What shall I do for 6-12 months sitting on the settee?

[nextdoorneighbours]

I have already decided to learn Spanish, but what else shall I do? All suggestions considered!

Can you hire an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter so you can get out for 'walks' without too much physical effort?

My options, already listed by others, would be online learning (OpenLearn is a good option - no set timings so you can access it at whatever pace suits you), crochet and big data science projects which ask people to get involved - I did one recently where you watched clips from underwater cameras and selected what sea creatures you could see. Also diamond paintings, they look pleasingly therapeutic! Or paint/colour by numbers!

Also, how about using this time to make yourself a list, then do something like write them on lolly sticks and put in a jar so that when you’re feeling really unmotivated you can draw one out. Maybe colour code them in to easier and more involved options.

During Covid, I watched several comedy series right through that I had previously missed. Dinner Ladies with Victoria Wood was really good, as it had a storyline running through it. I loved Derry Girls and am still watching Not Going Out (apparently the longest running British comedy show). I also took to building up a few You Tube playlists with my favourite songs and artists, to keep me cheerful and uplifted. I hope your treatment goes well.

Not to be a bucket of cold water here, but depending on the interval between chemo appointments, you may well find that you are so drained of energy and feeling so nauseous or zonked by anti nausea meds that concentrating is difficult.

Sending you good wishes for your treatment. Try to envision life when it's all finished and you will start to regain strength.

Definitely crochet, knitting or embroidery.
Get into a few good TV series. Get a good stack of books. Buy some travel books and plan your next holiday. Go through/sort out old photos and put them into albums. If you have children or grandchildren, you can buy a book of letters for them to open at later dates or you can get books where you write down lots of things about your life - growing up/differences between childhood and life today, technological changes etc.

Wishing you all the best with your treatment! Xx

Best Wishes for your health. I think it would be good to include a craft in your day. Moving of fingers and joints as best you can will be good and uses different parts of your brain. Coordination is important.
If I were starting Spanish I would also learn and research the history of one of the earlier Kingdoms such as Leon. Find the website of a newspaper in your chosen area.

To be fair, that poster may have only read the OP's first post.

I hope your treatment goes well OP. I would spend the time doing online courses - gateway workshops have a good variety of courses that can be done at your own pace.

A cat to join you? Best wishes for your treatment.

Best wishes for all to go as well as possible!

I have a lot of time each day so have a bunch of different things to choose from depending on what I feel like doing.

Reading is always good. If you have a Kindle or can get the Kindle app on a device, many, many of the classics are free.

If you have or can afford to get an iPad, they are great for filling time, from easy coloring or finding object apps to more brain-challenging words puzzles, etc. I love Evermerge, there are daily boosters available and mini-games to earn things to keep play going.

Most often I'm knitting for family and for donation, doing printed cross-stitch, quilting, or diamond painting.

Something that requires no commitment… crochet and cross stitch are two hobbies(ish) of mine and I’m thinking of giving embroidery a go. Then you’ll have something physical to show for the time spent but it isn’t physically or mentally taxing, and you can pick it up and put it down as and when.

Agreed, it wasn't clear from the outset

I am often bedbound. I feel for you op as it's not easy missing out on things you enjoy

I'd like up some good box sets /films to watch, for when you feel too ill to do something more productive. It's ok to just relax.

Read books? I use storygraph to track what I read which gives me a sense of achievement when I am stuck in bed. I buy books from charity shops/get them from Facebook and then pass them on for free on Facebook (we have a local book swap group). You could join an online book group or a Mumsnet read along

Yougov or similar surveys if you would like to earn a little cash?

How about writing a novel. Maybe an erotic one. A really really hot one. And then you can tell everyone afterwards that you have written a novel but modestly refuse to let them read it whilst secretly smiling at the fact that if you did let them read it it would completely blow their minds!

I had very big plans in a similar situation. In actual fact I did some very easy granny crochet squares and made what has become known as Nanas Poorly Blanket, I read a lot of trashy novels, ate a lot of trashy snacks and cuddled the dog a fair bit. On really good days I did a bit of sewing and eventually produced a pretty backpack that I use every day now. Mostly though in all honestly I dozed in a recliner in front of endless episodes of Homes Under The Hammer. It's 7 years this week since I started my treatment and come next March, I will be officially cured so I guess it was all worthwhile

When my elderly DM lived alone and was ill the community nurses arranged for a lady to call her for a chat each week (no set time).

It really helped her and was a great idea. Perhaps you could do something like that?

Netflix rewatch friends from the beginning and nap

I would learn sign language. I also love making photobooks.

Have a look at Brush Party online. Become an artist! It’s easy, honestly.

Good luck with your treatment

If you can't already crochet you might struggle with the concentration. Cross stitch though anyone can do, and there are some amazing patterns on etsy! I'm working in a stained glass window moana one that will take more than a year at current rates 😅

My very best wishes to you op. And my suggestion is, lego!

Do you have a garden? If so get a comfy chair for outside and decent sun umbrella, Spring onwards sit outside if nice.

Outside again, paint your own bird boxes

Living your dream? Have you actually read ops posts!? Extensive surgeries and chemo and radiotherapy is your dream? Could you be anymore insensitive

That wasnt at all clear in the original post, so it's not fair to attack this poster.

Op keeping in mind you'll be tired and on your good days you might want to be preparing for the bad days, ie online shopping, food prep, I wouldn't do anything too taxing.

Sorting your photo collection, some sort of needle craft (cross stitch, crochet, knit), time to learn an instrument, listen to audio books.

Things that are easy to pick up for 30mins and put down again.