Back to work next week

Well, my short time at work this morning to assess if I could climb on and off a train and drive without any further stress to my shoulder went OK. My sick note expires on Monday, so I'll go and see my doctor then and ask him if I'm doing the right thing by returning to work. I'm sure he'll say it's fine.

So by Tuesday I should be back at the pointy end of a train! (I know our trains don't have pointy ends, but that's just traditional train driver speak for being at the front!) LUL are still going to release me for a few hours to allow me to continue my physiotherapy until the problem is completely sorted.

By the way, the more observant of you may have noticed I've now added a clock to the blog! Also the picture showing in lieu of a photograph is the official District line logo.

It's Not Just Us Train Drivers Going The Wrong Way!

Lovely story on the BBC Website, although I'm not sure those involved would think it was lovely!

Basically, it's a story about a pilot who landed at a military airfield instead of the City of Derry airport. Train drivers often take 'wrong signals' (for example at Hanger Lane Junction where the Piccadilly heads towards North Ealing and Rayners Lane, and the District goes to Ealing Broadway), but I thought aircraft were fitted out with computers which direct the pilots? And surely the Air Traffic Controller should have seen the plane landing at the wrong airfield?

Anyway, it makes a District line train up at South Harrow seem quite insignificant in comparison, and at least we can blame the signaller for setting the wrong route in the first place! (You know how much I love my signaller colleagues!!)

Just so you know, I'm feeling a LOT better now, and have not needed the painkillers since Tuesday! I am in at work later today (Thursday) for a 'disability test' (at my own request) just to make sure I can still climb in and out of the train cab (it's a long drop down to the ballast if we need to use a signal phone!). Also to make sure that I can drive the train comfortably. The controller on a D stock is on the right hand side, and obviously if it's going to put my right shoulder under too much stress by returning to work, then I'll have to have more time off until it's completely healed. I'll let you know later!

Update.

Well, had my next physio session at Richmond Physiotherapy this morning, and I have to say the young lady who is sorting me out, Pippa, is doing a marvellous job!
She's really 'hit the nerve' if you pardon the pun and seems to have almost sorted me out already! I'm now trying to go without taking the painkillers (I hate taking tablets anyway!) and although I still have some discomfort, I feel about 80% better than I did!

I now have feelings in my middle finger which has been virtually numb for four weeks!
Hopefully I'll be back to work before long.

By the way, can I just say it's great to see the Station Master has reconsidered his decision to end his blog! It was he, along with Tube Dude and Great Orme who got me blogging in the first place!

Still sick!

Well it's been 3 weeks now. I hate being sick, and the last time I had this problem a few years ago, I was off for almost 3 months. Hopefully it won't take quite as long this time, as LUL are paying to get me private physiotherapy to get me back to work quicker.
My first session is tomorrow. I've also been referred to an NHS physio by my GP, however the waiting lists for that are huge, so I'm grateful to my employers for arranging the private physio.

Apart from anything else, I'm bored rigid staying at home all the time, and it's bloody painful to sit or lie in certain positions.
Let's hope the physio has some effect and gets me back to work soon!

Sick

Unfortunately, an old ailment of mine seems to be cropping up again, so there will be no blog updates for a while until I feel a bit better. Sorry!