HEALTH UPDATE: Biscuit Club Is Back On The Menu

Image by stevepb from Pixabay

While real life continues to entertain me with alternates to my established "tree safaris", this week has seen several key health-related events that will hopefully show that I'm heading in the right direction.

I've had another (painful) blood test - checking my blood sugar levels - and will get the results, all being well, at the end of next week.

As well as that, I went for my annual eye health check (stinging eye drops and bright lights fired into your eyeballs at point blank range) on Friday, the results of which should take two or three weeks to appear.

However, this week also saw the first meeting of the third iteration of Biscuit Club. The first was my initial NHS run class which lasted about three months, then there was the epic nine-month class which finished just a few weeks ago.

And now this one, run on behalf of the borough council, seems very similar to my previous course, but only runs for 12 weeks. It even happens not just in the same building as the last Biscuit Club but the same room.

There are around a dozen people in this class, and I'd estimate that I'm the second youngest. 

This first week was mainly about an extended warm-up and cool-down, as well as a couple of simple "tests" to serve as a baseline for our assessment at the end of the 12 weeks to see if we've improved. 

But most importantly the hour-long session ended with tea and biscuits. Not that I had any tea (as I don't drink caffeine these days) and I shouldn't really have had any biscuits (because of my diet) but that three-pack of Jammie Dodgers was calling out to me!!!

HEALTH UPDATE: Long Live Biscuit Club!

Photo by Centre for Ageing Better on Unsplash

No "tree safari" this weekend as Rachel was away for most of it, on a well-deserved spa break with some of her old university pals.

Then when she returned today she had to plunge headfirst into working on an important report for a client that she was given on Friday and needed to be done by this evening.

However, some good news on the fitness front for me. Remember I said a few weeks back that Biscuit Club had come to an end and I was looking for a replacement?

Well, I've finally managed to secure a place on a new - very similar - free, 12-week course being run by the borough council... at the same venue as previous Biscuit Club!

This kicks off at the end of the month.

Rachel and I do wonder though, as this is a local council-run course (presumably paid for out of our council tax), perhaps it won't end with free tea and biscuits! Will it even be a new Biscuit Club???

Having now established contact with the not-for-profit trust that runs these events on the council's behalf, I'm pretty sure I'm now finally set for a long-term exercise regime.

I learned that this new postural stability class is run by the same lady that already runs the council's weekly exercise classes at the Angel Centre, in Tonbridge (for those of us with mobility or fitness issues).

So once I've finished the free, three-month, course I hope to be able to easily switch to one of the paid classes at the sports centre.

HEALTH UPDATE: Biscuit Club Is Over!

I got a certificate for completing my Postural Stability Course (aka Biscuit Club)

After nine months of weekly classes (barring Christmas and weeks when our trainer was unavailable), Biscuit Club is over.

It's rather sad, really.

While I am proud of my 100 per cent attendance record, I'm going to miss our weekly get-togethers, my two inspiring fellow participants, our primary coach Caroline, and her two volunteer assistants, Barbara and Sheila.

Those months of increasingly arduous exercise have seen me turning up, early on, in a wheelchair and then - over the weeks - regain the ability to walk "normally".

I'm also definitely more stable on my feet; it was my frequent falling over that sent me on this course in the first place.

The osteoarthritis diagnosis came later and, let's be honest, I couldn't have been in a better position to face that issue head-on.

Without this course, Rachel and I are adamant I'd still be in the wheelchair... with all the additional complications to everyday life that that would have brought with it.

For our final session this week, we had a truncated exercise class, then everyone gathered for tea, cake, and biscuits and a good old chinwag. Although I'm now on a diet (also part of this new fitness regime) I allowed myself a "cheat day" with a couple of chocolate biscuits and a small slice of lovely chocolate cake.

In the short time I've been on this "no snack" diet (what is it, six weeks? Seven weeks? I've stopped counting now), I've lost over a stone in weight and it was remarked upon in the class that my appearance has noticeably changed. I confess my t-shirts are feeling slightly baggier and my shorts aren't as tight these days, either.

