Sbs Event 2013

What is #sbs? well pull up a chair and let me tell you....

Small Business Sunday, shortened to the hashtag #SBS on Twitter, was created by Theo Paphitis in October 2010. Theo is best known for appearing on Dragons Den on BBC Two. He is Chairman of Ryman Stationeryplus Boux Avenue lingerie and Robert Dyas, as well as joint owner of Red Letter Days

Theo is also a mentor and investor to many other business acquainted via the Den includingMagicWhiteboard, Wedgewelly and Value My Stuff.

Each week Theo rewards small businesses that tweet him @TheoPaphitis and describe their business in one tweet including the all-important hashtag #SBS. Only tweets made in the time slot between 5.00 PM and 7.30 PM each Sunday count.

Each week Theo reviews and chooses his favourite lucky six who are then re-tweeted. As he has over 400,000 followers, this provides a massive boost to the chosen lucky businesses.

The benefits range from increased Twitter followers, to positive media publicity and crucially for many, increased sales! Of course, none of this is guaranteed as it is largely down to perseverance and hard work. A smidgen of luck comes in handy.

And why am I telling you all this, well because back in 2012 1st April (i know fools day, except this time i was no fool) I WON my #SBS and recently 28th Nov I got to meet Theo Paphitis and show off my picture with him.

So there you have it, if you have a small business/hobby/crafter that you would like to get noticed have a go, find out more info here http://www.theopaphitissbs.com/

Now after all that excitement, it's time to prepare for surgery once again. Date is for the 8th Jan 2014 and the plan is pelvic ost, so long recovery ahead once more.

Sbs Event 2013

What is #sbs? well pull up a chair and let me tell you....

Small Business Sunday, shortened to the hashtag #SBS on Twitter, was created by Theo Paphitis in October 2010. Theo is best known for appearing on Dragons Den on BBC Two. He is Chairman of Ryman Stationeryplus Boux Avenue lingerie and Robert Dyas, as well as joint owner of Red Letter Days

Theo is also a mentor and investor to many other business acquainted via the Den includingMagicWhiteboard, Wedgewelly and Value My Stuff.

Each week Theo rewards small businesses that tweet him @TheoPaphitis and describe their business in one tweet including the all-important hashtag #SBS. Only tweets made in the time slot between 5.00 PM and 7.30 PM each Sunday count.

Each week Theo reviews and chooses his favourite lucky six who are then re-tweeted. As he has over 400,000 followers, this provides a massive boost to the chosen lucky businesses.

The benefits range from increased Twitter followers, to positive media publicity and crucially for many, increased sales! Of course, none of this is guaranteed as it is largely down to perseverance and hard work. A smidgen of luck comes in handy.

And why am I telling you all this, well because back in 2012 1st April (i know fools day, except this time i was no fool) I WON my #SBS and recently 28th Nov I got to meet Theo Paphitis and show off my picture with him.

So there you have it, if you have a small business/hobby/crafter that you would like to get noticed have a go, find out more info here http://www.theopaphitissbs.com/

Now after all that excitement, it's time to prepare for surgery once again. Date is for the 8th Jan 2014 and the plan is pelvic ost, so long recovery ahead once more.

Date has come :o) 8th of Jan

So following my Metal Removal in August, the age old Pain deep inside the Hip Joint has never gone, nor eased with Activity and Physiotherapy, so finally the decision to have further surgery was made. The decision was not as easy it would seem. As I've now been on the Merry-Go-Round since 2007 and under O'H Doc since 2009 so knowing I have another 2 years is daunting, and overwhelming.

So I will say it's been hard, emotional and physically stressful. While I've been recovering form the Metal Removal, I've had a seriously ill daughter who needed her own Hospital stays and surgery, and a Hubby that broke his Ribs. Ill house all round, with us barely holding it together. So to face a guaranteed major upheaval is really hard. But it is after Christmas (for once!) so I can have a good crutchfree Christmas and be done in the depths of Winter when people naturally hibernate anyways and be back to walking stick come Spring hopefully.

