my past 2 weeks...

phew! anyone who read my blog last week (its been a bad week) will have seen that we have been going through a tough time the past 2 weeks.

Well. I am not writing this from Vietnam which is where we planned to be today our challenge . I am sat at home on the sofa writing my blog.

They operated on YD to discover that she has been walking around with a rupture in her appendix. which had made her insides a bit nasty! well she is now minus an appendix and has had her insides jet washed and is feeling better. Just sore and hobbely. (walking like an old lady). the strain of up and downing to the hospital and back each day has left LSP and I Shattered. So on the day we were due to fly to the other side of the world we were bringing her home from hospital.

BS. big sister has gall stones, they are not planing to operate until January so she has been sent home with a very low fat diet plan. She has gone to stay with her partner's family in Wales for a few days to recuperate.

Nan, well Nan is on the mend and hoping to come out of hospital next week. the is regaining her mobility!
The sad thing about Nan is that Today is her 85th Birthday. It was not in her plan to be spending it in Hospital and this makes her a bit sad. At least she will still get to see us all as we pop in and see her through the day.

It has been a very tough couple of weeks.

However we are lucky. In hospital we met people who's relatives have also been in for some time. Each day they make the journey in to see their loved ones. for some the prognosis is not so good. They are making the most of the time they have left. We are lucky, 3 of family have gone in and 3 are coming out.


When my Nan was feeling down and talking about dying, I told her quite firmly that I am not ready for her to die just yet so she had better stick around for a few more years as I need her. (yes I am selfish.)

LSP's family have been very supportive and our friends have been great. Here's hoping for a calmer week ahead.

Here are some photo highlights!

Well the soup is now ready (LSP's Tattie soup) so its a quick bowl of soup then off to the hospital I go.

Its been a bad week.

this morning, we have to take the Labrador to the vet, the spaniel ran into the Labrador's  left leg and now she has a limp. I am trying to write this with her sprawled across my lap. (its not easy)

Normally taking the dog to a vet would be a major event. However, this has been a terrible week.

Last Saturday I had cycled to Cirencester, it had been a long 26 mile cycle (I did lose the path several times).
When I arrived I phoned LSP only to find that my Nan had been rushed into hospital following a fall. I started to cycle home and whilst trying to work out the quickest way made a mercy call to my bfl. (who not only has a generous nature but also has a big VW transporter with room for a bike in the back). I could not call LSP who was at home in bed with a cold. I called BFL and as I was talking I could hear she was out, (my heart sank) However, she was out in Cirensester shopping and getting ready to leave. My best friend became my guardian angel!

Went to the hospital, saw Nan, nothing broken, but bruised and shaken, she had not been well in the week.

Sunday. Went to the hospital to see Nan, Nan very tired and having respitary problems. (she has COPD) and needing additional oxygen. LSP still full of cold.

Monday. YD wakes us up in the early hours of the morning she has some tummy pain and is feeling very unwell. LSP takes her to the doctors believe she has an infection and prescribe antibiotics and painkillers. I go to work, after work, cycle to the hospital see my nan, come home, make dinner, go to bed.

Tuesday. YD wakes us up at midnight, very unwell. we go to hospital and they admit her at 3am LSP and I go home. I get up, go to work. finish work. go to the hospital, visit YD, visit Nan. Both still unwell.

Wednesday. I wake up and receive a text message from my big sister. She is in Hospital. yes. my Nan, YD and Sister all in hospital at the same time. I also have caught LSP's cold. I go to work, then go visiting. The good news is that YD has been discharged. the bad news is Big Sister has Gall Stones grandmother feeling quite low and sad as well as upset.

Thursday. Get up, go to work. get a call from YD. she has been feeling unwell, gone to the Doctor's and they are sending her back to the hospital. LSP and I leave work and go to hospital. YD has more tests and x rays and scans. they still do not know what is causing her pain. we get turfed out of the ward at 5.30 as visiting finished at 5pm. a quick 30 minutes in the cafe and back we go again. I try to split my time between my YD, Bs and my Nan!

Friday. get up, go to work. LSP gets the afternoon off to be with YD. After work. up to the hospital, They are releasing my Sister. so say a quick hello and goodbye before her partner takes her away to look after her. Then its trying to spread my time between YD and Nan. (who are at opposite ends of the hospital). get home. exhausted.

