The Story So Far...

Well, I may as well start this with the story so far.... what has happened, what is supposed to be happening, and what we, as a family, want for the future.

Here goes....

I married Dave in December 2003, knowing full well he was in the British Army and would possibly mean moving about.

I moved from Ipswich in Suffolk to deepest darkest Warminster in Wiltshire, to start our new life together.

Jessica was born in July 2004, and was an absolute treasure, especially as suddenly and unexpectedly at 2 weeks old, her Grandma, my mother, died at home aged 48.

Life was a rollercoaster while Jessica was little, but I fell pregnant again in January 2005 with Rebecca.

We were posted to Colchester in Essex in March 2005 on compassionate grounds in order I was closer to my family.

During this time, Dave had been undergoing tests and scans, that revealed not only problems with the discs in his lower back, but also problems with his left knee.

The Army has concluded there is nothing medically possible they can do for his back and it will be an on-going issue for the rest of his life.

With regards to the problems with his left knee, he under-went surgery in November 2005 to remove some of the cartlidge to eliminate the pain and according to doctors at the time, should be back on his feet after 2 weeks.

Unfortunately, things didn't go to plan. Dave experienced increased pain and a lot of swelling and fluid retention on his knee post-surgery. He was having fortnightly visists to his surgeon to monitor his condition.

Eventually in March 2006, Dave was able to return to work, but was advised to take things as easy as possible (he is a chef, so not really an easy job!) and take it steady.

Within weeks of being back at work, on his feet for 10 hours a day with little or no breaks, his knee was swelling and causing increased pain. Further tests by the medical team and his surgeon found that he had torn what was left of the cartlidge quite severely, something the surgeon put down to returning to work too soon.

A further operation took place in July 2006 and he now has very little cartlidge left in his right knee, meaning he is at a much higher risk of Arthritis in years to come.

We were hoping this operation would be the end of it, and we would be "back to normal" within a matter of weeks, but it wasn't to be. Yet again, the knee was swollen and fluid was retained, meaning more visits to his surgeon.

The decision was taken that Dave would return to work on light duties (paperwork based!) in September 2006 as he was still on crutches, and because of Health and Safety, crutches are not permitted in the working kitchen.

Since September, Dave has had increased pain now in his right knee, with the conclusion it is probably the same issue as with his left knee. Unfortunately, in September, the Army took the decision that Dave was no longer fit to carry out his usual job within the Army, and rather than medically discharge him - which would mean a payout - they took the decision to issue an Admin Discharge under medical grounds...... and you hear me cry - WHATS THE DIFFERENCE??? The Army are obviously trying to save money to pay for the posh swanky new camp they have just built here, or more crap kit to send the lads away for months on end to war-torn countries that should never have happened!!

So, at the end of September, and paperwork is filed for this so-called Admin Discharge, and we are given a time-frame of 2 weeks for getting a discharge date. I immediately go into panic mode, trying to work out where we will live, whether I can get a job so Dave can stay at home (his wishes and mine tbh!) and how we will cope financially as we are still paying off old debts from before we got married.

2 weeks go by and we are still none the wiser.... nothing has been heard by anyone. Another 2 weeks, and still nothing. This is beginning to really annoy me!

Fast forward to December 3rd - today - we STILL don't know what's happening. Upon speaking with his boss on Tuesday 28th November, Dave is told there is apparently a medical meeting being held to discuss the situation. My immediate concerns are.... why hasnt Dave been made aware, why isnt he present at the meeting or possibly, is there a glimmer of hope that the Army have messed up and are actually considering a Medical Discharge - I know, I know, Im dreaming!

Obviously, with Christmas just a matter of weeks away, and money being tighter than tight, we are praying that no final decision comes before the New Year. Im praying for a new start in 2007 and a chance to really start again. My girls have had a rollercoaster start to their lives and we really want what is best for them, living near people that really care about them.

So, now you know the nightmare that has been the last 3 years (bar the births of my girls obviously) lets see if we can finally get things moving!

I will post again with regular updates, and also give you an insight into what I need to get sorted before it does happen!