Unfortunately the operation didn\u2019t work out as expected. While from a clinical perspective the operation went fine, practically it didn\u2019t make any improvements. Bryony persisted with it as long as she could but the implant was actually unbearable to use.(she explains it here<\/a>) <\/p>\n The specialists at the hospital were great but there was very little they could do other than tweak settings. The implant manufacturer even flew one of their specialists in from America as they were all very puzzled as to why it hadn\u2019t worked. <\/p>\n To make matters worse shortly after Bryony also lost a considerable amount of hearing in the other ear, to the extent that her hearing aid was doing nothing at all. At the beginning of the year we hoped we were hoping that there would be a life changing shift in her hearing and here we were in the middle of the year and it looked like the life changing shift was happening \u2013 just in the complete opposite direction we wanted!<\/p>\n Bryony wrote three great posts at the time talking about what happened and how she was feeling about it all. <\/p>\n As the months have gone on she has had some improvement, the hearing aid is of use again and while it\u2019s not the same she has adapted to the new level.<\/p>\n While all this has been going on we were trying to move house. We\u2019d lived in the same house for six and a half years but now we have two children there just physically wasn\u2019t the space for us all to live there. This coupled with the fact our oldest, Alice would be going to school the other side of town meant we had make a change. Selling the house wasn\u2019t quite straightforward though, with a recession and depressed housing market our house wasn\u2019t that different from all the other homes for sale. We finally managed it and a house we\u2019d made an offer on some time looked like it\u2019d be a our new home. <\/p>\n With this being the year of challenges though it was never going to be that straightforward. We couldn\u2019t get a mortgage on the new property. With lenders being more cautious we had a hard time getting approved. We had to admit defeat and look at something lower priced which meant we spent a frantic couple of days looking at house while I was on crutches (I’ll come to that in a bit!)<\/p>\n We managed to find something and had our offer accepted. After several weeks of hassle with solicitors, etc we were finally able to move into our new place (I’ve glossed over that \u2013 getting the paperwork sorted and physically moving was a pain in the rear)<\/p>\n We\u2019re actually really happy with the house got instead. It\u2019s located perfectly for the school run, is in a quiet street and there is a park at the end of the road for the children to play on. Maybe these things happen for a reason!<\/p>\n So why was I looking at houses on crutches? <\/p>\n After a very long wait I finally had my knee operation<\/a>.<\/p>\n This wasn\u2019t fun at all and it\u2019s not experience I want to go through again and frustratingly it all happened just as everything was going on with the house move meaning I was looking at potential new houses on crutches. I got some strange looks from the various estate agents we saw. <\/p>\n The operation was in June and since then I\u2019ve had varying levels of physio to get the knee back on track. I\u2019ve even had to join a gym to help with recovery. I\u2019ve never been a fan of the gym and in the past I\u2019ve never needed one as I\u2019ve played enough sport to keep me healthy and fit. <\/p>\n It\u2019s been a long hard slog and consumed a lot of free time and thoughts. Hopefully I\u2019m on the home stretch now. I\u2019ve been discharged from the physio sessions and have to finish the rest of the strengthening work on my own. A couple of weeks ago I played a game of badminton and was able to get around the court normally and had no side effects afterwards. I really don\u2019t want to go through this again. My original goal was to be back playing football in 6-9 months. I will probably change this to be 9-12 months to be on the safe side so currently I\u2019m aiming for the start of the next football season to be fully recovered. <\/p>\n Coupled with plenty of challenges on the business front 2010 has been a year I\u2019d rather not repeat anytime soon. <\/p>\n That said it\u2019s not all entirely doom and gloom.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve also had some really great experiences this year. <\/p>\n In August I turned 30 and Bryony organised a surprise gathering of friends. I was really pleased to see so many of my friends from AMITPRO there. Anyone that thinks a peer group is just all about business<\/a> is missing a trick. Many friendships and relationships are made there and I\u2019m really proud to be a part of AMITPRO. <\/p>\n As well as my birthday it\u2019s been great spending time with AMITPRO friends at Pecha Kucha<\/a>, the Replay event in Blackpool<\/a>, the Retro Computer Museum<\/a>, and the Vintage Computer Festival <\/a><\/p>\n Speaking at three different user groups (AMITPRO<\/a>, Manchester<\/a> and Reading<\/a>) has also been a great experience. Standing up in front of a group of people and talking is not something I thought I\u2019d ever be able to do yet here I am at the point where I actually enjoy it though enjoying it and being any good at it are two different things! I\u2019ve got lots to improve on.<\/p>\n I was even fortunate to be named on the SMB Nation Top 150 list for 2010<\/a>. I was very surprised by this, especially when I look down the list and see some of the other names on there.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve sucked at blogging an awful lot this year for various reasons. I\u2019m annoyed that it\u2019s the last day of 2010 and this is my first post in December. <\/p>\n Thanks to everyone who has made the effort to read the blog and leave comments this year. As bad as I\u2019ve been at it this year I still love doing it so hopefully I\u2019ll pull my finger out more next year.<\/p>\n Also thanks to everyone I\u2019ve interacted with this year. Whether it\u2019s been virtually through Facebook, Twitter, Xbox Live, etc or in person I appreciate your thoughts, company and input. <\/p>\n Finally, one thing that makes any hardship during any particular day go away is coming home to my kids. They have both grown so much during 2010 and I\u2019ll leave it to them to wish you a happy new year!<\/p>\nScared is not the word<\/a><\/h3>\n
A life of complete silence<\/a><\/h3>\n
A life of complete Silence #2 \u2013 Working at work, working at home<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Xmas](\"https:\/\/andyparkes.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/Xmas-2010_thumb.jpg\" "\\"Xmas")
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