Have you changed your behavior or your attitude in any way following this fracture? Are you more careful?

Oh, yes, I am, I am a lot more careful. I look where I’m going. And the paths, you know, have bumps in them and all sorts of things, holes and the like. And I look down instead of across like I used to. I, you know, in fact when I had my fall, for several, well, I was laid up for several months. I should have had physiotherapy prior to when I did. I became an urgent case. I got overlooked. But I lost complete confidence. It sounds daft, but I lost complete confidence in walking, you know, and being careful and looking after myself. I’m a bit better now, I mean I’m a lot better now. But it’s taken me quite a while to regain that confidence.

And what about regarding lifting, carrying things now?

I’m careful. I mean I’ll, I’ll carry things. But if I see a thing’s too heavy and it needs carrying, I’ll wait until I have a visitor whos able, to ask them to do it. That’s what I do. I can’t do it. You know, I’ve got to be careful. I’m, I’m more careful, I’m going to do some decorating soon. My father wants to help me. And, you know, I think twice about going up a ladder and that sort of thing, because the consequences of me falling are that much more than anyone whos got non-osteoporotic bones. And, you know, you just have to be that much more careful.

What other things are you sort of paying more attention to now?

I’m definitely paying more attention to my footwear because of my ankle. I can never find shoes that are comfortable enough. Presumably that will get better as time goes on. Carrying and lifting things obviously.

Bending? What about bending?

Oh, bending, yes, I’m much more aware of the strain on my back and I sort of try and bend my knees. But my ankle, you know, I have to be careful because the strain on that. I’m just generally far more careful about everything I do. I think ahead more, you know. Normally I, you know, when I, even didn’t, even after I was being diagnosed with osteoporosis I didn’t think ahead too much. But having had this accident, I think ahead. I don’t want to go through that again.

Has your Osteoporosis affected your life in any way?

No not really cos it’s something I can’t see so, you know I mean I’m not, and I’m certainly you know I’m not sort of you know, I’m not consciously taking more care, you know, in what I do you know? I still climb mountains you know, I mean, and yeah the fact that my mother’s, you know had it for years and never broken a bone, so it’s well you know maybe you know you know maybe that’s, that’s true you know, that’s going to be true with me to. You know Professor [name] said it was only mild Osteoporosis, you know?

Osteoporosis? No I don’t think so, I mean, yeah I mean I’m probably a fairly laid back about these sorts of things anyway, and I thought well, its, you know, it’s not, first of all it’s not causing me any, it has no side effects at all. The Osteoporosis I’m talking about, not the testosterone. The Osteoporosis is having no side effects. Everyone tells me that you seem to be fine, you know, there’s been no effect on my height or anything, you know, plus it’s only mild. My GP you know my GP wasn’t you know wasn’t terribly worried, so well you know you know you’re fit and you’re healthy, and you know you don’t you know you’re not a heavy drinker, you don’t smoke, and you know and, so I think it’s something we obviously we need to keep an eye on, but you know, it’s you know your condition isn’t serious yet. You know and we can reverse it, you know? You know we can get treatment so, obviously if I’d gone and you know broken my hip I might think differently, but [laugh].

Joan’ Oh yes, I can’t do what I could do a couple of months ago, or six months ago. There are things that are getting… that bit harder all the time. And of course my breathing is not what it was a few months ago. So that’s getting worse all the time.

Okay when you were first diagnosed with osteoporosis were you able to do most things?

Joan’ Oh yes. I was doing everything then and I mean it’s only gradually that it has gone worse and worse.

I mean I still manage to see to the food, get the dinner, cook the dinner and then [husband] dishes it up because I’m afraid of using the handle, the saucepans, there’s something wrong with my shoulder at the moment. I can’t lift the saucepans and turn it. So he now dishes the food out.

And what about standing up. Can you stand up for a little bit?

Joan’ No. Yes, but not for long. Not for very long.

Okay.

Joan’ So most of the stuff, and of course we buy a lot of these ready made meals. So that’s just a matter of putting it in the oven.

What other equipment do you have in the house to help you?

Joan’ Nothing much else. Oh the zimmer.

Husband’ The zimmer. And walking sticks and me. Like going down the steps I used to do. They are so tricky and Joan daren’t think about walking down them, unless I was on the steps with her. We negotiate those with the walking stick and my arm. And the car is two yards away, so it’s a couple of steps and she’s into the car and then when we get to the supermarket I go and fetch one of their chairs then and bring it round to the door, sit her on it, and then on the run we go. We come back like a Christmas tree with stuff all over it. But we manage and it’s a bit exciting the that’s the thing. We think we’ve beat it, we’ve won.

