After over twelve months where I haven't been able to deliver any of the 'Expert Patient Programme - Chronic Disease Self Management course' sessions due to my delightful medical conditions, I have finally managed to deliver two sessions from a course. I have also (finally) had my long overdue monitoring assessment. 

Obviously I cannot go into specifics because we value participant confidentiality, but overall it was a good session and I passed with flying colours. It is nice to get it out of the way, though in all honesty it did not bother me at all. 

I am slowly starting to do one or two things, although it is incredibly slow going and does take quite a while. There is a pay-off in terms of time I then have to spend doing, well, nothing but lying on the sofa. But, you know what, it is worth it. I know that there is going to be a trade for having spent so much of my very limited energy doing 'whatever' but it is doing the things that make us happy that makes life worthwhile. 

I honestly do not think it matters how ill or how disabled we are; there is always something that we can do that makes us happy. In my case it is drawing, writing, reading a book and delivering EPP courses to other people who are sick or disabled. I do think that EPP can make a positive difference to people's lives IF they get involved and do the 'exercises' that they're asked to do. 

In every course that I have delivered there has been a point where the participants try to turn it into a 'chat' session and in one way that is great. It means that they are getting along and have gelled as a group. Of course, as the tutor or session leader, it does mean that I have to pull them away from that and get them focussed on whatever the particular activity is. 

There is one activity that I am not sure about. I do not particularly enjoy delivering it, but apparently I am one of the tutors that delivers it well. I think asking people to talk about things such as 'living will' can be difficult. But I also think that it is a very useful thing to know and something that should be talked about more often.