Back on Track

 

It's been a tough few weeks. Nothing has gone as planned and I can't draw the line under anything yet, but at least I can say I'm back on track.

Starting with health issues, I had my second cataract operation as planned at the end of October. What wasn't planned was the serious eye infection that reared its ugly head two/three days later. I went to the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath, where they changed the drops I had been using for something stronger, and was told to come back in two days on the Monday. By the Monday it was clear that the stronger eye drops hadn't helped as the vision in my left eye was cloudy and I couldn't focus. I went back to the RUH and was seen by one of the Registrars, who called her Consultant (who was on-call) to come in because of the seriousness of the infection. After being examined (again!), I was told it was a rare and serious infection (can't remember the name) that could result in sight loss ... not what I wanted to hear at all. 

So the Consultant decided on the treatment plan, which I'm still following. The first and worst part was a procedure where, one at a time, three needles were inserted in my eyeball; one to take a biopsy and the other two to inject strong antibiotics. It was so painful! I also had antibiotic eye drops and steroid eye drops to use every hour, and had to go to the hospital every day so they could keep an eye (no pun intended) on progress. Things are going well, but it will be a long job. At the start I couldn't read the largest letter on the eye chart but gradually have been able to see more and am now able to read down to the 75% mark. We're now leaving longer between visits to the hospital and I have to reduce the frequency of the eye drops each week. The final thing will be some laser treatment which won't be done until April at the earliest. My sight has been saved and that's the most important thing. My second knee replacement operation was postponed as the eye Consultant wants the infection to clear and my body to recover before having to face major surgery.

Next the saga of the house move. In my previous post I mentioned that I had a buyer for my house and had made an offer on a bungalow in North Bradley. However, when the deeds arrived my concern about the parking was confirmed and the deeds revealed that I had no right to park there. I could access the garage but there was no space for any visitor cars, so I pulled out of the sale. My second choice was a bungalow in Trowbridge near where I used to live with Ced, so I know the area. Fortunately my BiL viewed the property with me and advised me to walk away from it ... subsidence, leaning internal walls which should be supporting the roof so potential roof issues as well, and possible problems with subsidence on the drive. My third attempt was a bungalow in Westbury, but the survey mention subsidence under the garage that was possibly pulling down the side wall of the actual property, so I pulled out of that purchase as well.

So it was back to the estate agents' listings and a search for a suitable property. There was more pressure this time as I was worried about losing my buyer, but thankfully that hasn't happened. I found a lovely three bedroomed bungalow in Southwick, a village on the opposite side of Trowbridge to where I currently live. Again my BiL came to view the property with me (he worked in the building trade so knows what to look for) and apart from some normal maintenance and updating, there are no major problems. My offer was accepted and the purchase is progressing. Completion won't be until January, but that's fine by me.

Things always happen for a reason and I'm happy with my choice of new home. It was sold, but the chain collapsed and came back on the market, which is when I saw it. It's in a quiet location and there is a stream at the bottom of the garden. Here's a link to the details if you want to see it.