Husband’ We have a stair lift. So Joan can go upstairs without any problems. Without being in danger of falling, which gives her a bit, shall we say, a bigger horizon than just staying down here in one room. Then we have a bath lift. Which again is a marvellous idea. And with a wheelchair thank goodness I can still drive. We’re able to move about a bit. Without it life would be very difficult wouldn’t it. All of this we did ourselves.

You didn’t have any help from

Joan’ No.

Husband’ No we did it ourselves.

Joan’ We paid for the stair lift ourselves. We put the bath lift in ourselves. At least my husband has got it and done it.

But, I’m lucky now because this chap still goes round and gets me some odds and ends, you know, he’s not very, a fit chap himself you know? He comes in Tuesdays as well.

So he brings you your, some of your groceries?

He will, bread and milk and, you know, the essentials because I can only manage a certain amount of, to carry you know? Yeah. I carry more than I should really but I just put the bag down and I have a rest on the way [laughs] because it’s [supermarket] as well is quite a walk, the bus stop.

Yeah so you go

Go home.

to town?

I go, Saturday morning is the best time to go I catch the ninebecause your pass don’t start, nine oclock you see? So I go at nine and I can be back home at ten, which is very good, into [supermarket] and get what I want, I did Saturday morning see? Within an hour that’s the, that’s the best time to go before the people are about shopping because it’s comfortable, you know, and the people that are there they will be stacking up by then, you know, and they’ve only just opened and stacking up so.

There’s less people, there’s less people around?

Yes it’s lovely yes and they’re not, not crowded but, people don’t go into the town before ten much anyway and the buses, coming home it’s dead easy but, four oclock there’s the queues all down the town hall you know, if you leave it late in the afternoon in particular. Market day is a bad day really, but I go up market and get me vegetables, you know, the, what I can carry.

You go to the Wednesday market?

Wednesday market yes.

Ah, so what time do you go?

Well I go, I go two oclock time and three, you know, I try to miss four oclock because at four oclock onwards the office people are coming out and the business people start going down and, the buses get very busy then.

So you avoid sort of crowds?

Big crowds, yes as much as I can yeah.

Yes it’s so much more comfortable isn’t it? I mean you can’t with, Saturday morning you can’t, you have to walk through the town at peak time, I expect you’ve seen it on a Saturday it’s terrible, when you’ve got the buskers and, and all sorts in, in [street] [laughs] taking up half the pavement and things, bands playing and all sorts.

Do you feel safer to walk when there is less people around?

Yes I do yes.

Well the change in my life particularly after I had both arms fractured and I became more mobile was really to master my computer. And I use the computer, and I still do for ordering my groceries. And I must say the people who deliver have always been very helpful to bring them into the kitchen, to lift them up for me onto the counter. And I do my banking, the only thing that the computer won’t do is give me cash so I’ve always had to rely on a good neighbour. But yes the computer has been the thing that I had to really learn to use.

My life has changed in that there are several things that I can’t, couldn’t do were it not for a knife with the handle on the top that the occupational therapist found for me. And I have a toilet-seat raiser. My chair is on higher and not long after I used. I unfortunately used to make the mistake of getting in chairs that are too low for me. That’s always a problem wherever I go if I needed to visit someone or a new waiting room you look around to look for a chair that is high enough.

My own lifestyle? I think it’s, I still have a very happy life and my two sons, one son especially, has been most helpful in looking out for things that he thinks would help me and any mention of ice on the weather forecast is enough to get all my friends telephoning me and saying, Please don’t go out. Please telephone us if you want something But certainly groceries can be ordered by telephone even, not just computer but yes it works well.

And what about organising your kitchen for instance? Have you sort of needed to take that into account?

Yes, yes my kitchen I can’t reach top shelves safely. Top shelves wherever they are a problem and I either ignore them. I have a small step stool which has a thing that I can hold if absolute dire emergency. But I don’t use. I’m putting. There are funny things, two dinner plates are the maximum that I can lift to put in the cupboard on the middle shelf. Any more which means there’s obviously somebody in the house whos been eating with me therefore they have to do that.

The, oh I had to change quite a lot of things. The, my electric kettle was too heavy with water in. I can’t, still can’t do that. So I either use the electric kettle which is a metal one with just enough water which in fact, of course, is more economical just for the amount for me. And I also have a small plastic one if I need to have more water to boil.

I also have a cutting, a slicing board that I was given for Christmas by the other son. They went to look for things to make it easy because a sawing action I found very difficult and this is like a serrated knife that you pull the handle down and that was good. Yes I have a lot of funny little gadgets that I have.

