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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
 Posted - 29 October 2005 : 01:37:26
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Sorry about the weird posts but there's something wrong with either the site or my computer, I've tried to delete them but I can't because for some unknown reason the 'Delete' button won't come up on the screen -- another bloody thing gone wrong with this site.
I was trying to say that my Mother was taken into Withybush Hospital about 1am this morning. She'd been ill for a few days and when the Doctor was here on Thursday he said if she was no better in 24 hours (which would have been Friday afternoon) he'd send her to Hospital for tests, but he never came back on Friday to find out if she was better and when we contacted the surgery in Saundersfoot they said he wasn't even on duty that day and that they were closed until Monday. We asked why he hadn't sent out whoever WAS on duty but they just seemed completely vacant (nothing new there then) Well I wanted my Mother to call the Emergency Line and ask them to send whichever Doctor was covering the area over the weekend, but she kept saying no, she'd wait until tomorrow and see how she felt then. But she just kept getting worse until at about 11.30 she struggled across the landing to the bathroom and was in such agony that she couldn't get back from there. So I phoned the surgery number and they put me through to someboddy else. who asked me God knows how many questions before putting me through to the Doctor who was on call, then I had to explain it all over again to HER and she finally told me that it would be better if I dialled 999 and asked for an ambulance because from what I'd said, even if she came out she would have to send my Mother to Hospital anyway and she was so far away that if I called for the Ambulance myself it would get here quicker than she could, so I dialled 999 and then had to explain the whole thing all over again for the umpteenth time, dear God, why do they need to be told your entire life's history before they can do anything these days. Anyway, the Ambulance eventually got here and by then she was in an even worse state and it was a bit of a struggle to get her down the stairs (not helped by having so much junk and cardboard boxes everywhere) but they finally got her into the ambulance where they hooked her up to all these gadgets and gave her an injection of some sort and God knows what else, I thought they were going to just stay out there all night, but they finally drove off with her about 10 past 1 I think. I didn't know whether to go with her in the ambulance or not, I kept thinking that I ought to go, but I haven't been at all well myself and I had all these mixed-up thoughts running through my head, such as if they got me in the Hospital they might decide to keep me in there as well, and if I did go how would I get back from Haverfordwest with no transport, no money on me and wearing the tattiest pyjamas you've ever seen, and if I didn't come back who'd feed the animals ? So in the end I stayed behind, but then I wished I'd gone and maybe they'd have sent me home in an ambulance or something. I don't know, I'm just so bloody useless in any sort of crisis, I'm about as much use as a chocolate teapot..
Anyway, I rang the Hospital about an hour ago and they said she'd arrived safely (which is a relief because apart from the state she was in it's a bloody awful night here and there's been a lot of flooding and several accidents caused by the weather conditions) I don't know much else at the moment except that they said the Doctor was with her now "deciding what to do" which could mean any damn thing but at least she's there now, but no thanks to the bloody Doctor from Saundersfoot, WHO, incidentally, is the same Doctor who failed to send my Father to Hospital in the week before he died ! My Mother has always blamed him for that and I agree with her. (And we're not the only ones, we've since heard quite a few other people who are far from happy with him too !) My Father was obviously never going to get better, he'd had umpteen strokes, some fairly minor and a few more serious, but he'd survived them all because he was a fighter and he refused to give up. So we've always believed that he would have survived that last illness too if only that 'Doctor' had paid more attention and sent him to Hospital sooner. He might not have lived very much longer, but he might not have died quite as soon as he did. My Mother has refused to have anything to do with him ever since then, so she wasn't too happy when he turned up here, they'd told her on the phone that one of the female Doctors was on call that day so I don't know why the Hell he came instead. I wish it HAD been the woman because it looks as if he's still as bloody useless as he ever was.
Well I'm going to go up to bed now, though I don't suppose I'll sleeep. I'll let you know how things are going after I speak to the Hospital again. I just feel bloody awful at the moment.
