope you can manage it as I believe it can be a very painful condition so do take it easy.

Really bad news Sue - I'm sending a sympathetic hug. It is going to be very difficult to 'take it easy' but maybe you can get satisfaction from a few tiny jobs. Looking after bonsai can be done sitting down - and it's fun and absorbing too - wishing you luck with a good recovery.

Oh Stera I am sorry to hear your news, I have given this a like because I don't like the content but I do like your attitude and know what you mean..
Now listen to Auntie Susie, you have to take it easy and do what the doctor has advised you to do, that condition sounds very nasty and as already been said you do not want to make it worse, could end up doing even more damage, I really feel for you though because as you well know I have been there and bought the T-Shirt so to speak, I also know that your garden won't suffer if you aren't able to give it as much care and attention, your hubby might if he's owt like mine and really doesn't like the garden but that can be handled if and when neccessary, he might surprise you and take over, mine did last year but is now back to nagging me at times because" I should be scaling it down and making things easier now" honestly Stera there are times when he nearly ends up wearing some of my tools around his head but I ignore him most of the time when he's doing that.
I have been thinking about how I coped with it all, I was able to potter and use my right arm after a while but thinking about you and the actions needed for a lot of the jobs I think the way through the next few months is as already said only very light jobs, no strain on those muscles, time does fly when you are having fun, its all true and think of next year when you will hopefully be back on your feet, all aches gone.
Take care Stera and relax for a while xx

Hi Sue, sorry to hear this, and it wont be easy not doing anything in the garden, but do as your Dr and Loosestrife say, and you may find you recover more quickly, than by trying to do small jobs, your garden will still be there when you recover, I'm sure your OH will do as he's told, {and only complain a little}, but by autumn you should be raring to go, hopefully earlier than that, I wish you a full and speedy recovery.
I also like the idea of not doing any housework,{ if only I could get away with it, Derek.

feet up and relax , garden will be waiting for you as long as someone keeps the lawns cut it will look neat and tidy...

Gg

I do sympathise with you Sue, I well remember the advice given to me by the Cardiac Team regarding R&R and felt so frustrated by it! With hindsight, it really was best to ease back in gradually and not to do anything too strenuous for a while.

Gnarly gnome is right, just get your OH to keep the lawns cut. Wishing you well :o)

I'm sorry to hear your news Sue ,please take it easy think of all the things you've always wanted to do but have never had the time like reading more books etc. when my husband wasn't well we brought him some adult colouring books it can become quite addictive ,or a jigsaw set out on a table a nice big gardening one full of flowers ... the time will pass and you will be better at the end of it , Take care and get well soon xx

Well what a lovely lot of people you are - thank you everybody for your sympathy and excellent advice which I really really appreciate. Forgive me if I don't thank you all personally but I do appreciate you all personally, really I do. I haven't been digging with a spade today but its surprising how much you can do squatting down with a trowel, being Very Careful.. I've used lots of arnica, cream and tablets, and already it feels much better. I'm sure 6 months was a scare story - I intend to be better a lot sooner than that. Its just a relief to be sure it wasn't my heart causing the soreness!

I will try to be good, I know you are right. Do you suppose ironing would be very bad for me, lol? And mopping the floor - obviously a no-no.. But pulling up speedwell seedlings is so easy and very therapeutic...

Snoop you are right - worked so well last time I thought I'd try it on again, lol.

Loosestrife thank you for the warning - I hadn't taken it very seriously before but now I will be careful!

footnote: Cack handed and Bugger me aren't limited to Norfolk - and mercifully laughing doesn't hurt - the troubles more at the top of the ribcage than the bottom.
Its so easy to count your blessings once you get started!

Ironing is a definite no-no Stera, be top of my list every time, think how much stress put on those muscles when using an iron, lol......

Yes, that's what I thought Sue....

Pam, I tried to reply to your PM but was unable to send it. Hywel said the other day that he was having problems sending PM and it seems to have infected me as well. I have copied what I wrote and will try again tomorrow.

