Getting fit

Well, I took my dignity in my hands and went out with my walking poles in daylight. Luckily, nobody gave any sign of sniggering... And at least it was a purposeful walk on the way to the doctors' surgery. Now, here comes the medical bit, so if you're in the slightest bit squeamish or don't want to know, look away now!

One of the things you need to know about pelvic radiation is that the possible side effects are many and varied, but the most likely, apart from tiredness, are cystitis and /or diarrhoea, not to mention incontinence (but I'm trying not to mention that one!) So, when it emerged last week that I had picked up a urinary tract infection (UTI) while in hospital - don't ask why it took a month for the test results to come through - I was given antibiotics and told to check in with my own doctor if symptoms didn't clear up completely. They didn't. So, off to the doctor's, with a sample in a specimen bottle that was cunningly concealed in my bag, wrapped in several plastic bags in case of accidents. Annoyingly, the outcome of the specimen analysis was inconclusive, so it's another wait while the bottle goes off to the lab for further investigation. Meanwhile, no more antibiotic. It makes sense, but I hope this gets sorted out before the radiotherapy begins next Friday. Obviously, if radiotherapy's going to cause cystitis, I don't want to start the course with a UTI.

After sitting around a doctor's waiting room - no more cheerful than a hospital waiting room in my opinion, though there's a wider variety of ancient magazines available to pass the time - it was time to do a bit more Nordic walking. My doctor pointed out that nobody round here is likely to laugh and jeer, partly because we're all used to seeing walkers in this area and partly because there's a charity walk being organised by the local doctors in support of a home for the "frail elderly". With luck, people may think I'm in training for that (and, who knows, I might well sign up for it if my training regime continues well)!

One thing I've learned today... it is not possible to go Nordic walking when clutching a bunch of hyacinths! Having been to the local florist's shop, I had to carry the walking poles home without using them because I'd foolishly forgotten to take a backpack big enough for a bunch of flowers. Thank goodness for the very comfortable walking / trekking shoes I bought yesterday; they certainly exercise the calf muscles.