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 29 October 2005 : 03:57:21
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I hope most of that that made sense, I know I'm probably rambling a bit, but I'm too knackered to concentrate properly.
Why do these things always semm to happen at night??? |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 29 October 2005 : 08:57:27
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Pauline
I am so sorry to hear that your mother is ill and has been rushed into hospital .
You did the best thing staying at home as you could have spent all night hanging around the hospital just waiting for the doctors to do all their tests .And as you are ill as well it would have done you no good at all .
Your mother is in the best place now and will get all the treatment she needs .
Hope all goes well and she will be home soon .
Please keep us informed of her progress .
Just wished we lived nearer so we could do something to help .
Take Care of Yourself .
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Fussy
Baileys Benefactor !
4609 Posts |
Posted - 29 October 2005 : 10:58:56
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Pauline,
So sorry to hear of your mum's illness once again. It was a dreadful situation for you to be in, and late at night as well which made matters worse still.
You did the right thing by not going to the hospital with her because as BG says...you could be sat there for goodness knows how long before anyone would even know you were there.
Let's hope you get some good news today, and that she has been relieved of the pain she must have suffered.
Also, with YOU not having been too good lately only adds to the stress. If we were only a stone's throw away we could possibly help you in some way.
Take care, and keep us informed. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 29 October 2005 : 12:11:21
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Well I phoned Withybush again this morning -- and THAT took God knows how long as the phone rang for ages before anybody answered, then when I said why I was phoning they put me through to Casualty and I had another wait before THEY said she'd been taken to Ward 3 and they'd put me through to there. I then got total silence for a while, until I heard ringing at their end again, but when someone answered I was back to Casualty again, so I spoke to yet ANOTHER woman who said 'Sorry, the nurse must have cut you off, I'll put you through again' after which I waited for ages until in the end the phone went completely dead. I then had to start all over again at the beginning by dialling the Hospital and waiting to be put through again and this time I FINALLY managed to get through to the right place.
Anyway, the nurse I spoke to said she'd just been trying to phone ME with a message as my Mother had asked her to let me know what was happening. She (the nurse) said that my Mother was just on her way down to Surgery for an operation, it seems that the problem has nothing to do with the Cancer she had before (although my Mother said the pain was in the same place) but it seems THIS problem is in the bowel, which they think has either ruptured or been blocked in some other way so they have to operate to find out the exact cause and try to get it sorted out, she said it will probably take a few hours so I'll just have to wait around here until then and phone back later to find out how it went, I just hope everything turns out alright. God, she's had so many operations in the past few years, not long ago we were joking that all the scars were making her start to look like Frankenstein's monster, all different bits joined together, now she's going to have yet another one.
Why the Hell didn't that damn Doctor send her to Hospital straight away on Thursday afternoon instead of making us go through all this all over again. I'm seriously beginning to think that he's on some kind of mission to save money for the N.H.S. by keeping all his elderly patients at home as long as possible, where hopefully they'll die of old age before they cost the Government any more money. The bloody man should be struck off as I've never yet heard one single person who had a good word to say about him, he's definitely not popular around here.
And apart from all that, my Mother's been complaining for a long time about stomach trouble, pains, diarrhoea and so on, which has been going on since before she went in Hospital last year, but nobody's ever paid much attention to it or given her anything for it, she's been having to buy tablets herself from the Chemist. So where the Hell were all those other Doctors that they didn't spot something long before now ? It's always been the same, Dr. Jack Wilson in Aberdare was a nice bloke, but when I was a toddler my Mother almost died of Peritonitis after her Appendix ruptured. She was unconcious for I don't know how many days and they weren't sure she was going to pull through -- yet Dr. Jack had been telling her for over NINE MONTHS that it was just chronic constipation !!!!!! Same thing when she had her Kidney out in 1970, Dr. Codd had been seeing her for over a year and he kept saying it was stress from looking after my Grandmother (who should have been put in a home YEARS before) and more or less suggesting that my Mother's pain was all in her mind. It wasn't until Dr. Imtiaz (who back then had only just joined the practice) came to see her one day and suggested that she might have Kidney stones that anybody started to take her seriously. Then when they DID eventually get a specialist in to her they found that it wasn't simply Kidney stones, her entire Kidney was shrivelled up and had to be removed, along with a small part of the other one and several bits of 'inner tube'. If they hadn't caught it when they did she'd have lost BOTH Kidneys and probably have been dead years ago. So although I know that Imtiaz hasn't got a very good reputation these days, back then he definitely saved her life, because I don't think Codd would ever have called in a Specialist if Imtiaz hadn't come to see her that day.
