Times they are a changin'

No blog posts for a over a week, and now three come along together.  Here is number 2

In May we were in Seville, climbing the Giralda tower, exploring the Alcazar, wandering around the Metropol Parasols, watching Flamenco and eating tapas....In June we visited Malaga, enjoyed the museums, walked around the port and up and down the beachside promenade, explored the Mesquita in Cordoba, drank mojitos and eat seafood at beach front bars.....In July, we found ourselves dancing to world music at WOMAD....In early August, we bopped the night away to Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band at the Retro Festival, with only short breaks to recover between dances.  

It's only been a few months since we were having all this fun, but it seems like a lifetime ago so much has changed since then.....

Here and now in November, Steve can't walk very far under his own steam; the effort of getting up, dressed and downstairs tires him out so much that he needs a rest before tackling breakfast; his energy levels are so low, he's become a semi-permanent fixture on the sofa. I am reluctant to leave him on his own for very long, in case he needs something and hasn't got the energy to sort it out for himself. Cabin fever is looming large....

A course of steroids gave Steve's appetite a boost, but only a temporary one.  Now its going off again, he's chewing more and eating less.  Not surprising then that we have felt unable to accept some generous invitations from friends offering to take us out for a meal.  Since peaking at almost 60 kilos in July, he's lost almost 10 kilos (a stone and a half) in weight in spite of not doing much physical activity to burn calories.  

The persistent cough can quite literally be a pain in the side after a bad spell and, on a couple of occasions, has made him sick.

So...that's the bad news.  

The good news is that the new mucus-thinning medication seems to be helping with the cough. He can go back on steroids after a break and is hoping to time the next course to coincide with Christmas, so he can enjoy the festive food with family.  The delivery of a wheelchair on Sunday will open up the option to get out and about more (weather permitting), if Steve feels that way inclined and can overcome the psychological resistance to accepting his physical limitations.  

Perhaps best of all, is that family and friends now realise and appreciate that our social life has changed and are doing their best to accommodate us.  We still love to see people, but its easier to do that here than to arrange to go out somewhere.    So..to use that rather prosaic idiom, we are now "at home" most days for visitors, (but with a bit of notice please, and on the understanding that Steve may take himself off for a rest if he feels tired).  More of how that's working out in the next post!