5th September 2023

Ironically, it was 4 years to the day I left hospital following my 4 month stay, that I moved into my new bungalow.

Yes, the move was stressful, but the removal team where great and I was in (with all my boxes) by 1pm.

It was a startling contrast to that day 4 years ago when I returned home to my unadapted house, struggling to get from a to b due to the landing being too narrow.

Basics, like getting in an out of the house was a nightmare, involving multiple threshold ramps that even the council occupational therapist described as unsafe.

Moving into the bungalow was so much easier, I’d carefully considered everything, so it was easy to move around, but most importantly no stairs to contend with!

I will not miss the painfully slow ascent and descent of the stairlift.

It is lovely being able to easily nip from one room to the other if needed, rather than having to wait until the next time I need to go upstairs/downstairs due to the hard work of getting on and off the stairlift.

The move has been frustrating, it’s incredibly hard trying to do all the packing (and unpacking) from a wheelchair.

Also, having to rely on others to do the things I can’t – is something I hate in general, but was very much amplified during this time.

I desperately wanted to be able to decorate myself, arrange the furniture and hang up pictures. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is being unable to do these things…

Anyway, I’m in and life is a lot easier, so as they say in Klingon “Qapla!” (Success).

Take care

Julia xxx