Hmmm, Just As Well That I Have A Good Relationship...

with my Consultant(after 10 years)I suppose it's not so unlikely.

I saw him today and he asked after Mum which is a nice gesture and my treatment has not been reduced but no shocks.

Its nothing to do with him but I told him of my other medical problem. He guessed where it was and when I suggested that water retention when I took ill could be the reason why it happened, he agreed that was a possibility.

So that suggests to me that it is quite a common problem that he comes across.

Naturally, if/when I decide or am forced to be fixed that will be arranged by my Dr and it will mean seeing another consultant who has that as his speciality. My Consultant said it would depend if the Consultant would say yes to the operation but I think that I have no choice.

One reason for delaying this surgery is the original condition.

I cannot say that I will manage to but I am going to try to last until next year before I get fixed. So I won't be straying very far from home or standing/walking much. So there will be lots of laying around and doing as little as possible.

It could all be taken out of my hands suddenly...and of course I am keeping a watch on Mum.

Good And Bad...

Mum in general is remarkable...

She is doing all her exercises, walking about the house and will often get up and just do it!

She also has come to terms with many things and seems to be in a comfortable place. Rightly or wrongly she has also in many cases started to walk without walking sticks or using only one.

Mum does not like or find it easy using two.

I try to insist that she uses them just a while longer until her Consultant says it is ok as I think there may be a reason for using sticks, to take some of the weight off the hip and legs.

I have read that further advancements have been made in hip replacement surgery and that operations that perhaps once only lasted 10-15 years before another operation is often required and adjustments made to the original work...now in many cases a hip operation can be extended to 25 years. It is something to do with adding vitamin E to stop oxygen reacting with free radical in the body which can break down the plastic lining that is placed in the socket area.

It is only carried out in twenty centres in the UK and I cannot find out if where Mum had her operation is one of them. As Mum was operated on via the National Health Service perhaps this new procedure is only carried out at private medicine centres.

At present if we have any concerns or worries it is still mainly during the early hours when you are supposed to sleep. And I do need to keep an eye on Mum and be ready to help her if I hear her moving around her bedroom or walking to the toilet.

I leave the landing light on all night so if she comes out of her room she has everything well lit. I would not want on these dark nights or mornings her falling downstairs again as she did at the end of last year.

The person who is having a difficult time at present is me. I suspect unless things settle down, I shall be having to think about admitting I need to go into hospital and have my hernia fixed. I have been having occasions where it is so large and painful and panic has set in where I think I can not get it back into place but where to put Mum whilst I am being fixed?

Also, I keep hoping as the hernia is now in a different area to where it used to be I keep hoping if I leave it, it may settle down and I can avoid surgery. The disadvantage having kidney problems is if they do not anaesthetise you correctly they can damage your kidneys so it is understandable me trying to avoid having an operation. But it causes so many problems very quickly, I can do very little. So I will just have to see how things go. I know it restricts what I can do and I cannot go far away for long but I am fortunate that I can stay very close to home.

Not connected to anything but I have been having a reoccurring dream...Cannot remember if I have mentioned this before...

Two elements to it...one revolves around my pet rabbit...I suddenly realise that I have not fed her for ages and get a panic on and rush to save her. Usually, she's ok but other times she is distressed or not in a very good state.

The other element involves a place where I always enjoyed lots of lovely holidays especially during my childhood, Bournemouth. It always involves not wanting to come home and stay there or knowing I am coming home and I have not managed to see the beach and sea or go shopping for some gift to bring home from my holiday.

I'm not sure why I have started to have these dreams, I don't remember many if any of the dreams I have and I certainly did not dream either of these until recent times.

Bonus Tracks...

You'll have noticed a pattern in my music choices lately, that I am into lush orchestral or big band arrangements by the artists I have been acquiring so when I came across Harry Connick Jr singing a song on the UK version of Strictly Come Dancing the other night, I thought for a Hollywood actor/vocalist to travel all the way to the UK to sing one song it was a fair bet he was probably doing so because he had a new album out.

