Journal
Gwen’s journal
Welsh, stubborn, doing fine.
Sunday night, four lines
week 48held energy 34 replies
Paired up. We text on Sunday nights, four or five lines each, and it has quietly become the most reliable thing in my week. Nobody has ever asked me how I was doing on a…
A plain question
week 48practical energy 1
Greek yoghurt, eggs, and the limits of both. I have reached the limits of both. Started taking it seriously and noticed the difference. Got something with protein in before…
She read the diary
week 46brisk energy 52 replies
Nine minutes. I took three written questions and got three answers, which is the best return I have ever had from an appointment. A locum who had clearly read nothing. I was…
I nearly did not write
week 43flat energy 21 reply
This week: No news. The dog is well, the weather has been foul, and I have taken my medication on the correct day for the eleventh week running. An unremarkable week. Ate,…
Before nine
week 41steady energy 23 replies
Got something with protein in before nine this morning, which meant the rest of the day did not fall apart at four. Greek yoghurt, eggs, and the limits of both. I have…
Three cool bags and a thermometer
week 38organised energy 42 replies
This week: Two lines a day in a paper diary. Date, and one thing. That is the entire system and it has twice changed a clinical decision. Small logistics win: worked out…
A locum
week 36frustrated energy 3
This week: A locum who had clearly read nothing. I was polite, I got what I needed, and I have booked with my own GP for next month. Asked the question I had been avoiding…
Laces
week 33quietly delighted energy 4
This week: Carried both bags up in one go. Small thing. Wrote it down. Full shift, no knee pain. Walked into town and back, which I stopped doing years ago without ever…
Starters as a main
week 30warm energy 21 reply
This week: My mother cooks. That is how she says it. So I eat what I can, slowly, and I say thank you, and we manage. It is not a problem to be solved. A wedding. Three…
Grip
week 28tired but good energy 32 replies
This week: Came back after a bad fortnight without trying to make up the lost ground, which is the thing that used to end it for me every time. Two sessions this week, both…
Where the pen lives
week 25organised energy 42 replies
Small logistics win: worked out where the pen actually lives in a fridge shared with four other people and a toddler's yoghurts. Two lines a day in a paper diary. Date, and…
How are you doing on a Wednesday
week 22held energy 1
This week: Nobody has ever asked me how I was doing on a Wednesday before. Paired up. We text on Sunday nights, four or five lines each, and it has quietly become the most…
No news
week 20steady energy 31 reply
An unremarkable week. Ate, walked, worked, slept adequately. This is what most of it looks like. Steady. That is the whole entry. Getting on with it.
Awake at four
week 17rested energy 5
This week: Slept through. Whole night, no waking. It has been so long that I lay there in the morning trying to work out what was different. Waking at four again. Not…
Back without making it up
week 15tired but good energy 22 replies
Two sessions this week, both short, both done. Ren keeps saying that two a week for two years beats a perfect programme abandoned in March, and he is annoyingly right. Grip…
The pattern of it
week 14rough energy 53 replies
Very tired. Not the kind of tired a nap fixes. I slept nine hours and woke feeling as though I had been awake all night. A hard month at work with nausea and twelve-hour…
Six labelled boxes
week 12organised energy 3
This week: Two lines a day in a paper diary. Date, and one thing. That is the entire system and it has twice changed a clinical decision. Small logistics win: worked out…
My mother cooks
week 10awkward energy 51 reply
My mother cooks. That is how she says it. So I eat what I can, slowly, and I say thank you, and we manage. It is not a problem to be solved. A wedding. Three courses I could…
Two sessions
week 8tired but good energy 52 replies
This week: Grip strength has gone off and I noticed it opening a jar before I noticed it anywhere else. Back to loading properly. Came back after a bad fortnight without…
Two lengths, badly
week 6quietly delighted energy 51 reply
This week: Up the stairs at work twice without stopping at the landing. I stood at the top for a second like an idiot. Nobody saw. It counted. Full shift on my feet and my…