A big thanks to everybody

I’d like to thank everyone who has written a ‘Get Well’ comment on my blog and my Facebook page or sent me a message or email. I’ve not been able to answer them all as I am relying on my iPad and a somewhat flaky free NHS internet connection.

It’s great to know just how many nice people there are out there who want me to get better. In those dark hours in the morning when I cannot sleep and I can feel the breath of my Black Dog on my neck, I read the comments and messages and it helps me more than I can express in mere works.

I have no idea how much longer I’m going to be in hospital but I hope that it won’t be for too many more days. When I get out I’m going to be immobile for at least six weeks and possibly longer. Furthermore, my mobility might be impaired long-time or even permanently.

The Neurologists are trying to trace the underlying cause of the profound weakness in my left leg that caused the right one to break. This may take time and the problem may never be 100% cured, especially if the cause is a trapped or compressed nerve in the spine. At my age they are loath to operate on the spine and would rather treat the symptoms as best they can.

Whatever the outcome, I am determined to live the rest of my life to the full … and your continued support will help me to do that.

Bed B, Side Room 4, Ward 22 (Part 2)

It took a bit of time to get used to the air mattress, but once I did, it certainly gave me a better night’s sleep than the traditional one.

I was awake by 5.30am, and by 6.00pm I had been given a bed bath and my bed sheets had been changed. I then dozed until just before 8.00pm when it was time to have my blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen levels taken. I then ate breakfast (corn flakes with cold milk, apple juice, and a cup of builders-strength tea) … and then a problem arose.

My morning drugs were brought to me, but the apalutamide - which is the daily chemotherapy drug I have to take - was missing. When I questioned this, I was told that it hadn’t been prescribed for me. Now, it was shown on the computer records used by Guy’s Hospital that patients and other hospitals can access BUT NOT on the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s computer records, which only show prescriptions they and my GP have issued. The stupid thing is the the prescription was written by my oncologist, who is based at Guy’s but who works at the QE’s Oncology Department for several days each month.

I managed to access my prescription records using MyChart, and after some deliberation on the part of the doctor currently on duty on the ward I am in, I was allowed to take my apalutamide and my hospital record was amended to show that it was on my list of prescribed drugs,

Just after 10.15am I had a visit by a 5th-year medical student who is currently working in the Orthopaedic Department. He spent over twenty minutes asking me questions about what had happened, what had led up to me breaking my leg, and about my general medical history. It seems that my case will form some part of his academic studies, and I was glad to be of assistance to him in those studies.

At just before 11.00am I received a text to tell me that the technician who was supposed to deliver and instal a hospital bed (with an air mattress) and a hoist had arrived at my home, not found anyone in, and gone away again! This was hardly surprising as I am in hospital and Sue was expecting the technician to arrive between 12.30pm and 2.30pm and had gone shopping! Until this bed and hoist are installed, there is no possibility of me going home, so it looks as if my stay in hospital will be even longer than expected.

At midday one of the doctors appeared to tell me that my MRI scan had been booked to take place at 1.00pm. I pointed out that I was booked to go to the Fracture Clinic at 1.40pm, but they assured me that this would not be a problem as the scan would only take 20 minutes. I therefore chose to eat the cold lunch option, and at just before 1.00pm I was ready to be taken down for my scan … and then things began to unravel.

No porters appeared until 1.40pm, at which point I was taken straight to the Fracture Clinic … who immediately sent me to the X-ray Department to have the break X-rayed. There was a long queue there … and the doctor who had spoken to me earlier saw me and whisked me away to the Imaging Department for my MRI scan. Apparently they were running late and my ‘slot’ had just become open … so I was scanned! I was then returned to the X-ray Department where I rejoined the queue where I had left it. Once that was done, I returned to the Fracture Clinic where my cast was tidied up and a review appointment set for a week’s time.

I finally got back to the ward at 4.30pm, just in time to meet my brother and sister-in-law as they arrived to see me. They stayed until 6.00pm, after which my rather hectic day started to calm down. I managed to FaceTime Sue about the day’s events before spending the rest of the evening reading and watching YouTube videos.

I slept quite well from 11.00pm until 3.00am when something woke me up. I had a devil of a job getting back to sleep, but I was woken up by one of the nurses at 5.30am for a blood pressure, temperature, and oxygen-level test. I drifted off again afterwards, only to be woken up again at 7.45am to take my daily medications. This was followed by breakfast, after which I had loads of time to read, watch YouTube videos, and catch up on what my fellow bloggers had been writing.

It being Saturday, things were very quiet. There were no doctors around as far as I could see, and other than a few visitors, the only people I saw other than Sue - who came for two hours late in the afternoon - were staff.

Sue brought me in a power pack so that I could charge my iPhone and iPad if a power socket wasn’t available for my charger. The room had a number of standard power sockets, but most had equipment plugged into them and I could not rely on one being free for me to use. We tried it out, and it certainly seemed to work very well.

