I have received two postal reminders, an email and a text message over the last fortnight – from the garage that performed the MOT test on my car last September, hoping for the repeat business. For those outside the UK – the MOT (Ministry of Transport) test is a yearly requirement to enable you to legally use your vehicle on the road. It checks such things as your steering, wheels and their bearings, lights, horn, washers and wipers, exhaust, brakes, suspension, etc. to ensure that, on the day of testing, your vehicle meets the criteria set out by the Ministry of Transport. I check on the government’s website, and see that my current certificate runs out on the 25th of September, so I decide to book my car in for a test next week and ring the garage to make an appointment. “When would you like?”, asked the mechanic. “Next week”, I replied. “I’ve got one this afternoon” he suggests. Why not? The sooner the better, really. “Okay”, I said, acting on impulse, “that’ll be great”.
Dog walk. Popmaster. I load the dishwasher, put it on, and then trundle over to Fairview Garage, in Smallburgh for my 2.30pm appointment.
The test takes around about an hour, and so I sit in the waiting area and watch the mechanic crawling over and under my precious car. I am stressed to a certain degree by this (stupid, I know) and my right leg starts a good old shake. Worse than the tremor is the dystonia, which is causing the toes of my right foot to curl over until they are almost under my foot – bloody uncomfortable! I’m glad that I have brought my DBS remote control out with me, and I adjust the right hand voltage up by two notches (0.1v) to 2.25v, leaving the left side alone at 2.05v. Instant relief. Not so instant is the dyskinesia which creeps up on me insidiously. I also need to keep a close watch on my mood to ensure I don’t cause distress to my wife, should it become any more impulsive than it already is!
My car fails the test, which wasn’t entirely unexpected, particularly as I had forgotten that the ABS wasn’t working, so I leave the garage with a list of things that need to be done. When I get home I call Autowerke, the Porsche specialist in Norwich, and get the car booked in to have the necessary work done.
Tremor in my right leg is still bugging me, so I self-medicate with a little cannabis and the take the dog for her afternoon walk before my wife gets home from work. My balance and walking are not wonderful today, and my voice is very weak by the time evening comes around. My mood is still fairly good, and my energy levels a little better than yesterday, although I notice that I am getting irritated very easily and have to watch myself quite closely. A post-dinner beer helps me to relax a little, and I think some more cannabis just before going to bed will help me get a decent night’s sleep.