I searched the internet and found that was the case...I listened to some online excerpts and decided the album was worth having so I have ordered it and await it to drop on the doormat.

Some further research also shows that is some countries his new album has extra bonus tracks...the European version comes out with 15 tracks I believe which is reasonable value(I like the idea of more music for the money I spend)but then when I see that in Japan they have additional tracks not on the version I will be buying...It is does anger me some what.

But I certainly(unless they are available as downloads)have no intention of buying another copy just to get those extra songs. I could also understand some fans or music buyers if they decided to obtain those tracks dishonestly.

Harry Connick Jr is not the only artist to offer extra material in different markets, it seems to be a practice that is normal in the music business these days.

One Of Those Days..

After a reasonable couple of nights and not too bad days...I was awake up until after 3am and all seemed fine...

Then at 6.50am I heard something go over in Mum's room and I walked in to find she was in bed but the pillows were on the floor, the bedside table and everything on it overturned and the bedclothes untidy but she was on her back straight as she should be and asleep.

So I think from now on I may stay up through the night and keep a closer eye on Mum and catch up on my sleep during the day. Daytime seem not to be a problem.

She was also extremely tired this morning so I felt/wondered if my Consultant(whether the news was good or bad)give me my results over the phone.

I talked to his secretary and she went and asked him explaining the situation...By the time the taxi was due to take me through to the hospital I had heard nothing so I risked going through...

I was greeted with "We were not expecting you!" "We thought you were not coming!" "We have tried to phone you!"

I suspect they phoned whilst I was in the taxi...

As I had turned up I thought he might see me but instead I was told the good news that my blood tests were fine, I did not need to see him but because of this I had paid a taxi fare there and back, I could've saved almost £30...if they'd phoned before I travelled to the hospital!

Anyhow, that's good news regarding my tests at least...another appointment is being made but I don't know if that will be sooner or approx 2 months time as has been the case lately as the appointment is being arranged by mail rather than arranged as I usual do after I have seen him.

Mum is very sleepy today and so when the OT turned up today it was not going to be a good day but the annoying thing is that this person turned up saying again that Mum has not been doing her exercises and Mum has been, so rightly or wrongly I decided to say that I was unhappy with this lady's boss who we had on Monday and that if Mum had caught what was being said Mum would've corrected her and I admitted that I was unhappy and could've had an argument the other day but I again said that I appreciate that the public can be funny but we are so easy to get on with and we dislike creating un-necessary trouble.

I don't care if it gets back(as I am sure it will)should I/we have kept our mouths shut...I don't know...

The trouble is no one says until they visit what they are coming for...today this one sprung on us that she wanted Mum to walk up the garden path...it's been raining, it's cold etc...we don't really have a garden path...there is a drive at the front of the house which is on an incline and the garden at the back of the house has a narrow path and again it is on an incline.

Even when Mum was well she didn't really walk around the garden she tended to sit in the porch in a chair and look at the garden and only walk outside if she was going out somewhere.

This lady decided Mum was so tired that she would leave it today so was only here for maybe 5 minutes, she's coming back on Tuesday at 1.30pm but what she will do then I don't know.

Before she left Mum was determined to let her know that she had walked up and down the stairs often these last few days...and had been doing her exercises so she did show some of what she could do. Hopefully Mum will prove this more on Tuesday.

Must go back and read earlier posts but Mum gave me a shock, I know she wants to get better but she came downstairs to eat the evening meal as I was making it I heard some noises, went into the lounge and found her armchair was empty and she wasn't in the room...I found her almost at the top of the stairs going upstairs :shock:

And I don't know if she did(she says not)but I am sure she was using the wrong leg for going up which I stopped but of course she was using her sticks not the banister and even without spoiling the good work the surgeon did, initially as it's early days what if she had fallen again and down the stairs...

To Get Away From Illness...

Unless things go seriously wrong for me tomorrow when I see my Consultant...

For now We are back to having lovely meals and deserts...and maybe I should've had one before but I invested in a table on castor's that you can bring across a bed or armchair and alter the height accordingly(not unlike the kind you see in hospital)it will make eating a meal much easier for Mum.