I'm now in the process of trying to get myself enrolled on an exercise course that the borough council runs at the Angel Centre in Tonbridge, but my initial emails and phone messages were ignored (which was rather frustrating) and so now I've tried filling in an online form that will hopefully open the door for me.

There's also the possibility that the charity which ran Biscuit Club might have another course beginning soon or even that Caroline will have a window in her hectic schedule to start a new pilates class that I could sign up for.

In the meantime, I must remember to do regular exercises on my own and - now that our run of weekend events is over for the moment - get back to my weekly "tree safari" walks with Rachel and Alice.

HEALTH UPDATE: Germ Ping-Pong

Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay

About a month and a half ago, Rachel returned from a trip to London bearing the nascent germs of a heavy cold, which - in the following week or so - she then passed on to me.

This wiped me out for a couple of weeks, even though I still made it to Biscuit Club (I had to keep up my one hundred percent attendance record, after all).

Then the other day I appeared to have returned the germs to Rachel as she fell victim to a horrendous cough that, earlier this week, she kindly handed back to me.

And this was a nasty cough. I was pretty much bedridden for a couple of days, having lost almost an entire night's sleep, and - while it has been easing this weekend - has still been playing merry havoc with my fragile body.

Constant wracking of my chest and throat has caused extreme aches and pains in weakened muscles still suffering from my sundry other infirmities. This has not been fun. 

Hence, the paucity of posts on the blog in the last few days - and possibly into next week - as I'm not really in the right frame of mind for constructing critiques or framing my thoughts into coherent mini-essays. The simple act of focussing on anything for any period of time is hard when you're constantly being interrupted by coughing fits that shake you to your core.

Hopefully, this will pass soon and 'normal' service can resume. 

HEALTH UPDATE: One Small Step For Man

Balancing on one leg is still not easy!

Although this wasn't the last week of Biscuit Club, it was time for our final assessment.

Individually, the three members of our exercise class were put through a short series of challenges, to measure our walking speed, sit-to-stand capability, balance, confidence etc

These were then compared to earlier assessments (when we started, three months in, and six months in) and I'm delighted to report that - even though my single-leg balance still isn't great - I've made improvements across the board.

Rachel - who stayed for the class - shot, and edited, a short video of me being assessed, which you can watch on YouTube Shorts here.

As I've been on my new "no snack" diet for a couple of months - and several people, who see me regularly, have commented about me visibly losing weight - Rachel found my weight from when I was weighed at the doctor's at the start of the year and then I weighed myself on our bathroom scales.

And I seem to have shed seven kilos - about a stone!

I have to confess, I don't feel lighter, but I have noticed my t-shirts are looser, so perhaps it is working.

Hopefully, this also means my blood sugar levels are dropping and I'll be fit enough to have the steroid injections in my back to help me cope with my osteoarthritis.

Part of this extra fitness push has also been our weekly "tree safari" walks, but those have rather taken a backseat of late due to Cavalier and Geek Mania (both of which involved a lot of walking anyway).

However, this weekend, Rachel, her parents, and I went out for a meal to celebrate Rachel's mum's birthday and last night I, once again, found myself on the bathroom floor, feeling really poorly and in great pain.

I'm sure it wasn't the food per se, but my body reacting to a major backslide (a "cheat day") in my new, healthier diet. Thanks, stomach!

I feel a lot better today, but still totally washed out. 

HEALTH UPDATE: It's A Wash Out!

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

This week's planned walk (and tree safari) was washed out by the good ol' British weather. We were getting ready to leave but the rain started to bucket down and (according to Alexa) was here to stay for several hours.

I don't mind being caught in the rain while I'm out, but voluntarily leaving the house when the rain is this heavy just seems daft.

And to be honest, this weekend my guts have been misbehaving in ways so disgusting that I don't want to share. Rachel, kindly, attributes it to my body adjusting to my new diet.

It's probably safer that I stay in today (close to the toilet). I'm not a bear after all!

This shock to the system comes at the end of a particularly rough week. My regular nerve/muscle pains - largely in my chest and arms - were back early on and it was the worse I've endured for a very long time.