Oh well, I can hear the Dogs palavering in the kitchen, so I'd better go and let them out and then feed them before they start complaining to the R.S.P.C.A. I'll let you know any further news after I've phoned the Hospital again this afternoon. God I hate telephones. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 29 October 2005 : 16:34:51
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| Well I phoned the Hospital again a short time ago and they said she's had the operation and is down in recovery, the nurse I spoke to told me they was just about to go down and pick her up to bring her back to the ward, so she said if I phone back again in about an hours time they should be able to tell me more about it then and let me know how she's getting on. I hate all this waiting around, it was much easier in Aberdare years ago, you could just walk up to the Hospital and see for yourself how somebody was. Not that I like visiting Hospitals either, but I dislike phones more. |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 29 October 2005 : 20:12:17
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Glad to hear that your mothers operation is over ,hope all goes well for her from now on .
Is there anyone living close that could take you to the hospital to visit her tomorrow ?. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 29 October 2005 : 22:11:10
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Phoned again twice, the first time I had a terrible job getting through, the phone kept ringing and ringing but nobody answered it, don't know if they were having a sudden rush of patients or if they'd just all gone off for a tea-break at the same time (which wouldn't surprise me from what went on when I was in there !) Then when I tried again I just got a lot weird noises and the third time I was told the number I'd dialled had not been recognised, which was weird considering I was pressing the re-dial button so should have been dialling exactly the same number every time !
Anyway, I finally managed to get through at the fourth attempt and the nurse on duty said my Mother was back in the ward and seemed fairly comfortable, she said she'd woken up briefly and spoken to her but was dozing most of the time and told me to call back again in another few hours. So I've just rung again and the nurse said she's been fully awake now, felt a bit queasy at first, as you'd expect I suppose, but that she was getting along O.K. and had asked the nurse how I was and the nurse told her "Well she sounded alright when I spoke to her on the phone".
That's all I know so far, I still don't know exactly what they found during the operation, the nurse says they aren't allowed to discuss the full details over the phone, so I'll just have to wait. If my Mother is well enough tomorrow they might take the phone-trolley in and let her talk to me herself, it depends on which bed she's in as only the end ones are close to a phone-socket, at least they were when I was in there. If you get a room on your own you're better off as you've got a socket all to yourself so you can plug the phone in and talk for ages ! Only trouble with that is it costs a fortune as those Hospital phones are rigged to charge a higher rate than normal phones and they don't take incoming calls so you can't get your relatives to call you instead and save money, crafty buggars ! I know the N.H.S. is broke and has to make money somehow, but it's a bit difficult for patients who haven't got a lot of loose change stashed in their pyjamas !
I don't really know who I could get to take me all the way to Haverfordwest, a lot of the people around here are new so I don't even know them. Some of the ones I DO know I wouldn't lower myself to speak to, some of the ones I do speak to are like us, they haven't got a car. Pete would probably take me if he was home (which he very often isn't -- and we're STILL waiting for the ****** to connect up the gas to the caravan) but I don't really like to ask people. Another problem is that I haven't been too good myself and spend a lot of time in the you-know-where (and if you don't know where I'll give you a clue -- it's The Little House that's NOT On The Prairie) so I don't fancy the journey anyway. I just don't know what to do for the best, it's awful for her to be stuck there with no visitors and I think I should try to get there, but then I think what if I go there and the journey makes me worse and I can't get back, then who would feed the Dogs and the Cats, I don't trust anybody else and even if there was someone I trusted I wouldn't ask them to come in here without a Sherpa and a bodyguard -- the Sherpa to help them climb over the mountain of junk and the bodyguard to prevent them being marmalised by those two mad Dogs !