So what I am having done? I'm having a Triple Pelvic Ost, where they will break the Pelvis in 3 places, and shunt the Pelvis across to create a deeper Socket for the Ball Joint to fit into. I have had this done on the Left Hip, but as I had it done at the same time as the Left Femur was broken and lengthened, I'm sure the recovery was all the more grueling. So trying to remind positive that the Pelvis wont be as bad as the Two Femurs have been. They have prepared me for a 6-7inch scar on the Buttock (hope not) and the Knicker line on at 7inches. Which for my Right Leg would mean I have 4 scars then, ranging from 6-12inches long!! Looking like a Jigsaw inside and out, or a Raggy Doll. I'm hoping I can persuade him to just Lengthen the one Leg Scar instead of adding the Buttock one? Hoping it's possible.

Date has come :o) 8th of Jan

So following my Metal Removal in August, the age old Pain deep inside the Hip Joint has never gone, nor eased with Activity and Physiotherapy, so finally the decision to have further surgery was made. The decision was not as easy it would seem. As I've now been on the Merry-Go-Round since 2007 and under O'H Doc since 2009 so knowing I have another 2 years is daunting, and overwhelming.

So I will say it's been hard, emotional and physically stressful. While I've been recovering form the Metal Removal, I've had a seriously ill daughter who needed her own Hospital stays and surgery, and a Hubby that broke his Ribs. Ill house all round, with us barely holding it together. So to face a guaranteed major upheaval is really hard. But it is after Christmas (for once!) so I can have a good crutchfree Christmas and be done in the depths of Winter when people naturally hibernate anyways and be back to walking stick come Spring hopefully.

So what I am having done? I'm having a Triple Pelvic Ost, where they will break the Pelvis in 3 places, and shunt the Pelvis across to create a deeper Socket for the Ball Joint to fit into. I have had this done on the Left Hip, but as I had it done at the same time as the Left Femur was broken and lengthened, I'm sure the recovery was all the more grueling. So trying to remind positive that the Pelvis wont be as bad as the Two Femurs have been. They have prepared me for a 6-7inch scar on the Buttock (hope not) and the Knicker line on at 7inches. Which for my Right Leg would mean I have 4 scars then, ranging from 6-12inches long!! Looking like a Jigsaw inside and out, or a Raggy Doll. I'm hoping I can persuade him to just Lengthen the one Leg Scar instead of adding the Buttock one? Hoping it's possible.

2 weeks post op, Staple Removal Day

What a journey already and it's only been two weeks!! feels like forever yet no time at all, all at the same time :o) I have been mobilizing the Leg everyday, because lets face it, no mother can truly rest all day and do nothing! As the family wont allow it, they always need something that apparently only a Mum can do. I disagree, I think anyone could do it, they are just too lazy. With the Leg exercises I have gotten stronger and can do more reps each time, and it's wearing me out less too. So I have progressed to One Crutch around the house with excellent results. Not so sure I could do that outside for a longer amount of time, But early days and all that.

Well today was staple removal day, and I'm not ashamed to say I was scared of it. I know exactly what it feels like and thats why I was scared, I knew it would hurt today and it's already pretty sore to begin with. Thankfully the wait to see the nurse was short, and it was my favourite Nurse Julie too, she did my last lot. She was nattering away to me, which really really helps keep your mind off it, as it does sting as you have to dig the bird tool underneath the staple to clip it in half, so effectively you are putting the bird tool inside the actual cut, that is the bit that makes you feel woozy and a bit funny. She did all 27 of them in one go, I was proud of myself to be honest, and re-covered with a fresh bandage. I can remove that after 48hrs should I wish too, or simply leave on as you can shower with it on.