Oh and the best gadget and I’m sure everyone who is disabled has one is the thing that will pick up things or if you drop your walking stick you have your wonderful gadget that picks everything up and it has a magnet on the end to pick up pins or little metal things or at least drag them nearer to one. And there’s one in my car and there’s one in my bedroom. And I think there is my father’s old one in the hall. So I have them all over the place.

My household work. Have I mentioned that I have three cleaners, yes’ one downstairs, one upstairs and one for the stairs. I have a window cleaner who occasionally, it’s father and daughter, and occasionally I get the daughter to come in and do downstairs as well. I’ve got it in mind the next time she comes to do upstairs because although reaching for the, up to the windows is good, the stretching upwards. I am finding it increasingly difficult. In fact I just can’t cope. And so I will ask her to come and they’ll do it with pleasure.

I must say that I am quite careful. I try not to make any more mess and living on my own I make the minimum. I have tried to keep up-to-date as well. I wouldn’t like to think that I couldn’t do my own housework but the day will come I know.

But nevertheless as long as I can do my own shopping, oh boy which is the same with everything. I’m independent by nature as well. I cope with things and sometimes I have difficulty. I certainly have difficulty, oh yes before you go I’ll ask you something. I certainly have difficulty with undoing screw tops and things like that and I won’t trouble my brother. His wife’s far from well, not nearly as good as me and ten years younger and he’s always had eye trouble. Can’t drive now so he’s walking everywhere. I never trouble him but one day I was desperate. I took a disinfectant, toilet disinfectant. I said I can’t do this and of course he did it in a second but I don’t trouble him. That’s about the only thing I’ve asked him to do.

I find my balance isn’t as good as it was. I mean when I’m waiting by the microwave. The exercise lady said, stand on the one foot and put the other behind and don’t stand too near the cooker in case you fall and try it. So all along the line I am trying to you know. Now I played the piano but I haven’t touched it this year. I had it tuned before Christmas but my dexterity is not as good as it was. I mean obviously I’m not going to get any better, all I’m hoping is I won’t get much worse.

I do go in the garden and although I have a gardener I can prune. Now the yellow bush in the front I did a bit in the week but I can see it wants chopping a lot more. I wanted to make sure the hydrangeas you could see. And but that’s good for me so I get out whenever I can. I do bend a bit but not too much because I’m better if I’m stretching than if I’m bending. I things like turning my bed. Now I have a single bed because it’s easy for me, even the bedclothes are you see but I keep thinking to myself I must ask somebody to come and help me to turn my bed, but it’s things like that.

So I have a shower. it’s [pause] a risky manoeuvre because I have to step over the side of the bath. I do have a step from the lovely occupational therapy people so there is a white plastic step to step over the bath and there I have my shower. To have a real shower is on the top floor of my house and that means two flights of stairs and that’s, doesn’t work quite as well so I stay in the one. Oh and I have a procedure even then. My telephone I take and it stays on the edge of the bath so that in case I fall I have a problem I can grab my phone.

The other thing that is rather amusing is that I, to dry myself is also a problem. So before I start my shower, it’s a funny routine, I put a towel, a large towel, on the bed and that’s the way I can dry my back and a lot of me as well [laugh]. Oh and dressing is

Dressing?

Is a problem. Again I have changed because I can’t manage to do fastenings, fastenings on the left side or right side, on side fastenings or back. I mainly have elasticated tops and sometimes I can manage to do a fastening on the left but I. Looking for clothes is something that I always now have to take note of. And because of vanity I, this, the arm with the scars on it particularly I wear longer sleeves which is rather more flattering any way. they’re all very loose. I don’t think there’s anything that’s tight. I was just going to try but I it’s higher than that I suppose that is the problem, higher than just shoulder that is the problem. This shoulder is a, one shoulder has, perhaps I do it the other way, even putting on a coat can be not as easy as it used to be.

it’s been quite a while so I just accept there’s certain limitations. I don’t even think about them anymore. And other people do who come to visit and haven’t realised. They say, Oh why didn’t you ask me to do that Well because I do it myself. I’m alone and so I do.

Yes and I think I have adjusted to the changes caused by the osteoporosis. And I just get on with living.

It has made my life much more difficult. It has a major affect on anybody’s life. I now have to have. Well my mobility is less and I used to be very energetic and mobile and I, movements are much slower. I need a gardener, a window cleaner and alteration of clothes due to the lack of shape. Visits to the hairdresser are quite hazardous because having a back wash. I am not able to get right over and I can’t cope with a forward one. We’re at the point now where it, so long as my feet are elevated and I’m tipped back I can cope. But my own normal hairdresser here at home has got the kind of seat that if I’m sitting on a bag of cotton wool or lots of towels I can tip my head back. But it’s still quite a difficult job for the girl who is shampooing me.