This was the closest I've come to crying off Biscuit Club, but I soldiered on and went anyway. However, this year's first scheduled meeting of Monopoly Club did have to be cancelled as I was in no state for a riotous evening of capitalist-driven board game fun and frolics.

I also couldn't escape the inevitable pain-induced black cloud that washed over me, and I found myself unenthused by anything I really should have been doing, instead collapsing in front of the television, bingeing nihilistic documentaries about outlaw biker gangs on the History Channel.

Thankfully, both the pain and the depression passed within about 36 hours and I was much more upbeat by the time of this week's medical appointment: to get the results of my recent blood test and learn the state of my blood sugar count.

The news, unsurprisingly, wasn't great - yet the nurse was wonderfully positive and upbeat. Between her and Rachel's input, I came away feeling this problem might not be as insurmountable as I'd initially feared.

As the nurse put it: my diet had been so bad that it was very easy to see where to make changes.

Yet, changes have consequences... as my body has been demonstrating today and yesterday.

HEALTH UPDATE: When Faced With A Rocky Situation, Just Climb It!

One of the latest additions to my portfolio of trees

Following the depressing turn of events the other week - in relation to my health - I promptly booked a number of appointments at my local GP's to tackle the problems head on. 

The first of these involved a series of examinations and tests with a practice nurse, who managed to extract enough blood (at the second attempt) from my tiny, evasive veins, that could be sent off for blood sugar analysis (and, I guess, other things). Height and weight were also measured and my feet were checked to ensure they had a healthy pulse (they did).

My pasty arm bearing the bruises of a difficult blood withdrawal

Next week, I've my second appointment - with a different nurse - who will give me the results of the blood tests and talk me through the options for reducing my blood sugar.

I, in turn, can tell her about my new (currently going strong) "snack free" diet and increased exercise regime (on top of my regular Biscuit Club exercise class... which is, sadly, coming to an end in a few weeks).

After last weekend's jaunt to Ashdown Forest, this week Rachel took Alice and I somewhere a bit closer to home for our walk.

At Clare's suggestion, we drove to Tunbridge Wells and took a short ramble over the rain-soaked Common. This included my first return visit to Wellington Rocks for over two decades.

Not only were there many other dog walkers there (which excited Rachel and I more than it did Alice), but Alice also seemed to really enjoy scrambling up the sandstone rocks (with me, carefully, following her) and it was another opportunity for me to snap some pictures of interesting trees to add to my portfolio (my latest hobby).

We managed to squeeze in this visit during a break in the near-constant torrential rain of recently weeks, but the Wellington Rocks and Tunbridge Wells Common are definitely somewhere we'll come back to when the weather isn't quite so grim.

While I only managed about 20 minutes at Ashdown Forest, this week I almost clocked up half-an-hour.

It's baby steps, of course, because I haven't really walked outside like this for around seven months (thanks to the osteoarthritis in my back causing my legs to fail), but every great journey starts with a single step. Or something similarly motivational.

I certainly won't be joining The Cult of Parkrun anytime soon (or ever), but going for a walk with a purpose (e.g. photographing interesting tress and landscapes) is definitely motivating me to pursue this avenue for supplementary exercise.

Rock Climbing: Alice and I on Wellington Rocks, Tunbridge Wells

HEALTH UPDATE: Looking Good For 2026

It's so clever 'cos it works on two levels 😉

While Biscuit Club has been on a break for the holidays, my various back-related problems have continued to improve - thanks to continued exercise.

On New Year's Eve, I was both signed off by the NHS physio I had been seeing and (finally) got the call from the hospital to fix a date for my steroid injections. 

These will be in a few weeks at The Pain Clinic, providing none of my other medical issues prevent this from going ahead. This was discussed during the call and hopefully will just be a few routine checks on the day.

Biscuit Club resumes soon, but we're in the home stretch now and only have a couple of months to go before we are all released into the wild.

The subject of "walking football" again came up as the "next step" along my road to recovery, this time while chatting with the physio, although Rachel let slip the possibility of getting me a personal trainer! 

The main takeaway from all this - barring unforeseen backsliding - is that 2026 is looking like a more positive year, health-wise, for me. 