Saturday. up, doing housework, writing blog, getting dog ready for the vet, have a shopping list of things for Nan and YD. We were due to fly to Vietnam this week but that is now looking very unlikely. There is no way we can be on the other side of the world when YD is so unwell.

LSp and I are shattered. to say the least. we have seen the best and worst of the NHS. including the lack of water jugs. (at some point each of my relatives have not had a water jug as there is a shortage) how horrendous! water is a basic requirement, we have been buying bottled water for them.

Right, time to hit the shower and get ready for the next 7 days.......

Today we went shopping and we bought......

An orthopaedic mattress, 1 Wellington boot, 1 policeman's helmet, gerbil treat's, new walking sandals, reflective and waterproof back pack covers, cycling gloves, curry, fruit, salad, cereal, milk, bread, a motorbike keyring  and a sock flower... and a tattoo......  and a coach...and a get well soon card...

Yes just an average Saturday shop....

The Sandal's are mine.

The orthopaedic mattress, is for the dog as is the one Wellington boot and the policeman's helmet!

Yes we have 2 dogs but the Labrador does not like to share...

The walking Sandal's are for me as I am walking so much that my feet need a bit of support! 

the reflective backpack covers are for cycling to work. 

The food is to eat! 

We had a lovely Salad lunch last week, when we had friend's round. mmmm

Just perfect for chatting and sharing....So we will do the same again tomorrow! 

curry for tonight, 

sock flower for a lovely baby, 

tattoo for LSP,

Coach to help us with our cycling

and a get well card  for my older sister who is in hospital! 

As usual, life has been very hectic, plans have been changing by the minute and I have shopped to help me feel better!. 

My Sister is poorly with a nasty infection so is needing some time in hospital. Hopefully she will be out soon. It was all a bit of a shock yesterday and we needed to change all of our plan's. Most people take flower's or chocolates to the hospital for their sick relatives... No we took her a very large Costa Coffee! (she is a coffee addict) and she loved it. 

Our Labrador has bad hip's hence the new supa dupa bed! hopefully it will make her more comfy. (however at the time of writing she is resting her front legs and head on it with the rest of her on the rug!!

A nice ready made curry will mean I can just reheat when we get home from the hospital...

The coach! well as most of you know I am doing this 400km bike ride in November, however training has not all been going to plan and I am still to heavy. Today we managed to find a coach, who I am hoping can get us on track. 

Ok so the tattoo .... Its not me its LSP. we both Like tattoo's. LSP more than me and we are often looking in tattoo shops and on the internet for the next tattoo. LSP is now booked in for something special in 3 weeks time.

That cover's all of it. oh apart from the motorbike keyring. 

Do you remember me saying that YD was looking to go to Gambia? well that all fell apart so instead she has decided to get a motorbike!!!!!

Yes a motorbike. 

not a moped

a motorbike. 

We were able to recommend a good instructor and she has done her CBT, she now wants to get a small bike to get some road practice before passing her bike test and getting a bigger motorbike!!!. 

It is very scary, she already has a huge scrape on her inner left leg from dropping the bike.

I am having kitten's 

At the same time I am immensely proud of her. It is great seeing her being so confident and determined. She is persevering with it and is determined to work towards getting the bike she wants. 

She is only 19 but a sensible 19. 

We have always encouraged the children to reach their full potential and do not want to stand in their way! (no matter how scared we are)

Happy Weekend everyone..

Migraine part 3

Ok so I was not going to post about my silly migraine again but today took the biscuit! 


Ok so Migraine still there and its now day 4, so had booked myself into the GP. Appointment was for 10.10am. 


GP said, Migraine's should not last for 4 days and made a phone call. GP then said take this letter down to the hospital and they will need to run a few tests just to be sure. 


I arrived at the hospital at 11am and they booked me in at 11.10am. I was admitted for tests. Being admitted is different to being an outpatient. When you are an outpatient you are free to walk on your own to go to places. When you are admitted you need a porter to wheel you to the room next door! Very irritating as it is my head that is sore not my legs. 


At 11.45 I am greeted by Harriet, Harriet is a medical student. very sweet and lovely but not terribly confident. Harriet conducts a very thorough examination. long discussion about my headache and then proceeds to check the rest of my body including my ankles. (are they puffy/swollen have reflexes). 