Sue left just after dinner had been served, and I decided to spend the evening watching a film on my iPad. After some deliberation, I chose GETTYSBURG, and I watched it until it was time to go to sleep just after 11.00pm.

Sunday morning was a bit different from any other morning … and not just because it was Sunday. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital lies just outside the London Marathon route with the result that all the local roads - including one end of the only road by which one can access the hospital - began to be shut for access from 7.00am onwards. This meant that staff changeover had to take place at a time when those leaving and those arriving were able to do so before finding their route closed.

The course runs along Charlton Park Lane, which was just visible from my hospital room.

The London Marathon had a staggered start. The Elite Wheelchair races began at 9.05am, followed by the Elite Women's Race at 9:25am, and then the Elite Men's Race and the Mass Start taking place at 10.00am. I should have been able to see the runners from my hospital room but my bed was facing the wrong way and I could not see out of the room’s window. Instead, I watched the start of the races on BBC’s iPlayer until the elite runners had finished their races.

After lunch I read for a while and - thanks to Feedly - caught up with the output from the many blogs that I follow. Despite the road closures messing up the bus routes in the area, Sue managed to visit me for a couple of hours during the later afternoon. We were able to discuss the possibility of me leaving hospital soon, once the necessary equipment was delivered and fitted to our house.

After Sue left I ate my evening meal and then binge-watched a YouTube channel about building a model railway. It had been recommended to my by one of my regular blog readers - 'Lee - and kept me entertained until it was time to go to sleep.

Budget Model Railways YouTube channel

During my enforced time in bed, I’ve been watching a number of YouTube video channels, including the one entitled BUDGET MODEL RAILWAYS. In fact, I’ve rather binge watched them as I like the fact that they tend to be short (I would estimate each video’s duration to be between five to fifteen minute) and fun to watch. The creator is very enthusiastic about his hobby, and over the seven years he has been making and uploading videos, he has built many different layouts in different scales.

Unlike some railway model videos, these are not ‘look at the fantastic detail of my model layout that has taken me ten years to build’ ones: these are ‘if you want to model railway, just get on and do it’ videos. That is not to say that his layouts are slapdash in any way, but they are built to a budget and use second-hand or cheap materials whenever possible. For example, one of the baseboards he used was built by glueing cardboard boxes together for strength and lightness and others were made from old shelves.

Sue refers to this YouTube channel as BODGE IT MODEL RAILWAYS, and in some ways she’s right … but you cannot fault the creator’s enthusiasm, his output, and his downright enjoyment of his hobby.

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The creator also runs a very small, part-time business producing a variety of 3D-printed items, including an 009 locomotive body and rolling stock kits. They all seem to be reasonably priced for what you get.

Bed B, Side Room 4, Ward 22 (Part 1)

I was transferred to a bed in a side room of Ward 22 of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich, at dinner time on Tuesday evening. There was another patient in the room, but I could not see him as the screen was pulled around his bed.

The room was very basic, but it was a great improvement on the CDU. The whole atmosphere was calm and there seemed to be more staff per patient. Once my bed was in place, I was asked if I needed anything like tea, coffee, painkillers etc., before being left to settle myself in and rest.

On my first day in Ward 22 I was fed the same breakfast as was available in the CRU, but was able to order my other meals from a daily menu … which was a distinct improvement! Throughout the day I had numerous visits by medical staff who checked on my blood pressure, the oxygen in my bloodstream, and my temperature. I was also visited by the medical consultant and her registrar, and they spent nearly twenty minutes examining and testing my left leg to see why it had collapsed, causing the right one to fracture. The diagnosis was as yet unclear, and it was decided that further tests - and the involvement of the Neurology Department - was the best way forward.

Sue managed to visit me during the afternoon, having had to wait at home until the furniture removers had arrived to make space in the conservatory for the bed and hoist that are to be installed so that I can go home. She left just before my evening meal arrived, and from then on I was pretty well left to my own devices, having discovered that my as-yet-unseen roommate speaks almost no English.

I did not have a very good night’s sleep after my first full day in Ward 22. However, despite being very hot at times, I certainly slept better than I had done in the CDU. I was awake by 6.00am, and by 7.00am I had been given a bed bath and the sheets on my bed had been changed. By 8.00am I had taken my daily medications and eaten a simple breakfast, after which I caught up on reading comments on my recent blog posts and Facebook postings.