Pertinent to the strip above, one of the early things I want to tackle, once my back is feeling better, is sorting out my overwhelming overflow of comic book back issues.

Jumbled piles of comics line the edges of the office and have filled every gap under the bed. I need to decide which to keep (this requires numerical filing by title on the shelves in the office) and which to either try and sell or consign to charity.

• The comic panels at the top of this piece are from Bite Sized Archie. You can find the rest of the series here on the Archie Comics website. Two paperback collections are currently available (hopefully there will be more) that include behind-the-scenes extras.

HEALTH UPDATE: Heading In The Right Direction

Image by Richard Duijnstee from Pixabay

Since we last spoke, my health has been improving in leaps and bounds (without any leaping or bounding, I should stress).

I'm much more mobile than I have been for months, am able to take showers again, generally move freely around the house and have put away (at least for the moment) my various mobility aids.

I am back to just using - when necessary - my single walking stick (which I've used for over 20 years now, since my stroke).

Rachel even felt confident enough to leave me to my own devices one night when she had to go away for business, trusting me to take care of Alice and not have any falls. Everything was fine.

All this progress can be primarily attributed to my regular Biscuit Club exercise class. Last week was our third assessment (we had one when we joined and another 12 weeks later) to quantify our progress.

I'm delighted to report that all my test scores had improved against both of those earlier examinations (remember that between my first and second I'd suffered the manifestation of osteoarthritis that set me back dramatically).

Our final assessment will be at the end of the course, which I think we worked out was in March.

Both Rachel and my instructor, Caroline, are keen that I continue with programmed exercise after this. Walking football was suggested, but I fear that might be a bit too competitive (and social; there are only three of us in Biscuit Club and that's about right for me).

Still waiting for a date for the steroid injections into my spine, which I'm putting a lot of faith in being the final part of the recovery jigsaw. I'm hoping these will (at least temporarily) eliminate the constant pain in my back and allow me the flexibility and range to push my exercising further and keep the osteoarthritis under control.

HEALTH UPDATE: Definite Progress Is Being Made

This is exactly what we do in Biscuit Club 😂

Image by Lorenzo Romero from Pixabay

While I still can't walk " properly" (which, for the last 20 years has been with a walking stick), I'm now pottering around the house much more easily - without the use of my more elaborate, newer, walking aids.

I can. for instance, get down the stairs pretty much how I used to, although getting up the stairs is still a struggle. But there's no more spider-crawls or scooching up and down on my fat arse, so that's a massive improvement.

I've even resumed having showers, after a break of around four months because of my dangerous instability in the bathroom. This is a major breakthrough in my return to "normality".

Now, I just have to venture out the house without my "wheels", to test my endurance and balance in the wild.

There has been a major uptick in my progress over the last two or three weeks. Clearly Biscuit Club (my weekly strength, posture and stability class, which always ends with a drink and some biscuits) is paying off. I'd still be a slithering Jabba The Hutt without it, I'm sure.

Don't get me wrong, the pain in my back remains and, occasionally, in my legs, but on the whole I'm getting better at managing it. 

I also had a surprisingly positive appointment with my GP about my blood pressure, and she has adjusted  my medication accordingly. Rachel and I now have to keep an eye on my blood pressure to see if this change helps bring it down into the "safe zone".

I had my second meeting with the NHS physio this week, for a catch-up. He seemed very pleased with my progress and suggested a number of new exercises (quite a few of which, as I told him, I was already doing, courtesy of Biscuit Club) to build upon what I've achieved to date. 

Overall, everything seems to be wobbling in the right direction, which is a nice fillip as the days are getting shorter. Christmas is coming and it'll soon to be time to get out and about to peruse the seasonal lighting displays up and down our road.

Still waiting to hear about steroid injections for my osteoarthritis. 

Record-Setting Halloween Visitors Are Surprise Exercise Boost

Some of Rachel's wonderful decorations

Halloween this year was a wildly busy affair at our house. In a span of around two hours, we had almost 150 young trick-or-treaters (in 48 groups) knocking at our door for their requisite sweet collection.

