Stroke Progress

It's now 24 days since my boyfriend had his double Type 2 stroke which paralysed his right-hand side. He can now walk very well but he still can't use his right hand much, though yesterday he found he could whistle again and today he could poke his tongue out straight, instead of only to one side.

He is still trying to push himself too far. Today, he walked all the way to the Iceland store, about a mile and a half away, and back. He arrived exhausted, with a backpack full of frozen veg that weighted a ton. He then collapsed onto the sofa looking done-in and is now asleep under a duvet.

I worry about him all the time. I worry in case he has another stroke from which he might not recover. I worry about my own precarious position, with my house sale going through and my belongings having suffered yet another soaking in his shed, and the pressure on me to find another house where I have no mortgage and have the peace and time to write, and the equal pressure to stay and look after him.

My Google horoscope for today (Pisces) tells me to be patient. I guess this is the key to everything. The one good thing that has happened to me in the last few days is finding the ultimate in noise-blocking earplugs. The Boots own label foam ones in the green packet. They cost £1.99 for three pairs and I'm about to clear their shelves. My old earplus only lessened the traffic noise slightly, but these provide perfect peace. After reading the first 50 pages of the latest Harry Potter last night, I lay there, eyes closed, marvelling at the quietness. Though I think, for perfect relaxation, I need medieval head armour and a bullet-proof vest, too.