panik | Barnsley Hospital

Mum's not coming home, yet. Her blood thinned too dramatically on the Warfarin and they had to give her an injection of vitamin k; they've changed her dose and re-balanced the hundred and one other drugs she also takes and we have to wait another 48 hours before they'll know if she's stable.

::heaves a mighty sigh::

You know, it's really lucky that Mark and I work from home (when we work at all) or it could all have been a bit sticky. Dad's condition means he's really not safe to drive any more - in fact his car is off the road with a dodgy exhaust and the tax and insurance are out of date. Getting to the hospital from a remote spot like this would take 3 buses and he'd never remember or cope (and how long would that take?) The hospital run their own out of town patient taxi but it only comes out here 2ce a week. he'd be so stuck if we were forced to go home to go back to work.

Jackie, the memory doc came to the house yesterday with all dad's blood and psych tests. They're pretty sure his problems aren't Alzheimer’s, just normal degeneration possibly exacerbated by shock and the fact he sits indoors with mum all the time nowadays. He needs to work his brain, basically.

He used to be a chess champion so we've bought him a chess game and we're looking into local chess clubs too. I'm not sure how much it'll help, but at least it might re-ignite an interest, and he won't have to learn new skills for that.

One hour gap between the above and this... Our spanky new bed has arrived from California. Mercifully the enormous thing is in two halves so it shouldn't limit our house search too much. ::G:: But, it's only 2/3 of the whole - minus its frame - ::sighs again:: Of course, the UK shippers say that's all they received; no doubt the US shippers will say 'we sent it all'.

Man.

::heads out to do mighty battle via email::

Hamish the dog appears to be in love with one of the delivery guys; he was all over him, followed him to the van - was all set to go back to Mildenhall. Maybe they were lovers in a former life? He wouldn't come back in the house and is all disconcerted and difficult now that the guys have left.

It was a quiet night at the hospital last night, nothing interesting to report, alas - though the new patient in the corner bed is actually a nurse at Barnsley Hospital and looks like she might be a bit of a case (as we say up north). I shall keep you all informed... (o:

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Oh dear... I wish there was something more I could do than send good wishes and karmic hugs to you all...

Naw, it's OK hon, it's one of those things, ain't it? I mean, when mum does come home there's going to be a whole raft of new problems to deal with, ut at least Dad will be more settled.

Thanks for the karmic hugs! Mmmm. Lemon flavour, my favourite!

Always something, isn't it? {{{Gilly}}}

Indeed. (o:

::hugs you back::

I wish there was something I could do to make it all better and get everything sorted for you. ::hugs tightly and sends all the good vibes she can muster:: Good luck getting your dad going. I hope the chess thing works but at least you know it's not Altzheimer;s, which is good.

Take care of yourself, and good luck dealing with the bed company.

Hi... I'm between visits (sigh) - Thanks for the good wishes.

Oh, s'OK, it's just what happens when you get old. Don't get old!

So sorry to hear your mum's not able to come home yet. Hopefully they will get her stabilized soon though. The chess thing for your dad does sound a good idea. It really is so important to keep exercising the mind, especially as you get older.

Anyway, here's to good news soon!

(((((((Gilly))))))))

Yeah, I keep telling them; they were both very active, had a great social life, then mum got ill and couldn't do much and everything went on the slide.

Thanks for the hugs, hon. Right back atcha. ::G::

*huge hugs* Sorry I haven't commented before, honey, our electric has been out for two days, so I'm just catching up with everything. I hope your mum gets better and comes home soon. xxx

Oh wow, are you still having trouble down there??! O:

Glad things are getting back to normal for you, anyway. Thanks for the good wishes.

{{{{{you}}}}}

Do you live close to there? I visited Cambridge (grandmum and great uncle lived there for years,) and I was still active duty US military and flew out of Mildenhall to head back to the states.

Gosh no; we're almost literally the other end of the country, in Yorkshire. I used to live in Bedford, many moons ago, though which is nearish.

And they delivered your bed from there?

It came from California - went to a shipper in NJ, from there to Felixtowe, then a haulage company based in Mildenhall brought it here to penis One. Yup. (o:

It's a well travelled bed. It has mileage. I daren't even begin to calculate its carbon footprint.

Aw, how frustrating that your mom can't come home yet...hopefully things will go well over the next few days and she'll be able to...

And is that the bed from the Sheraton that you've received?

Yup; the mighty Sheraton bed! It doesn't look half so mighty on its side in the garage, mind. (o: It's usefully come in bits so we can get it up a cottage's steps; the mattress might be a problem, though. It's HUGE! ::G::

I hope she'll be better before the weekend, though I snaffed her notes and her blood is still distressingly thin. )o: Fingers crossed, anyway.

Sorry to hear your mother needs to stay more in the hospital. Those places are strange and whole universe universes where so many things happen some beautiful, some very sad, other funny or cheerful. I had to be there a lot for both my parents. We had to be vigilent so many mistakes were done by the overtired medical teams.
And I found the brain issues of my mother very much hard to endure than any other illness of theirs.
Your parents are lucky you can be free to be there this much for them.
You and your family will be in my prayers .
And I'm sure your humour will be a precious help for each and every one around.

Thanks as always for your wonderful words of wisdom and strength, honey. All the good wishes are much appreciated.

Mum seems much brighter today, though her blood is still very thin, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for the weekend. (o:

Ah sweetie - if I had a magic wand I'd wave it and make it all better.

I wish it was better news for your mum, but if she's not right, best they keep her in a few extra days and get her sorted properly. You must be worn out dealing with it all.

::sends hugs, garlic bread and G&T's::

Aw hon. I wishes you had a magic wand, too" Aside from the wonders of Magyk, I'd love to see you in sparkled pink organza and faerie wings. Maybe suspended on a wire above a toadstool? (o:

Everyone is indeed VERY tired, not to mention broke (it's costing a FORTUNE driving to and from Barnsley 2ce a day!) but, it's all for the good, if they can keep the Mother Unit running a bit longer. (o:

We're looking for a place nearby; as soon as mum's well enough to come home and we're sure she's more or less stable, we'll have to go home and really work on the Withnell house and get it on the market so we can move closer. I shall miss my old house though, but, hey ho... there are some things you have to do.

Thanks for the hugs and the bread! Mmmmm.... soo good! (o: {{{huggles you hard}}}

::hugs you back, long and hard::

Hoping you get good news soon. Take good care of yourself, now. *high desert hugs*

Thanks so much.

Oooh, high desert hugs? ::Has huge fun exploring new brand of hug::

Does your dad have symptoms other than memory loss? My father had failing memory along with difficulty walking. Very similar to Alzheimers. Dr's thought for years that it was aging related, but turned out he had a condition called NPH (normal pressure hydrocephelus). They put a shunt in and now he's fine.

Sending best wishes your way. Anna

Thanks for the best wishes, hon.

NPH - I never heard of that, does it show up on a blood or psych test?

He has no other symptoms than a really poor memory. he's fine cognitavely, no problems understanding anything and knows he should remember, he just doesn't. He's 80 years old - we've got him in the chess club, anyhow, see if that helps.

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