Into August

Françoise's cat

Highlights from this morning.  I just saw this post on Facebook: "The first Gatwick flight to Montpellier since March has just landed. 15 minutes early too." Not sure if we shall be flying any time soon... In solidarity with Mary, I'm feeling pleased with Arsenal's FA Cup win! And as we await our guests for the week, we are hoping for slightly cooler days after the hottest weekend of the year and classified

My besty news of the week is that the pain clinic treatment I am trying seems to be working.  TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (the French use this rather clunky phrase, hoping we won't notice behind the acronym...) which consists of pairs of electrodes stuck to the skin with gooey gel, and through which electrical pulses are sent - tingly and not unpleasant if you don't overdo it.  I used to get fed up with physiotherapists who used it without noticeable effect and routinely in order to attend to several patients at once - you were hitched up then left for a quarter of an hour while they went away, had coffee, chats or whatever.  So I needed convincing.

The consultant at St Eloi hospital who sorted out my appointment, Dr Giniès, turned out when I met him to be an archetypal senior medical man, a bit remote and without much to add, was luckily not the one to give me the attention.  He was running 2 hours late.  But his nurse colleague who provided clear, detailed guidance and demonstration, plus a prescription to hire the machine through my local pharmacy, was on time and thorough in every way.  The principle of pain relief, according to them, is to apply electrical stimulation along the path of the nerve (in my case the sciatic nerve to the right leg, around but no over the area where pain is felt.  Unlike the physio applications, which were never more than 20 minutes once a week, mine are an hour at a time and several sessions every day.  I've been using the machine for 3 days now, and to my surprise there has been a pretty instant response in reduced pain, sometimes removing it altogether, sometimes reducing it to a dull ache.  Painkillers not yet abandoned, but I need fewer pills and altogether I feel more optimistic.

The nurse went through all the physical and psychological aspects of chronic pain, and provided me with some very useful ideas and pointers in my long-accustomed sceptical state!  No miracles, but a very hopeful start and change.  In this hot weather the gel is very slippery, so you have to be careful the electrodes don't start to fall off - if one does you can get a sharp jab of pain like a bee sting!

We've not gone out a lot, though it is the season for outdoor cinema and so on even with continuing restrictions, but we did enjoy a lovely meal with friends Marie and Nick in a shady little restaurant in nearby St Dionisy.

 

So the summer sun continues