So sorry to hear your news, Stera, but Gnarly Gnome is quite right - keep the lawn down and all will be well. You won't like it, if course, but the plants won't mind at all! I hope it won't last six months but ,whatever you do, don't push it.

I do hope you are not going to lose your access to PMs like I did. But if you can get to the PM page, it's not the same. I just got to a message from GoY saying they'd got a problem. It's still there if I check on my old account!

Sorry to hear about your problem Stera. Good tho' that it wasn't anything more serious, like a heart problem etc.
Annoying things are always happening but take everybody's advice & do nothing strenuous. I'm sure your garden will take care of itself for a time & annuals are nice anyway. Good luck & recover soon.

I'm sorry to read this. I hope you're not in too much pain. If I lived nearer I'd come and help you :)
I hope you'll feel better soon.

You sound to be a very positive and optimistic person,Sue,and it's the only way to be.It's no good being negative,as I'm sure it doesn't make for a better recovery,.
Glad to hear you are finding easier little jobs you can do in your garden..and as for the Ironing..how many things these days need it? I hardly do any now..if it dries straight,it doesn't get done..and nobody has ever noticed..or been just too polite to tell me..! Lol.
I think you could be right in thinking 6 months might be too long,but they have to err on the side of caution these days,and tell you the worst case scenario about everything medical,so they are well covered..which is a good thing..You will just have to abide by their decision,unless you learn otherwise.you and your trowel are going to be best friends for a while :o)
Please don't feel you have to reply,Sue..you don't need to .xx.

Isn't it a pain - literally - that as we age we can't do the things we could when younger? The trouble is that we think we can and then get proved wrong.

I know the ground is wet but if you can sit down and weed it means you can't overstretch very far which wouldn't help you.

As for ironing, well I suppose if it isn't big stuff and you get OH to erect the board and set everything up you should be able to manage the odd thing. But as Linsclass says most creases can be removed with just a smoothing of the hands, as I've found out.

Take care, enjoy your garden but only do the gentle stuff - be like the lady of the manor and delegate.

Got your pm today thankyou Stera and just replied ?

Sounds as if Goy had a bit of a wobbly yesterday, I wasn't here much, out all day

Oh good. I've tried to send 5 PMs today including one to Contact Us to tell them, and none of the apparently went. Its a puzzle. Had to resort to putting a short note on a blog instead.

Hywel that's a lovely thought. I think you have enough to cope with at home. I can stand over David for the important things. He scarified a lawn yesterday which is a good start!

I'm not in pain all the time, just twinges every now and again, but i did feel the results of my trowel work yesterday, which was a warning to be careful. I woke in the night shaking like a jelly and woke with a bit of a temperature this morning so today has been totally lazy!

Take care and don't over do it ...
(I'm a fine one to tell you that lol)

I find a long handled mini-fork very handy, as cant bend down much. Only £6.

Oh yes Diane I have one of those and its brilliant, can stand on the edge of the path and grass and work all over the beds without going on the garden itself, its my favourite tool especially since my knees went..

Stera you have to work my way for a while, bits at a time when feeling good and on your off days you have lazy days and only do the neccessaties, that goes for in or out...

Listen to your Aunty Lincs Stera ?

Little and often,

sounds as if you did too much, I find its not when you're doing things but after, sometimes the next day that the reaction comes........
Listen to your body, you may have missed a slight warning xxx

Oh yes. This is like having lots of wonderful aunties and uncles. I went out this morning and cut back one and a half fuchsias. How about that for self control?

Wonderful aunties and uncles!!! Sounds good to me, Stera!
Now - take it easy ?!

