I can't sustain activity for very long - I don't have the energy. I am exhausted & need to sit down after washing up & making my bed. My gut is still disturbed especially after eating. I also don't have the energy to concentrate on things for long periods. I'm forever forgetting things & losing things - I still can't find my MP3 player which I've been looking for for days. I'm a person who is normally on the go & at the moment I'm feeling I can't be bothered. I'm ignoring my "to do list" - That's highly unusual.
I'm still dropping off to sleep throughout the day - sometimes actually at my computer keyboard, often watching TV in the evening. So annoying - I'm missing things I have recorded because I really want to see them & keep having to rewind.
But - if I'm honest a lot of these things are my normal. I've lived with chronic pain & fatigue for years. They are just worse.
Given that this was quite major surgery I don't think this is bad.
It is difficult coping with something like this on your own. It's always much better when there is someone else around. But I think this is the new normal. According to the Office for National Statistics "in 2016, around 7.7 million people lived alone in the UK, the majority were women". The best figure I can find for the adult population of the UK is 53 million in 2012. That would mean roughly one seventh of the adult population live alone.
The old values that I grew up with no longer exist. Society has changed out of all recognition. We, as a society, need to decide how we are going to deal with this demographic. It is going to get worse & it will cost money. Everyone has the right to be properly supported & cared for in infirmity, whether it's permanent or temporary. Family & neighbourhood structures have changed for good. We need something to replace them.
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