chapter 3

...Or so I thought. I'd been told not to do any strenuous exersise for six weeks. I'd been told my abdominal wound needed time to heal.
Surely a few sit ups would not do any harm! BIG mistake! I was in the middle of a set of eight crunches when I felt something give way. I looked down and saw a damp patch on my trousers. My wound had opened up like a zip. I could see everything inside! I could have hot my whole hand inside it.
I had to go back to hospital. They called it wound dehiscence. I thought they might just be able to stitch it back up again. They said that would not work. They said it had to heal from the bottom up. They packed it with something or other and put a plaster over it. My overexuberance had cost me dearly. Now I had to be readmitted for a few days as they monitored me for infection. Then I had to go to see the nurse at the GP's to have it dressed every other day.
It was a set back I could not afford. I told my boss everything was fine. I was on track to resume my old duties in six months. It was a big lie. I would be lucky if the big hole in my abdomen had closed up by then.
I did not rely on the nurses' dressings to hold my insides in any more. I knew how fallible they were. They often leaked. I added a large wad of cotton wool and gauze and held it in place with a waist cincher.
All right sit ups were out. Id been silly to even think about doing them. I knew that now! Bending, stretching, movements were out as well. But I could walk. If I could walk, I could try walking a bit faster and if I could walk fast I could jog. When I could jog, I could run.

That had been the plan. Gradually increase my workload, speed, strength and distance before moving on to the next level.
I knew from my time in the hospital that my walking was severely limited. Walking to the other end of the ward and back was painful and left me exhausted for hours afterwards. Now I was pushing myself to stroll to the end of the street and back, but I'd have to go and lie down for a rest when I got home.
Simple things like washing the dishes took half an hour longer than usual. I was not allowed to push the vacuum around, it was too heavy. I cheated a bit and used a carpet sweeper instead. I hated not dusting, but that would have to wait until I was fitter. I could, however, still keep everything clean and tidy. Couldn't I?