Maybe if I'm feeling a bit better myself tomorrow I'll try and get myself sorted out and see if I can find a way to get over there on Monday. If this weather keeps up I might be able to hire a boat and row there. It's been coming down in torrents for God knows how long and the wind is terrible, I just hope the roof doesn't go again as that would really be the last straw. Despite the weather they've been out firing guns all day so I've been upset thinking about those poor Pheasants too. What sort of horrible ******* can breed something so beautiful just so they can charge a load of other ******** to kill them ? Bloody Human Race makes me sick most of the time.
Well I've got a nasty headache developing now, so I think I'll go back to bed for a while. I'm starving too as I haven't eaten much of anything for days, but I can't face the thought of cooking anything at the moment, so maybe I'll just have a few dry biscuits to keep me going for a while until I feel more in the mood for it. I'll be back later, or tomorrow, see how it goes. |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 29 October 2005 : 22:44:52
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Sounds like your mother is getting on OK ,she will feel a bit rough after the operation but should feel a lot better tomorrow .
Hope she is able to phone you tomorrow just to talk to her will put your mind at rest ,it is such a worrying time when someone is in hospital you feel so useless as there is not a lot you can do .The time seems so long when you are on your own waiting for news .
I'm sure your mother will understand if you cannot get to visit her it is quite a trek if you are ill and don't like travelling much .
Pauline you must try to eat more to build up your strength as you will need to be fit and strong when your mother comes home ,as she will no doubt need some looking after to get over her illness.
If you are not well yourself you should contact Social Services to get someone to call in each day to help you both once she comes home .
Hope you manage to get a good nights sleep sounds like you need it .
Take good care of yourself , we will be thinking of you .
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 30 October 2005 : 13:45:41
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Phoned the Hospital again today, this time I got someone called Claire who was more forthcoming than the ones I spoke to yesterday and told me exactly what had happened. It seems that the bowel had become so badly inflamed that a section of it had actually BURST and has had to be removed, they've given her a stoma bag, but whether that's a temporary measure or permanent she didn't say (and I was so shocked I didn't think to ask) She said that if my Mother had stayed at home another day - or even just a few hours she'd almost certainly be dead. I started to tell her about that bloody Dr. Allen not even coming back, but it seems my Mother had already told her all about him AND that he'd done almost the same thing when my Father died. She'd told her all about me and my illnesses too (so at least I know her mouth is still in good working order ! LOL ) It's bloody disgusting really though isn't it, she's been complaining about a bad stomach for ages but they've never taken very much notice, just putting it down to 'nerves' or after-effects of the previous operations, maybe if they'd bothered to investigate earlier it wouldn't have come to this. And as for 'DOCTOR' Bloody Allen, I honestly think that a Witch Doctor would be better for your health than him, that man is less than useless, he's a disgrace to the name of Doctor. She was in terrible pain when he was here on Thursday, I think he should have at least sent her in for observation then, instead he says "If you're no better in 24 hours I'll send you to the Hospital" then doesn't even bother to COME BACK in 24 hours to find out how she is. Somebody really ought to string that bloody quack up by his dangly bits, he's got no right to be practising medicine at all.
