Dear Readers, one year ago today I was carrying a suitcase downstairs at East Finchley Station when I slipped, and ended up with a spiral fracture of the tibia. And what a year it’s been! I have made lots of new friends, have gained a much better understanding of what it is to live with mobility issues, and have an even greater appreciation of the NHS and the ambulance service.

It wasn’t the year I was planning on having – we were on our way for our annual walking trip to Obergurgl in Austria, but Easyjet had cancelled the flight and we were heading home, planning to fly with Lufthansa the next day. Instead, I spent months hobbling around. I watched way more of the Olympics than I’d ever done before, and gradually, gradually my strength and confidence started to come back.

The fall that broke my leg was the fourth that I’d had in six months, so once I was relatively mobile again, I started trying to find out what was going on. I was diagnosed with hypermobility, which explained why my ankles always seemed to bend way too far when I stumbled – I went to see a podiatrist and am now the proud owner of some very nifty orthotics, which seem to keep everything much more where it should be.

I had also been noticing that my feet were numb, and so this made me go to the doctor to find out why. We’ve ruled out B12 deficiency, diabetes and all the normal causes of peripheral neuropathy but, as my poor Mum had severe neuropathy from thirty years of age, we did some genetic testing. It shows that I do have a number of gene variants that are associated with neuropathy, but none that indicate any of the syndromes that have been identified as having neuropathy as a component. In other words, here I am, and I’ll just have to be careful and adapt to the fact that I increasingly can’t feel my feet.

I am doing pilates, and have been working with my particular teacher for nearly twenty years, so we do a lot of work on balance and on strengthening those pesky ankles. Fingers crossed that it helps me maintain and even improve my mobility.

As it is, I have my very fancy walking stick – I don’t need it for weight-bearing, but it is a very useful ‘third leg’ for balance purposes if I’m out and about. And if it hadn’t been for my broken leg, I would probably still not have dug into the causes of my falls. At least now I have a better idea of what’s going on.

And, shortly, we will be heading off to Austria again – same early morning plane, same overnight stay at Gatwick. Let’s hope that we actually get there this time.