Harriet goes away and I go back to the waiting room, technically I have been admitted to a consulting room, although the reality of this is I have been admitted to a waiting room with trips in and out of the consulting room. 


Harriet comes back and takes my blood pressure. I show her which cuff to use and she works out which button to press on the machine (seriously). 


I go back to the waiting room and Harriet returns again with the bloods trolley. I have to admit I was nervous (medical student - needle- me)  while she is finding something I have a glance at my notes. migraine? virus? cranial hypertension? then something I can't read.


 By the time Harriet return's I am too scared to ask. I ask Harriet what the plan is for my tests (I could not read all of that either). Bloods, Urine, ECG, Chest X-ray. I am scared again, I have a headache why do I need an ECG and a Chest X-ray!!! but of course I do not ask, I am also worried that Harriet would not know the answer. 


Ok So now its time for Harriet to attempt to take my blood,  Harriet puts the tourniquet on my arm. I tell her to put it on tighter. She then starts to try to find my vein. Now I have had a great many blood tests in the past 12 months so know my veins quite well. Harriet cant find a suitable vein in the crook of my arm so then attempts to go for the wrist. I point out to Harriet that only Dr's ever want to go for the wrist, Nurses and phlebotomists always manage to find a vein in my arm. I said to Harriet that if she is confident then to give it a try. Harriet tries and fails. The needle either goes straight through the vein or misses it completely either way, its a lot of pain and no blood.   


I then start telling Harriet that its not her its me (yes seriously I did) I said that it is always harder to find a vein on a larger person. Harriet then offer's to find a nurse to try. Nurse comes in gets vein straight away fill's 3 vials job done. 


I then go back to the waiting room and wait. 


and wait, 


I needed a wee, so asked the nurse for a specimen bottle as I know they want a sample later. I am offered a bedpan! I say that at 35 I have a good aim and can manage to pee into a bottle! I fill my sample and there is no nurse to give it too so I put it in my bag! 


and I wait.....


and wait.....


I then go for a chest x-ray. I get wheeled to the x-ray room. (which is just up the corridor) wait..In a room that is the brightest room in the world. Bearing in mind that I have a headache which is made worse by the light. I gets so bad I do put my coat over my eye's. I did not care how I looked I needed some relief. I then get my chest x-rayed (bra off how annoying). 


afterwards I get wheeled back to the waiting area and wait.......


at 3.50pm the consultant comes to see me..... I get prodded and poked and manipulated and have light's shone in my eyes. He say's I need a head CT, to make sure that I have not had a bleed in the head (I am very scared now) apparently there is a link between PCOS and bleeding in the brain. I did not know this!


At 4pm LSP arrives with a new handbag for me (as a get well treat) and we wait.......


and wait, 


and wait, 


at 6pm I have my ECG.........8 leads stuck to my chest and body with the stickiest sticky pads in the world I lie down while its done and that feel's good. It feels good to lie down. I chat to the nurse, she is the Nurse who booked me in at 11.10, She remember's me from when I worked on that department as a student 5 years ago. We talk about the department and the teams and the changes. 


I give her my wee! 


at 7.30pm I have a CT scan....Lying on a table that gets lifted high into the air so my head can get put into the doughnut. I am told to Lie still for 2 minutes. When he said lie still my head wanted to move so much. It took every ounce of me to keep still and breath slowly. 


we go back to the waiting area and wait....


and wait....


at 8pm a Dr comes and tells me I have a migraine. 


I do not have a virus, or a bleed or a swelling, I have a migraine. I am given some drugs and a prescription and am told to take it easy for a few days and if it has not cleared by the end of the weekend to go back to my GP. 


at 8.10 I am discharged! 


9 hours 


9 hours to be told I have, what I thought I had and finally to be given some pain relief as I was not allowed any while I was in there. 9 hours of sitting under bright lights. (a good way of the NHS to save money would be to turn some of those lights off)


However, I am glad. I am glad that I only have a migraine (as painful as it is) I am glad that the doctors wanted to check that there was nothing more sinister wrong with me. I am glad that the NHS is there, my diagnosis today would have cost hundred's of pounds if I were to pay privately. It may have been quicker but no better. 


I now have to put my feet up for a few more day's. Which mean's cancelling my plans for a riotous Saturday!


I will however resume normal blogging, not about silly migraines but about nice bloggy things like knitting and sewing and vintage! 


Thank you for reading, happy Thursday everyone!