I ended up not updating the blog this year for a number of reasons:
1) The Keyworker Petition Campaign took off in a BIG way, leading to over a hundred thousand supporters on the Change platform. It was handed into 10 Downing Street in March, but the London trip took so much out of me I’ve been in a relapse ever since, though up until August, I was involved in a number of other long Covid projects, with Long Covid Scotland, as well as the Scottish Healthcare Workers’ Coalition, who are a core participant of the Scottish Covid Inquiry. Confidentiality reasons mean I can’t say too much about that, but I can tell you that there is now a survey (which I originally drafted) for any health or social care worker to complete, with or without Long Covid. I was advised I was near burnout and had to stop 95% of advocacy. I’m hoping to get back in the saddle, but that’s dependent on a number of other things getting done first.
2) I finally lost my job in August. Medical termination. I knew it was coming, but it’s still been a shock. I also came off the U.K. nursing register at the end of the same month, so I’m no longer a registered nurse. I’ve only been qualified 12 years, so it’s been a very nasty and frustrating shock to the system and something that is entirely down to my Covid infection in 2020 and the lack of proper support and care since.
3) I am currently trying to sort out my home, as it’s looking very much likely that I will have to sell. I am, at least, on the council housing register, but the chance of staying in this area is remote. The best case scenario for me is that I can stay put until I qualify for sheltered housing and see if I can’t move back to the area I grew up in - which is still close to where I am now and there’s a good chance my GP practice would let me stay with them (and it’s on a direct bus route to them). However, when you’ve got relapsing and remitting symptoms on the daily, with severe PEM and PESE, trying to clear said home is extremely difficult. However I have now gone through about 80% of my books and a van load of things recently went off to charity shops. I’m also going through my shoes, accessories and bags etc, as well as clothing, again to try and slim that down. The final load will be ready to go to charity or sale in the Spring, whether I’m still here or not. I’ve also identified furniture I am going to let go as well. I suspect that once I’ve completely gone through all my cupboards and lockup, all that is gone and everything is more manageable I will feel a lot better. It’s just chaotic at the moment, which I absolutely hate, but there’s not much I can do about it and it all has to be done very, very slowly, lest I end up in bed for days on end.
4) Shenigans with local health providers continues: One appointment got pushed back nearly four months, due to their closing the local testing clinic without warning and the next closest didn’t have any appointments for another 10 weeks. Then, as I cannot get equipment back to another clinic within 24 hours, they’ve cancelled those appointments and put me back on the waiting list for an inpatient appointment and that’s got an 18 month waiting list, less the four months I’ve been on it. Still no word about the exception for a medication. And then there was the farce over my flu vaccination. The Costumeer is VERY displeased with all this and no, I do not take this passively: A complaint has been put in about the horror show that is my nearest mass vaccination clinic. My MSP is also involved.
5) I am still crafting when I feel able. I recently finished two greyhound jumpers and am now working on a replacement blanket for myself - it’s called a memory blanket (but the Hue Afghan by Knit Picks is very similar) - that has a cunning method meaning you can make this as small or big as you like and each square of it is constructed by partially or entirely picking up stitches from what you have already knitted - this means less sewing up (ie exertion) and I’m also making good use of another technique that means you partially incorporate loose ends as you’re knitting so there shouldn’t be too much of that either. I’m getting through anywhere between 3 and 6 squares a day. I managed to weaken this morning and buy more yarn and a pattern for a sweater I saw. It’s a bit more of a challenge as it’s a jumper for me, longer length and a chevron-style patterns, meaning you are increasing and decreasing on the same rows. I shall be using lots and lots of stitch markers! I’ve also promised some more dog jumpers to friends, but in most cases we are waiting as they’re mostly puppies or I need to see how much yarn is left from projects I’ve just completed or am working on. As the squares of this blanket are a bit smaller than I wanted, I’ve got to decide on how I’m going to make it a bit bigger before I use my grey yarn to knit the borders, but given the yardage used so far and what I’ve got left, I don’t think this is going to be an issue. Plus, once the main section is completed, it’s a