The arrival of lunch coincided with a visit by a doctor from the medical team who oversee the ward I was in. After repeating everything I had said the previous day, they came to the same conclusion … that a neurologist needed to be consulted. After I ate my still-warm lunch, I dozed for a time before speaking to Sue using FaceTime. She was at home waiting for my bed and hoist to be delivered, and been in contact with the OT (Occupational Therapist), who was under the impression it should have been delivered.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading Roy Brook’s THE STORY OF ELTHAM PALACE. This was published in 1959 when the Royal Army Education Corps were headquartered there and before it was vacated and handed over the English Heritage. I also watched ACT OF KINDNESS on my iPad. This was the famous episode from the 1970s CALLAN series where he visits a wargame convention and takes part in a series of wargames. Very refreshing for a bed-bound wargamer!

Just before 4.00pm Sue appeared, and she had been with me for nearly an hour when a team from the Neurology Department arrived to see me. They examined my legs in great detail and decided that I needed an urgent MRI scan of my back, hips, legs, and ankles. Their initial diagnosis seemed to be that the cause of the weakness in my left leg may be due to nerve compression, possibly in my lower back, and that this might also be affecting my right leg.

The doctors left at 5.00pm and Sue followed them about thirty minutes later. I then sat reading until my dinner arrived at 6.05pm.

I spent the rest of the evening until 8.30pm watching various videos on YouTube, at which point I was transferred to a bed with an air mattress. This took three nurses and a special hydraulic hoist, and involved some intricate ballet-like movement of my old bed, my new bed, and the hoist in a space where the clearances were measured in millimetres! They did it … but only just!

They finished just after 9.15pm and I read until around 11.00pm, when I then tried to get some sleep.

My days in the CDU

The CDU (Clinical Decision Unit … or as I prefer to think of it, the Casualty Dump Unit) is part of the hospital’s Accident & Emergency Department. I was ‘parked’ there just before lunch on 11th April, having been admitted to A&E at about 2.00am (after a wait of about an hour) with what I later discovered was a fractured lower right leg. (The two breaks - one in each bone - were clean and aligned so that they should not require pinning.)

The CDU is NOT somewhere to stay for more than a couple of days. It isn’t equipped to deal with patients for more than that long. The food menu in the CDU is restricted and there is often little or no choice and it is very repetitive. There is also nothing to stimulate the patients, not even a TV or radio.

The section that I was in had five beds, and during my time there I saw a regular turnover of patients. Many were from care homes or were living at home with carers, either family members or professionals. Some had dementia, confusion, and/or underlying mental health issues.

During my first three nights I got very little sleep as one of the other patients slept all day and then shouted ‘Social Carer’ or swear words all night. Another persistently tried to get out of bed, only to fall over after taking a few steps and pulling his IV lines out.

The day - and night - was regularly punctuated by tannoy announcements related to emergencies that were on their way to the A&E Department and asking patients and doctors to contact the main desk. This was not inducive to a calm atmosphere, rest, and a good night’s sleep.

By the end of the fifth day a care plan was being written so that I could go home, but implementing this was going to take a lot of time and planning. As I was immobile, a room in our house had to be cleared so that a hospital bed and hoist could be installed and visiting hoist-trained carers could be allocated. This process was going to take several days, and I fully expected to stay in the CDU until I was sent home..

I was preparing to spend another night in the CDU when I was transferred at very short notice to a normal medical ward. As a result, I had the best night’s sleep I’d had for days, and I was now in a side room with one other patient. My days in the CDU were now over … I hoped!

An unfortunate break

My most recent blog post was written on Wednesday morning and scheduled for publication on Saturday. Unfortunately, just before midnight on Wednesday evening I fell over when my weak left leg gave way … and I broke both bones in my lower right leg, just above the ankle.

Sue was unable to help me get up and phoned for an ambulance. It arrived less than fifteen minutes later, and by 1.00am we were in the Accident & Emergency Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich.

Both my legs and ankles were X-Rayed, and it was at that point that the fractures were identified. By 10.00am I was moved to the CDU (Clinical Decisions Unit) within the A&E Department … and I’ve been there ever since.

On my way to Salute ...

By the time my regular blog readers are reading this blog post, I should be well on my way to SALUTE!

I have to drive through the Blackwall Tunnel to get to ExCel, find somewhere to park, collect my mobility scooter (again, many thanks to Martin Gane and the South London Warlords for arranging this for me!), and make my way to the show's entrance.

I am hoping to spend some time just looking around the various games that are on show as well as the trader's stands and, if possible, to listen to some of the speakers that have booked. I also want to meet up with as many of my fellow wargaming bloggers as I can. Last year we had a picture taken ...

... and it would be nice if we could repeat this again this year.

Assuming that my camera or phone work alright, I hope to be able to write a photo-heavy blog post about SALUTE early next week.

Bob Cordery, you shall go to Salute … thanks to Martin Gane and the other South London Warlords

Yesterday I received a comment from Martin Gane in reply to my recent blog post about going to SALUTE. He had read my blog post and on behalf of the South London Warlords he has booked me a mobility scooter from ExCel, thus enabling me to go.