It wasn't cheap so I'll just continue with a tray on my knees. Having two is extravagant.

Also in the last six weeks I have treated myself to some cd's...the latest two being Michael Bublé's new album Crazy Love and Barbra Streisand's Love Is The Answer. That is the first time I have ever purchased an album by Barbra.

Another good buy some weeks ago was nine albums(a box set)by Abba for less than the cost of two single albums. And the new album celebrating fifty years of Cliff Richard and The Shadows where they have taken some of their early hits(plus some new tracks)and reworked them.

So I think it has been quite a good time music wise for me.

Is this unusual? Lately, when I have purchased CD's(even those I really really want)Once I would've rushed home and could not wait to get them into the cd player and listen to the whole album...now I sometimes wait days before doing so or in the case of these CD's I have been jumping through the tracks and listening to perhaps only 15-20 seconds...but will listen later.

Heal Thy Self...

I suddenly thought, no one is checking Mum's operation wound.

They dressed it approx 8-10 days afterwards at the hospital they transferred her to for rehab and they liked how it was going on...the next day they took the staples out...If it had been looked at again and dressed just before she was discharged last Friday that would have been ok..

But since then...Nothing!

On her discharge letter they have nurses coming out at night to give blood clot prevention injections but the last of those is tomorrow night!

I phoned the GP surgery I was referred to the District Nurse service, they said a referral is needed from the hospital, I phoned them they are saying I did right to contact and they are now pulling out her details and going to call me back to see what happens next and who will/should be looking at Mum's wound. When things are going seemingly so well I would hate this to be a setback. If they said she has to go back into hospital that really would be upsetting for both of us.

So many numbers and departments to deal with. All Mum requires is a wound to be checked and dressed.

Update: Nurse has just been and she took the dressing off(Turns out she was the District Nurse after all)

A big scar certainly but it is healing well and it will probably fade still further and she said it is one of the neatest she has seen...

Care In The Community...

Well, we've just had a visit from the Early Outreach team of the hospital to assess Mum in the home. The Senior Physio called.

What a horrible woman! I took an instant dislike to her and I know Mum disliked her too. It's something that happens so rarely.

Mum has been doing all the exercises she was shown in hospital I have seen her doing so but this person insisted otherwise, practically saying Mum had not exercised since coming home...Mum has also been walking around her bedroom, to the bathroom and toilet, along the landing just for the sake of doing so...the only thing Mum and I needed was some advice on how to go downstairs via the stairs.

I didn't like the questions we were asked either. And many had already been asked numerous times. The quicker they stop calling(if the rest are like this person the better)I cannot really say there was a point to her visit. There wasn't a hint of compassion or encouragement. Mum asked if she was happy with her progress considering she's only been home since Friday. She would not commit. There was a coldness.

They all seem to have a problem about walking around the house and going into other rooms to see what's going on...if you have a large family and lots of visitors you may use the lounge and kitchen as a kind of meeting place. Friends and family passing through but when there only two of you even before Mum's fall we only stuck to the lounge and/or bedrooms. Once the meal is cooked in the kitchen we have no other use for it.

This person(many who work in this department)seem to think we want to keep popping into the dining room for example...why? We don't use it!

Equally, why would we want to keep popping into the kitchen to see what the other is doing? Especially, if you can hear each other as the rooms are so close to one another.

They are obsessed about not being in a bedroom. Many people young and old use a bedroom for more than just sleeping these days, it can be a place where the pc is, a tv, a telephone, a radio. Where you read a book, relax and listen to music sitting in a chair or laying on a bed. It can be warmer than downstairs etc...

I really don't know what the difference is whether you are in a bedroom or a lounge. It does not mean that you are depressed because you are in a bedroom. One of the nurses who is giving Mum her injections to stop blood clots has said herself that she loves her own bedroom.

Apart from the stairs(and Mum will walk up and down the stairs for the exercise)I can see no difference walking around a house to a bedroom and a landing.