Thats right Stera. I time my gardening, as there is a lot of overwinter couch grass and germinated weeds because of the wet weather. They are not evident on Beechgrove or other gardening programmes. If you look carefully at the distance area, sometimes you see the actual workmen dodging out of shot. Ha ha.
Bought myself a large dial wrist watch, to remind myself to do just one hour and no more.
There will always be gardening jobs. Its depressing to leave them. Must tidy up the lower staging shelf today in my greenhouse, keep off the mud.
Glad Lincs got the long handled fork. Am just weeding my
wheelbarrow garden this a.m. Next door.s weed seeds blow over with the prevailing westerly gales. When it stops raining !

That's a very good approach, Diane. I have one of those long-handled little forks. It's very useful, and I prefer it to a hoe. But then, I love self-seeders so don't like to sweep everything away, even though it results in more weeding than I would wish. I am also "blessed" with a healthy crop of couch. I suppose the only solution would be to clear the whole border, dig, and start again. I'm afraid I'm not going to do that!

Mum is 90 this summer and has just about admitted defeat this year. She has a very painful knee at the moment and is unable to do much at all, inside or out. She has lots of containers in her little garden, and directs me or my sisters to move them around for her, or remove weeds etc. Once a gardener always a gardener, I guess!

Thats wonderful though isn't it Melchi, of course I don't mean her painful knee, I mean the age she has reached and still be able to do her garden, its probably helped to keep her going, Diane is wonderful as are many others on goy, I hope I will be the same, I always say when I cannot do my gardening its time to pop my clogs, I am not joking either.....

Yes, Lincslass - she is remarkable. A bit fed up at the moment, though! I'm hoping it is just a flare-up, and that she'll be better soon.

Oh yes I hope so, does she massage it,I swear by Voltarol, I was a bit fed up yesterday but been out with Sherryl today so feeling a bit better, as if last weeks accident wasn't enough, I only fell over the dog late Thursday night, completely over him and flat on my face, I honestly thought I had broken my nose and my glasses, boy it looked pretty yesterday, never seen so much blood in my life, so scary as it just wouldn't stop, results are more bruises and scrapes but once again it could have been so much worse as I fell between the worktop and the cooker .. Honestly Melchi I think someone is determined to get rid of my nine lives......

Oh dear, Lincslass, I am sorry to hear that. Falling is so horrible, regardless of any damage. I do hope that's the last of your accidents.

Oh! :(

Sue you have definitely had more than your share this past year. I think you had better spend some time chained to a chair or something - but we will allow the chair to be next to the potting bench...

I think you're right Stera, I thought my falling and tripping over days were behind me now I have two good eyes, lol, my youngest daughter was asking lots of questions last Friday as we were travelling to the nursery, had I been having dizzy spells, had my legs been giving way, that sort of thing, bless her I realised she was worrying and thinking it might have had something to do with our accident, I assured her that it was definitely not that, Brynner's fault as he'd sprawled out in the doorway... Gardening tools and tripping over our pets cause most accidents in and around the home according to a lady who works in accident and emergency......

My Medical Centre gave me a leaflet for a Falls Clinic.
I didnt go as its just common sense really.
Maybe there is one in Stamford ? I have fitted carpets all through, so no mats. Never leave anything on the floor.
I bought a second Rollator which I keep up the garden, and always hold one handle when working as I have this dead muscle in my back which destroys the strength of balance.
I am slow, but the main thing is now to get out every afternoon, and keep motivated by my planting programme.

Oh dear,Lincs..what a rubbish April you are having ! I hope you are feeling better today..I don't even have a dog to trip over,but my own feet are a hazard to me,as I can trip up over them quite easily ! :o) Hope you get well soon,and roll on to May,which hopefully will be an accident free month..be careful in the garden ! :o) xx

Oh Lincs ?

⛄ think michelin man......so you bounce ? or a fluffy sheep

Gentle hugs Pam xxx

Thankyou everybody, we live to fight another day, I've told Brynner that if he doesn't stop sprawling in the doorways he will be confined to the outhouse, of course he doesn't believe a word of it, lol.....
Pam I forgot to say thanks for the email, hoping the reason for it won't happen again.....