So last night after waking at 2am ,taking some codeine I decided, perhaps foolishly,to write my local MP.I didn’t expect much if any response.

After a flurry of email between the admin person in his office and me, it was established that because I have an active appeal going on,the local MP could not intervene.So because I had been proactive appealing ACCs decision not to fund my ankle surgery ,I had made myself unable to be helped by my local MP.

I was advised to get my GP to refer to an ACC  funded pain specialist.

I rang a friend who is a clinical nurse specialist at Waikato hospital.She was the most helpful person I had spoken to all day.So I have made an appointment to see my GP armed with questions about appropriate pain relief and some other options that don’t involve drugs.

In other news the new bath chair with a swivel chair arrived today complete with two occupational therapists.I now know that 4 adults can fit in our smallish bathroom.

For those of you unfamiliar with my working life I have been trained as an accountant doing mostly management accounting which can involve cost benefit analysis.So I have been doing some calculations as to whether the cost of providing home help for a year and a person to supervise me in the shower, physio therapy and pain management is more or less than or equal to the cost of two surgeries.The unknown variable is how long I will wait for surgery.

I’ll keep you posted.