Where do I go from here?..

So January is gone, already we are a week into February and 2026 is looking to be a pretty chaotic year. Mr P has raised his stakes a little and given me a few highly inconvenient episodes of hideous neck cramps ‘dystonia’ adding in a little extra by affecting my right thigh and foot with cramps at the same time as the neck. Only lasting about half an hour so still being positive about it all. Finally getting to see the consultant next week, first time in a year, and hoping to finally get some help with the medication which has been out of kilter since the messed up dosage last November.

The biggest issue for me, this week, has to be the sudden discovery that one of my medications was suddenly just ‘no longer available’. Not just unavailable from my usual pharmacy but from all the pharmacies in my home town and surrounding areas. Unavailable from the manufacturer in fact. It suddenly dawned on me that there was a very real possibility that I was about to be immobile again and the thought terrified me.

How could this happen? It’s not meant to be like this. The doctor prescribes the pills, the pharmacy has the pills, you collect the pills then you take the pills.

But what happens when there are no pills? What happens when you are going through the list of pharmacies near you on google and they are all saying ‘Sorry, we don’t have any in stock? I looked to see if you could buy these illusive meds online and was relieved to discover you can. One pack of 30 capsules of 50mg Opicapone costs €169, bloody hell, I will never begrudge the £11 direct debit I pay the NHS for a prepayment certificate. Goodness only knows what my monthly med bill would be if I had to buy them myself, pretty sure it would put an end to my auction purchase habit though.

Anyway just as I was researching the possibility of bringing my prescription to Wales with me for the weekend to see if I could get hold of some, a pharmacy in Aylesbury said ‘Yes, I have a box.’ Nightmare, worst case scenario, panicking over, thank god, just keeping everything crossed that supplies will have improved in four weeks time when I will need the next lot.

Anyway, back to now, thanks to my son and his partner, here we are in Bethesda, Wales. Or more specifically 41 Braichmelyn. A gorgeous little Air bnb just three minutes drive from Zip World, the fastest zip line in the world apparently. My wonderful ‘almost’ daughter in law and I spent a lovely few hours together bonding and chatting whilst my husband and son zip wired over the quarry lake and carted down hill. We head home tomorrow, calling in on my lovely cousin in Glyndyfrdwy, on the way.

So what have I got to look forward to?

I have three auction purchases waiting for me when I get home, another chair that could potentially be a William Birch, very excited about that, a pretty Georgian wash stand and a Russian box. A grandchild expected in May and the possibility that there could be a second grandchild this year if all goes well. After biting the bullet and doing my first antique fair in years, last weekend, I have booked to do another in march. The visit to the consultant next week will hopefully result in meds that make me function more effectively again and hopefully the meds will always be available, positive thinking, life is good and this year will be great.