We got the impression - from some of the accompanying parents - that kids were being ferried into our street by car (there certainly aren't 150 younglings living around here). Clearly our neighbourhood has gained a reputation for the quality of its Halloween bounty.

This also meant pretty much every time I'd sat back down in my recliner after helping Rachel hand out some sweets, there would be another knock or doorbell ring and I'd have to heave myself back onto my feet (often carrying Alice at the same time). Not an easy task, given my current physical state, but I certainly hit my quota for "sit-to-stand" exercises this week! Hit - and exceeded! 

Alice doesn't really do costumes - but seemed okay with a bandana

My walking is definitely showing signs of improvement, but is still way off normality. I'm getting round the house more-and-more unaided, but still holding onto walls, furniture etc

I had an appointment with an NHS physio, but after he had taken my extensive medical history almost half my time slot had been taken up and we then had to rush through a selection of more exercises to add to my busy fitness schedule.

I love our National Health Service, but they really need to do something about syncing up all their computers to share details of a patient's history - to avoid having to retell it every time you interact with a new hospital, department, doctor etc

Rachel also insisted that I monitor my blood pressure for a week (as had been recommended during my recent hospital visit) and it turned out to be rather on the high side (a concern given my aortic aneurysm two decades ago).

So, I rang my GP to book an appointment - about updating my blood pressure medication - only to be told she couldn't see me until December!

Luckily, I already had an earlier date (the middle of this month) booked for something else and so told the receptionist I would use that slot instead. There was then a minor kerfuffle over switching the "reason" for my visit as, apparently, the doctor will only see you for one complaint per visit!

My main assistance on the road to recovery remains my weekly trips to "biscuit club", the strength and stability class run by the charity Involve. There's only three of us in the class, which means we get expert, personalised care and instruction. The course runs until early next year, but Rachel is insistent - because she sees all the good this is doing me - that I find another, similar class to join afterwards.

Meanwhile, I'm still awaiting a date for my steroid injections in my spine.

Maybe next year we'll go more hardcore with our costumes!

HEALTH UPDATE: We Have A Diagnosis!

Arriving at Biscuit Club a couple of weeks ago with my new set of wheels

After my MRI and symptoms were looked over by three or four medical experts, one has finally put the pieces together and presented Rachel and I with a diagnosis.

The head of the Pain Clinic told us - via an impressively lengthy and thorough telephone call - this week that I have osteoarthritis in my lumbar facet joints. Rather than a nerve condition, this is affecting the muscles connecting my spine to my thighs. The pain and weakness in my calves are then a result of referred issues from the weakness in my thighs.

The whole 'slipped disc' aspect was an unfortunate coincidence and is unconnected with my leg problems.

As the doctor explained they don't do "spine replacement surgery", the best treatment I can receive is steroid injections into my lower back. This should (it has a 70 per cent success rate) alleviate my pain and allow me to focus on my rehabilitation.

And this is the part he stressed: if I don't do the exercises and keep limber it's all a waste of time.

The injections are not a permanent fix (which we will come back to in a bit), but at my age the shortest gap between jabs would be about 18 months. The older you get the less time can pass before you can benefit from new injections.

This is the same doctor I saw back in 2017, and the same procedure I'm being offered. The injections worked great then, but now, obviously, my symptoms are far worse. At that time I had really bad back pain, now I can barely walk unaided.

Of course, I'm already doing my weekly exercises at Biscuit Club and this week was our 12-week assessment. Naturally I'd - unfortunately - slipped back a bit since I joined the class, but that's nobody's fault. No one could have predicted a dramatic flare-up of osteoarthritis in my spine.

Nevertheless I did my best, and this will now serve as my new baseline going forward. I even managed to walk a short distance unaided and unsupported... although I did look like I'd had way too much to drink as I trudged unsteadily along the carpet, around a chair and back to my starting point.

Balance test during my assessment: not very successful. Needs work!

HEALTH UPDATE: Still Little To Report

Photo by David Travis on Unsplash

The most progressive thing that happened to me health-wise this week was my annual eye test, which seemed to go better than expected.

The poor optician must have been bored rigid by my incessant blathering on about my current state of affairs, but hopefully my new prescription will improve my eyesight and get me reading more again.