Ooh now you’ve hit the nail on the head. I have to wear these elasticated pop socks. Now obviously I found going anywhere elegant I will wear tights ontop. I said to my doctor this last week have I still to wear them. I once had a deep vein thrombosis and immediately I was on ditrodol, immediately I was off it. And he said, yes because I’d had a deep vein thrombosis I would always need to wear them. It isn’t that I mind wearing them I said but I have to tell you I do my exercises every morning trying to get these on. I try sitting on the bath. I try sitting on the bed. I try sitting on the stool. I’ve even tried bringing my, cream that I put on my face and do it down here. I said but it really is an exercise. And he said, well that’s good for you, [laugh] which I know. Yes. About 6 weeks ago I couldn’t bend down to fasten. I’m supposed to wear trainers you see to stop, to cushion the effect of jarring. I couldn’t bend down to fasten the trainers, to tie them. Sit on the settee but the last fortnight or three weeks I managed to stand up and bend down and tie them. So I’m going oh, oh improvement. Great satisfaction.

And doing things around the house?

I used to do even gardening myself. I do now, I sit on the floor and do the gardening because I love doing gardening. But gardening I can’t do. I cannot do the Hoover because of my ribs are broken and I get such a pain if I do that. I cannot mow the grass. I cannot do heavy lifting at all, not at all.

OK

I used to carry four pint of milk, now I cannot get it, that four-pint of milk. So anything to do with more than a pound or so I can’t do that.

OK. So lifting a saucepan is a problem?

Lifting, that was a time that lifting of the saucepan was a problem for me. I could not lift the saucepan from one burner to another or from there to the table or anything that I can’t do. I try to do it now so that I make my muscles a bit stronger because of, I do weight lifting now. So I can do, hold it but not as good as I used to do it.

Due to my exercises I can do it better now. So I can say exercise is the best for osteoporosis people. From day one, as soon as I think, if a woman know, knows that they have a low density or a medium density, whatever, I don’t know exactly what it is the, we should start doing exercise.

Lifting of my arm, I cannot lift, I can lift this right arm but this arm I can’t lift.

OK. And bending you knee?

Bending and kneeling, I kneel down on my knee because whenever I do work I adopt myself. If I can’t do bending I just bend down on my knee and I work like that. But then I have to get up very quickly because it’s so, and then I sit on my bum for a while. That’s a, that’s the main part of it, that’s why I can’t do my gardening very well. But I still do it. Slowly and slowly.

Hoovering I don’t do. I haven’t done for the last two or three years now. Here I have got carpets but in my other house I had wooden floors and that helps a lot to keep it clean because I can’t do hoovering at all.

Mobility’s very low. I can’t walk very far.

How do you feel about these changes to your daily life?

Because I notice they’re all the time in everything, I adopt the changes. It doesn’t affect a lot to me. If I can’t do certain things today and I don’t have anybody to rely on, I try to make way how to do it. So you, you have an alternative way to do it. That’s what I do. So I can’t say that it affects a lot. For a few days I will figure out and see how I can do it. If I can’t do it then I have to take a help with my son have to do it. But mostly I just adapt myself. To do it, the ways, how to do the different things.

So it’s learning all these different techniques. So that’s what the pain management clinic did. They got me out of the depression but then after I. That was the major problem and then we, we got round that one and I learnt then to cope with life and to prioritise things and to think, well I’m not going to do that. If I don’t want to do it I’m not going to do it and learn to pace yourself, not to go to this burn out and then you know. That’s what I was doing all the time was peaks and troughs all the time. Now I tend to do a little bit, have a sleep or a nap or just a break just to have a sit down. And then, you know, and then it really works, you know. And if I over do it shopping or anything that, you know, I know when to say no and to stop. And that takes understanding from your partner as well and from your family because your family have to accept that they can’t push you do to things. So [wife] will say, do you fancy doing this today and I’ll say, I really don’t feel well enough’ and that’s it. Whereas before we’d, Oh come on, you know, it will do you good. And then you’d do it under pressure and then you feel twice as bad afterwards. So I don’t get pressurised anymore. So I, you know, it’s a bit like having the life of Reilly in a way but, you know, obviously life isn’t like that and you know, life in reality we have to, we have to do so much, you know. We have to sort of contribute. And, and I find like I pick myself up and I push myself to do things a lot more. You know, I do probably. I don’t give in as many people like I cook. I do the cooking every evening. That’s my contribution tothe housework if you like. I don’t just sit back and, you know, and give into it. I do actually contribute and I do the garden and I do a lot of things that a lot of people in my condition probably wouldn’t do. But, you know, I but I only do. I’ve learnt I can do a little bit and then just relax.