case of dividing each colour left in half by weight, so equal amounts go on top and bottom edges. I was going to do smaller squares in the same method, but by the point I’m done with this main 11 or 12 x 11 stripe sequence, I think I’ll be over it and just want some stripes! I’m hoping that my 80cm circular needle will work for this, but I’m resigned to possibly purchasing a much longer one if needs be. I’ve got plans to cut out and sew up three or four garments - as two (or three, if I do two colourways of the knickerbockers) are autumn/fall style, but I’ve really got to adjust the pattern (I am MacGyvering my own from two - basically I’m altering the leg to that of another one and it’s not gone well. I may end up with the black ones, rather than the wool check, as the former fabric is cheaper so I won’t be too upset if it doesn’t go completely to plan). I’ve also drafted an 18th century short cloak and I’ve got the fabric for that, plus lining for the hood and some cheap metal closures. I’m not yet sure if I will be able to get away with leaving the edges unbound, but if the cloth is as lightly fulled as I think it is, it means it’s not a woven that will fray, so, as per historical ones, I can leave it. My replacement Star Wars dress or possibly trousers I am leaving till next year - the other one was given to my Aussie pal as it’s too big for me but fit her perfectly, but I bought replacement fabric. I keep searching for inexpensive, lightly fulled broadcloth wool mix fabric to make another long cloak out of, as mine is a bit too heavy a weight to drape properly, but I still haven’t seen any in a colour I want. The short cloak I intend to make non-costume use out of. Eventually I hope to trim it in Ribbon, fyi, but I don’t know when. If I do have to bind the edges, I’m just going to use plain old bias and I’ve got two colours to pick from. But it will probably be black. As most of you know, I tend to start knitting socks when the weather turns - I’ve got plenty of sock yarn to use! I’ve also got a lot of worsted/aran left from the dog jumper projects, so I will be knitting up a pair of slippers for myself, probably using two strands to achieve a chunky weight. I’ve got a pair of slipper soles, but my source recently closed down, though Bergere De France also do two types.
6) Financials. I’m expecting to get 12 weeks redundancy plus my AL and they said that works out to a similar length of time. If I get it in one payment, unfortunately that’ll be taxed silly. I’ll get back the tax at the end of the year, but by that point I’ll just be out of the non-contributory stage of Employment Support Allowance, so whatever I get from tax back will be taken off my contributory based benefits. I am still waiting to hear about which group I’m supposed to be in, as there’s not only a different level of support, but also activities to engage with, though I will appeal if they consider me able to do some work at the moment as I can’t leave the house most of the time, let alone get through most days without a long rest and nap. I haven’t heard about Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit - which I wasn’t expecting to get - so I’m calling that agency on Monday to find out what’s going on. In terms of the Scottish benefits agency, I found out two weeks ago that despite having my paperwork for nearly four months, they haven’t even got to the point of assessing my change form (and knowing my luck, they won’t have got to it by January when my current award expires, meaning that I’ll end up completing two change forms, essentially). I have been warned it’s taking more than eight months for these things to be sorted out (worse than when it was being handled by the U.K. agency, which is widely regarded as awful), which is extremely stressful to hear when you’ve lost your job and need to know what your income is likely to look like going forwards. I don’t know if the Pensions Agency have received my paperwork, but they’re also taking at least six months or more to decide if they will or will not award you early retirement, with mine not being worth much as I’ve only been working 12 years as a nurse. As for my legal case, there’s no word yet. I do have to forward on some information I got via my MSP, as it’s pertinent - not least the level of ableism displayed towards most people with chronic conditions in respect of management risk assessments. But I’ll need to look at the Covid age thing again, as there’s a very pertinent line in there about managers taking into account local prevalence of virus when deciding on non-shielding staff.
I try to remain optimistic, even though I now need a wheelchair and I’m waiting for that appointment. Today has been a high pain day and I’m reminded of the levels of recycling that need done. I also need to get to the local grocery store. I’m also thinking of vlogging and learning how to edit.
Friends, I hope you’re well. Should I remember, I will be posting some advice/shortcuts/things I use for bad days.
If I remember…