Here is the cut with the staples in

and now without them

Now next up is MRI day in two days time, and hopefully they will decide what is to happen next asap and I can move forward. Probably wont be told until I see them for my post op appointment around about 4/6 weeks time.

2 weeks post op, Staple Removal Day

What a journey already and it's only been two weeks!! feels like forever yet no time at all, all at the same time :o) I have been mobilizing the Leg everyday, because lets face it, no mother can truly rest all day and do nothing! As the family wont allow it, they always need something that apparently only a Mum can do. I disagree, I think anyone could do it, they are just too lazy. With the Leg exercises I have gotten stronger and can do more reps each time, and it's wearing me out less too. So I have progressed to One Crutch around the house with excellent results. Not so sure I could do that outside for a longer amount of time, But early days and all that.

Well today was staple removal day, and I'm not ashamed to say I was scared of it. I know exactly what it feels like and thats why I was scared, I knew it would hurt today and it's already pretty sore to begin with. Thankfully the wait to see the nurse was short, and it was my favourite Nurse Julie too, she did my last lot. She was nattering away to me, which really really helps keep your mind off it, as it does sting as you have to dig the bird tool underneath the staple to clip it in half, so effectively you are putting the bird tool inside the actual cut, that is the bit that makes you feel woozy and a bit funny. She did all 27 of them in one go, I was proud of myself to be honest, and re-covered with a fresh bandage. I can remove that after 48hrs should I wish too, or simply leave on as you can shower with it on.

Here is the cut with the staples in

and now without them

Now next up is MRI day in two days time, and hopefully they will decide what is to happen next asap and I can move forward. Probably wont be told until I see them for my post op appointment around about 4/6 weeks time.

Back home and on the road to recovery

Well I'm back home, well actually came home on the 20th August 2013, after spending on single night in Hospital. My surgery was sooooooo late in the day it was 5.15pm when i went through the theatre doors. Before this we had discovered that every note,page and letter had had it's address for me changed, all because i sought medical help while camping back in July, following a horsefly bite. So all my notes stated i lived on a campsite. The first set of nurses were told, and the set of pages was changed, but once down for theatre it became apparent that every note had been changed, and it threatened whether the whole surgery would go through or not!!! Imagine that, i had already had the anti-sickness and sedative in my hand, just the anesthetic was next, thankfully my address was still on the system as all my surgeries have been done while living at the same address. So it was allowed to go through, and i could go to sleep with no worrying.

I had packed hubby off home, as i knew that once i'd come round and been given something to eat and drink, the time would be past the visiting hours, plus it's a stress on yourself to be fit enough to be seen. I decided it would be better to come round slowly and sleep without having to worry about visitors. Besides the poor man had been up from 6am with me starving as well as i was, no drink too until 5pm. He deserved the break, and some sleep. Turned out to be an excellent decision as i had 5mins of visiting time, and i just leisurely ate some toast and had a coffee. Pain was pretty nagging and stingy but not too bad.

I managed to go to the toilet on crutches with a nurse walking with me just in case, and it was slow and steady but manageable. The rest of the ladies on my ward were hugely older and had had replacements either knee or hips.I was given stockings to wear, a fetching blue this time and a blood thinner injection. There was lots of uummming and ahhhing over whether i would get these, I wanted them to be safe (having had a DVT previously) so i told them this, to see if that would help the decision?!

I have noticed little things that have changed in the hospital, it's my sixth surgery there, fourth big hip one and protocol has changed, how they treat you has changed and the amount of paperwork is HUGE!!!! some changes are for the better, but some things not. I can not slate the NHS as quite frankly i am forever grateful that i get seen, get cared for and treatment is given whenever needed. Slowly slowly you can see private corporations under the guise of NHS foundation trust, acting as if they are NHS but the truth is they aren't.

So here it is, I'm stapeled (madness i know seen as my MRI is on 2 weeks time.) pushing for time. Last time i was glued back together and had steri strips for added security. It's the full original scar length around 10inches long.