The annoying thing is that the OT who assessed Mum all but accused Mum of doing no exercises since coming home...as an example Mum has done her exercises today and has been up and downstairs and in the last few hours she has walked around her bedroom numerous times, looked out of the window, walked along the landing numerous times etc...which does not match what she suggested and has probably written in her report.

Mum is trying to be independent which is what they want but as in any home you usually share tasks and/or do things for each other. But every day can be different, in a job you may have clear cut rules as to what everyone is allowed to do but at home probably it's less likely(well, it is in my home)

My auntie lives in what is a bedsit in all but name...you have to go up some stairs when you enter the property and then she has a bathroom/toilet, bedrooms and a kitchen but it is all on one level so what would they say to her if she stays in her bedroom which has to act as a bit of everything?

The problem is with so many of those who have been supposedly helping Mum one says one thing and another says something else...that has happened too often...They have a template and everyone has to fit it and often Humans have too many variables.

I don't feel that this home visitor was a good communicator with the public. A friend suggested a good word for this person's attitude...abrupt or brusque! To think that she is in charge, I wouldn't like her as my boss.

Now The Real Work Begins...

Mum's all mixed up emotionally...she's reasonably happy with the changes to the home...most happy with the banisters...the chair they've put in the lounge isn't comfortable and she'd the seat to be wider(there's not much room to sit on it)She cannot imagine sitting on it for long so I may have to switch the bedroom armchair with that one.

We may have to buy one if we can find the right kind.

They'll have to advise.

There is someone coming out to see Mum on Monday and Thursday(not sure what they are doing)I can see they have her down to see her consultant in 6 weeks at the hospital. The medicines are to remain the same but they have stopped her taking the blood pressure tablet.

They would not allow her the Zimmer frame no matter how I pressed for one. I have seen the same one on the net so If I cannot buy one locally, I'll order one online.

The District Nurse will come out for the next 7 days to give Mum her injections then they stop.

It seems a silly rule to me but I assume they think she'll be more independent but I know she walks quicker with a Zimmer and if she's indoors...it would be ok if they'd accept she'll use both...I like the Zimmer for using through the night...

Unless they believe she'll get stronger and walk straighter? I have never ever been given a reason...

We are already thinking of getting some armchairs for downstairs. But again they must be the correct height...

It will be a learning curve for both of us and I hope as time goes by Mum improves.

Homeward Bound...

So having had a visit earlier in the week from Hospital staff to decide what we need in the home to get Mum home as quickly as possible, the person arrived yesterday to make the modest changes to the house and having arrived late and following the directions from her colleague...most of those changes were knocked on the head and she returns tomorrow to start again.

Basically, all that has changed(or will change)is the addition of a stair banister, a bath board, the toilet raised, bed raised and they are sending a chair for Mum to use when in the lounge.

In time if Mum continues to improve, in perhaps 4-5 weeks she may be able to discard some of these pieces of equipment and they hope that she will be walking using only one walking stick. The plan is six weeks of physio at home but the occasional check up at hospital.

But we are still thinking of installing a stair lift. And especially for possibly walking around in the night I believe Mum should have a zimmer frame for extra support and keep Mum steady and the Dr at the hospital had said Mum could work between the two so if they still refuse to give Mum one, I'll buy her one.

So unless something crops up to change things, Mum is due to return home at 3pm later today.

The hospital are supposed to have arranged for the treatment she has been receiving to continue at home but if that hasn't, I have been given a number to phone.

If I had not got her home today, we'd have had to wait until next week and we don't wish to add any un-necessary time to her stay in hospital it has been so boring mainly because(I am sure you won't be surprised that)the tv is still not working beside her bedside but at least we have had our money returned. And that still leaves another 4 tv's in that room out of action.

So we are probably quite a way from saying this is all behind us but at present it is working out much better than we may've thought but what has dragged this out was the repetitive boredom which has not helped her mental well being. And contrary to what some staff said she has not been laid in bed for hours but as some friends commented sitting in a chair for 14 hours is not comfortable for anyone and not when you have a crushed vertebrae so you should be allowed to have a lay down to ease your back for an hour every so often.

Well, when she is home we can decide what happens and also work around what they want Mum to do.