I have now booked my ticket and I am really looking forward to going. It will only be my second time ‘driving’ a mobility scooter (I had to drive and park my father-in-law’s some years ago … and it was a terrifying experience as he had jammed the throttle wide open!) so watch out for me as I zip around the show!

A gift to raise one’s spirits!

An unexpected gift is always something to gladded one’s heart … and one such gift arrived in the post on Friday. It was WARGAMING WORLD SOLO: ANCIENT TO MODERN SOLO WARGAMING by Gregory Ward, ...

... and it was sent to me by my old friend Tony Hawkins (AKA The Amazing Antony – Mind Reader).

The book contains a large number of colour photographs and is split into the following parts and chapters:

• Preface
• What is Wargaming World Solo?
• Author's Notes
• Common Links
• Wargaming World Solo Ruleset Design & Purpose
• The Golden Rules
• Wargaming Solo – Overview & Step by Step Set Up
• Part 1 – Preparing the game
• The Focal Point & Strategic Objectives
• Unit Quality – Troops, Leaders & Impact
• Game Characters – Leaders, Skills & Casualties
• Battle Plans & Taking Sides
• Part 2 – Playing the game
• Force Deployment
• Game Turn Sequence
• Solo Player Unit Activation & Commands
• Random Events
• Flank & Reserve Units
• Movement – Marker Phase & Deployment
• Movement – Both Forces
• The "Virtual You" – Reactions & Decision" Making
• Shooting
• Hand to hand Fighting
• Morale
• Part 3 – Tools for the game
• Appendices

Considering the number of wargamers who either choose to fight their wargames solo or who are forced to do so as a result of their circumstances, the number of books dedicated to solo wargaming are few in number.

This latest one is a very welcome addition to the genre and certainly provides lots of ideas for those of us who are already solo wargamers and it is an excellent starting point for someone who is contemplating solo wargaming.

The rules seem eminently playable, and I particularly liked the way the writer has presented the game sequence as a flowchart. This is something that I have tried to do myself in the past and the author's version is certainly easier to understand than mine was!

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WARGAMING WORLD SOLO: ANCIENT TO MODERN SOLO WARGAMING was written by Gregory Ward and published in 2024 by Caliver Books (ISBN 978 1 85818 847 8).

My battle with the Black Dog ... and going to Salute

Back in January when I wrote in detail about my health, I finished by writing the following:

'The last three years have drained me emotionally and physically, and I seem to have very little physical stamina these days. I am – however – slowly beginning to recover, and I try to walk at least a mile each day. My ability to concentrate has begun to improve, and over recent weeks I have begun to feel far more positive.'

Unfortunately, my recovery has not progressed as well or as fast as I hoped it would, and in some ways my health has got worse. Not long after writing that January blog post I had a rather heavy fall whilst bending over to pick something up. As a result, an old injury to my left knee flared up and seems to have triggered a problem that may be linked to an after effect of my radiotherapy, lymphoedema.

Over the past few months, my left leg has become weaker and weaker and has now triggered problems with my right leg. I have spoken to my oncologist, and they have referred me to a vascular surgeon … but the earliest appointment available is at the end of November. My GP and the practice physiotherapist are also now involved, and I have an MRI scan, CT scan, and whole-body bone scan booked to take place towards the end of next month. Hopefully this will identify what is wrong and I’ll be placed on an appropriate course of treatment.

My mobility has been severely restricted by my knee and leg problems, and things have become so bad that climbing the stairs in our house unaided is almost impossible. I am frequently having to use a walking stick, and even the act of walking a hundred metres leaves me tired and with pain in my ankle and knee joints as well as my leg muscles. My feet also swell so much that I either cannot get my shoes on or if I do, the swelling starts being uncomfortable after a short time and eventually becomes very painful. In addition, I also have to be careful about what chairs I sit on as many are too low for me to get out of unaided and getting in and out of a car is sometimes very difficult.

As you can imagine, this situation tends to sap one’s ability to be positive and on several occasions I have been very conscious that my black dog is sniffing around. Luckily, Sue has been a tower of strength and has listened to my complaining, given me words of encouragement, and helped me deal with difficult situations as they arise. Without her, I would be in a slough of despond ... and firmly in the grips of the black dog's jaws.

I had hoped that I would be well enough to go to SALUTE this year, but unless I regain some of the strength in my lower limbs, I suspect that might be just too much. There is a lot of standing about, very few places to sit, and the floor surface at ExCel is somewhat unyielding and tiring to walk or stand on even if you are physically fit. That said, there are still a few weeks before it takes place and I remain hopeful that I will improve enough to go.

Salute 51 will be taking place at ExCel London on 13th of April 2024.

I'm sorry to bore my regular blog readers with my problems, but I hope that the above explains why I am not blogging as frequently as normal. Hopefully, 'Normal Service Will Be Resumed As Soon As Possible' ...

... as they used to say in the days of black and white TV!