Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: I spent the week recovering from the hospital stay, dealing with pain, medical appointments, friends helping me, and slowly getting back into my routines. I worked on my website, rearranged parts of my apartment, enjoyed some good meals, and watched plenty of football.
Monday, 14th April
I slept pretty well, but I was still in a fair bit of pain when I woke up. I had a coffee and worked on my website until it was time to go to the clinic to have my leg dressed and meet my newly assigned doctor at the Los Alcázares medical centre. Liz took me, and after a short wait, the nurse redressed my ankle. He told me he thought I was diabetic, but I explained I had been tested before and wasn’t. He wrapped the dressing securely so it would last until next week.
Afterwards, I saw my doctor for the first time. Liz translated for me. The doctor confirmed I wasn’t diabetic and updated my medical notes. She booked my INR test for May 7th, which gives my body time to settle after all the antibiotics. She also booked my next dressing appointment for next Wednesday, delayed because of the Easter holidays.
When we left, Liz offered to take me shopping, but I was so out of breath I asked her to take me home. I rested for a few hours, then went to Buen Sabor on my scooter to get food so I wouldn’t have to cook. I spent the rest of the day resting, watching TV and working on my website.
Tuesday, 15th April
I slept well and woke around 08:30. After coffee and Wordle, I was about to go shopping when Martin phoned to say he was coming to collect the sofa I had given him. I quickly cleared the junk off it, which puffed me out. Martin and Gary arrived and took both parts of the sofa, including the section in my garage.
Martin said his dad would pick me up so I could go to the office for a couple of hours. It was nice to get out after three weeks of seeing nothing but hospitals and my apartment. Dave picked me up at midday, and we went to Pizzeria La Sombre, where Martin was already sitting. We chatted until 14:00, and Dave took me home.
I had ordered a takeaway pizza before leaving, so I spent the afternoon eating pizza and watching TV. Later, my friend Dave Warwick messaged to check on me, and I asked if he could help move my dining table and fridge tomorrow. I was tired from the fresh air and went to bed around 22:00.
Wednesday, 16th April
I got up, had coffee and did Wordle. My ankle still ached but nowhere near as badly. I went to Mercadona early on my scooter and enjoyed shopping with no queues. When I got home, Dave messaged to say he was on his way.
We moved my dining table and then moved my fridge from the kitchen into the dining area. It sounds odd, but it works well with the layout and gives me more space in the kitchen. I’ve been slowly removing cupboards and replacing things with more practical options. Over the next few months, I want to redesign the kitchen to make cooking easier.
I rested in the afternoon and then watched Real Madrid vs Arsenal. Arsenal won 1-2, giving them a 1-5 aggregate win and knocking Madrid out. I went to bed a very happy man.
Thursday, 17th April
I woke in some pain but had coffee, did Wordle and worked on my website. One extension wasn’t working well, so I decided to rearrange the layout and navigation. It was a big job, so I put the site into maintenance mode.
In the evening, Bernard messaged to ask if I wanted to go to Campbells tomorrow night. I said yes. I worked on the website until 23:00 before going to bed.
Friday, 18th April
My ankle felt better. I made a turkey stew in the slow cooker and worked on my website until 17:00. Bernard picked me up just after 18:00, and we went to Campbells. He had fish and chips, and I had steak and black pudding pie with chips and peas. It was lovely. We talked about holidays and Arsenal before he dropped me home.
I was exhausted after doing so little for weeks. I watched a bit of TV and went to bed around 22:00.
Saturday, 19th April
I didn’t sleep well because of noise from cars and kids in the square between 02:30 and 05:30. I’m convinced a local drug dealer sits there at night. The council promised surveillance cameras last year, so I’ll have to chase that up. I won’t put up with this all summer.
At lunchtime, I ate some turkey stew and gave some to Liz. I froze the rest. I tried making soup, but it was far too salty and had to be thrown out. In the evening, I worked on my website and watched football before going to bed at 23:00.
Sunday, 20th April
I slept better. I woke at 08:30, had coffee and porridge, stripped my bed and put the washing on. I worked on my website until lunchtime, then had a cheese and ham sandwich before watching Ipswich vs Arsenal.
Arsenal won 0-4. Ipswich had a player sent off for a terrible foul on Saka, and the rest of the match was one way traffic. Arsenal scored two more and gave minutes to some younger players. After the match, I cooked chicken and chips for dinner and phoned my sister for a catch up.
I watched more football, made more website changes and went to bed around 23:00.
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