My eyes have been a tad blurry in recent months, generally when I'm tired or the light isn't bright sunshine, but - even though I showed up in a wheelchair and had to helped around the room to the different test zones - it felt as though everything was generally okay (expect for the fact that I'm very short-sighted, especially in my right eye).

I'm going back in a couple of weeks for further photography of my eyeballs, but with eye drops in so they can get a clearer view of the back of my eye.

Otherwise, I had a few strenuous "Biscuit Club" (my weekly exercise class for people with stability issues), as I was the only one who could make it this week. This meant I got very focussed and personal attention, but also meant there was nowhere to hide - I had to give it my all. It was a very satisfying hour of intense training... and took a good couple of days to recover from.

My referral from The Pain Clinic came through very quickly, but initially it will be a telephone consultation with the head of the department. What cheered me up about this was it turns out to be the excellent doctor I saw in 2017.

Hopefully then he will agree that I need some injections in my spine to ease the pain - even if he, too, has no idea what's causing the malfunction in my legs.

The trouble, for me, is that the pain in my back from the prolapsed disc seems - according to several experts who've studied my MRI - to be unconnected with the sudden loss of full use of my legs.

My mobility issues are immensely frustrating (not only physically, but also mental health-wise) and I keep pushing myself "too far", resulting in falls and getting wedged in odd places around the house.

I keep thinking of sweeping changes I want to make to the gamesroom, the office etc but am unable to do them because of my disability.

Rachel, very kindly, says she'll help but I know she's already overworked, holding down a fulltime job and looking after me (as well as picking up the minimal chores that I used to do, such as taking out the bins, filling the dishwasher etc), that I can't put these extra burdens on her.

My 20/20 Vision

Image by Melanie from Pixabay

When my good friend Pete turned 50, he began a quest to achieve 50 extraordinary things in that year. 

With my recent acceptance of the fact that it's 20 years since I suffered a life-changing aneurysm and stroke, I've therefore decided that I shall embark on a similar - but much more low-key and sedate - quest.

While Pete's list included hair-raising adventures like feeding tigers, mine is much more geared to my own limitations (and fears).

My personal goal is achieve 20 things by this time next year that I wouldn't normally have done or haven't done for a long time because I've grown scared over the years.

This is separate to my ongoing PROJECT 60 (which is all about achieving geeky goals before I turn 60), but I guess there's a chance that the two strands might overlap at some point down the trail.

I will aim to chronicle these special "events" here on the blog, and keep this post as a "living document", adding links to the new experiences as I achieve them.

UPDATE. Due to my six months of being unable to walk properly in late 2025 (caused by osteoarthritis in my lumbar facet joints), I'm giving myself an extra six months - at least - to clock up the 20 special experiences/life changes etc

MY 20/20 VISION BOARD

(1) Build a rockery (to commemorate Barney The Bunny)
(2) Throw a party (to mark the 20th anniversary of my life being saved by the NHS) 

(3) Go to a comic-con (the return of the Tonbridge Comic-Con and Toy Fair)

(4) Solo walk down the hill to the dog groomer's to pick up Alice, and back up the hill heading home, in warm, Spring weather. Unaided and exhausted, but did it on my own (May 30, 2025)

(5) Grow a beard and keep it.

(6) Watch Fantastic Four: First Steps in the cinema
(7) Return to Raystede Animal Sanctuary (I wasn't expecting to be in a wheelchair!)

(8) Finally got to see Superman (even if not at the cinema as originally planned. It exceeded all expectations!)

(9) Switch to healthy (no snacking) diet - due to my high blood sugar count - and stick to it.

(10) Begin my "tree safaris" - walks in interesting local spots where I can photograph trees and landscapes.

(11) Play in (and win) a participation game at Cavalier 2026.

(12) Attend the first Geek Mania event (an excellent, new kind of geeky event in Tonbridge).

(13) Complete nine months of weekly Biscuit Club (with 100% attendance record)

(14) Start using my mobile as an actual telephone (like a grown-up)

(15) Return to Hever Castle after long break for the returning dog show.
(16)

(17)

(18)

(19)

(20)