Weekend Update (2)

Immigration Update

There's no way to dress it up; being unemployed whilst in government immigation limbo isn't much fun. There's only so much daytime TV a man can stand, and while walks outside are nice enough, there are only so many different permutations of walks in the local area. And of course, in a few weeks it could very well be snowing outside. Ugh. Any news, anything at all of the cases at the Los Angeles consulate will get my immediate attention.

So as a follow up to doing my immigration medicals in mid-August, I emailed the medical practice yesterday to enquire what date my results were sent to Ottawa. I'd read a couple of scare stories on the discussion forum from people whose results had been mislaid by their doctors. That's the last thing that I'd want. A reply came fairly quickly this morning that they got my results on September 1st which was 4 weeks yesterday.  The immigration website that I follow to gauge how much longer it'll take had been remarkably quiet in the last 24 hours, until I checked back in just now and saw the lower of the two highlighted cases was a case from LA. That person had their results sent on August 29th and had a passport request yesterday. His/her medical results arrived in Ottawa two days before mine were. Hopefully, my case will be resolved very soon. Because I'll go pretty mad if there's another couple of months wait.

Weekend Update (1)

Ankle news

I'm slightly annoyed today, since I went to physio under the impression that it was going to be the last time. The last-but-one time she said she was happy for me to only come once more, and that it wasn't really necessary  However, my various attempts to convince her that I was able to stand/balance/crouch/squat on my left leg unaided didn't seem to pass muster, and she came to the conclusion that my hip muscles are not what they should be. 

A couple of tests on the bed (oo er missus) solidified that in her mind so I had to go back into the 'gym' for more exercises to learn. So it was that 'hipster physio' who I'd seen around the place most of the times I was there (so called because of his comedically tight jeans) had me laid on either side, lifting my legs in the air. Hard enough, but then he had me laid flat on my back trying to raise my hips as fair off the ground as possible. Also hard. Even harder: trying to balance one legged on a piece of foam while bouncing a ball off the wall. My legs were done in at that point, and it didn't help from a deja vu point of view seeing a ball hurtling in at head height, since that was how I managed to knacker everything in the first place.

I do hope that the next time really is the last.

Off the Disabled List......Almost.

Today was the final visit to the hospital for checking up on the bionic ankle, and it's nice to report a happy ending. The routine was the same; a set of preliminary x-rays which was taken by a different technician to the last two visits, prompting a "whoa, that's a lot of metalwork in there!", followed by a lengthy wait for a no-more-than-ten-minute date with the surgeon who had the misfortune to have to put me back together. He had me walking about in various different manners, and pronounced himself  "really really pleased, given the state it was in". On questioning him on when I could run/play sport again, he actually surprised me, by saying that once I get to six months away, I could see how it went.

So be warned, members of Hungover United: I am ten weeks from being activated from the disabled list. Ready yourself for my eccentricities again! 

(though since it'll be indoor season by then, there'll be less of the flapping at crosses than there might otherwise have been....)

Back To Normal

Today is fifteen weeks exactly since my season-ending football injury. After two days of weather more akin to November than August, it was nice to get outside and get back into the rehab regime of walking again. 

Today is the first time that I've done the four mile walk you see on the left in under an hour. I've used it as a benchmark once a week to see how I'm doing in the recovery (mile 1-to-2 is very much uphill). I think that all things considered, I'll consider that I'm pretty much back to normal, speed wise. It also felt pretty good, unlike previous times where it was a bit of a struggle in the final few minutes. All that remains is to visit the hospital next Tuesday to see the operating doctor one last time. I shall have to ask him when I can get back on the field again...