It's ironic isn't it, I'M the one whose had the known problems in that area for all these years (more than 30 for sure, possibly even longer) and they said they might have to give me a stoma bag the last time I was in Withybush. It was because I was so upset at the thought of it that the Doctor decided to try those different treatments on me. He told me at the time that he'd never given such high doses of the steroids to anyone before and wasn't even sure that it would work. Luckily it did (but UNluckily also made me gain 5 stone in weight !) and I was eventually able to come home without having the operation. But as I've mentioned before, it's been playing up again a lot lately and I've been terrified that I might have to go into Hospital again myself, so if this had happened to ME it wouldn't have been quite so unexpected, but a real shock that it's happened to my Mother because none of the Doctors who've seen her (and God knows there have been a hell of a lot of them) has ever even suggested that she might have anything wrong in that area. I know they weren't looking for problems there, but surely when they were doing all those other tests and X-rays and God knows what, they might have spotted SOMETHING unusual ? Or at least paid more attention to her when she complained of having 'the runs' and so on ? This has come as such a shock, I'm still not quite sure I'm not just dreaming it all.
Anyway, she wants some stuff sent in now, including some money etc. She took one change of clothes with her, and a flannel, towel, toothbrush etc., but it was all so rushed we didn't think of anything else at the time, I think she thought she'd be out again by Monday so wouldn't need much. Now we're not sure how long it will be before she's allowed to come home, so she's obviously going to need more stuff taken in. I'll have to see if Pete can take them up to her, and possibly take me as well if I can get myself sorted (and if I can stay out of the 'Little House' for long enough)
Well I shall go and feed the menagerie now, although they won't starve as their supper last night was Hellish late, I've got a bit confused here between everything the last couple of days, then that headache I had last night made things worse, it got so bad I thought at one point I wasn't going to still be here today, but luckily it has eased up now, just hope to God it doesn't come back again with a vengeance later on. I also forgot that the clocks went back last night, it wasn't until this computer told me it had automatically updated itself that I remembered, so I've been even more confused now trying to re-set the clocks and the Video-recorder (better keep recording my Mother's favourite programmes while she's away or she'll have my Guts for Garters !)
I'll be back in later (hopefully) and let you know the latest news. |
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The Gravedigger
Advanced Member
576 Posts |
Posted - 30 October 2005 : 15:14:10
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My God,I`m so shocked to read this,what a terrible thing to have happened for BOTH of you,thank god they got her in to the hospital in time.
I`ve come across doctors like that myself,they obviously don`t give a f*** about their patients.Makes you wonder what the hell they`re doing in the profession to start with doesn`t it.
Please give your mum our best wishes and say we hope she'll get well asap(think you'd better tell her the message came from Doug tho,under the circumstances she might not appreciate my nickname!) |
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Larry Lamb
Senior Member
1249 Posts |
 Posted - 30 October 2005 : 16:25:51
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Blimy,what an awful thing for you both and here was me in a bad mood because I'd had motor troubles and was late getting away today,seems insignificant now after reading your news.
I'm so sorry for both your ma and you and I can only say I hope se makes a complete recovery and will be bnack home there with you very very soon.Tell her Larry sends a big kiiss (I'm sure she'll enjoy that-a kiss from a lamb,because I know she loves all animals!!!Lol )Keep your spirits up gel,we're all thinking of you. |
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Bob
Devout Dipsomaniac & Technological TWIT !
1906 Posts |
Posted - 30 October 2005 : 16:51:36
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hOH blodduy heekl / Iev benn awauy fpr aa fwew dauys soo Iev omly jyst seem tihs/ Iem SOO sooruy.PLease giev yuoer mihter muy loev amd teel heer tp gert weel vrey vrey soom=amd wehn seh coems hoem teel herr ti drimk aa cuopel pf pimts if beer eevry dauy =uf tah dom/t cuer hwr im duobel qiuck tiem Iell aet muy haat [I jyst reembred=Iev loost muy hatt soo Iell aet muy mihter=im-lwas hhat imstaed ==taht/ll cherr heer yp }
Leyt ys knoe wehn yuoev gpt anuy moer nwews. |
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Fussy
Baileys Benefactor !
4609 Posts |
Posted - 30 October 2005 : 22:13:24
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Been away visiting a friend for most of today.
Pauline.....Glad that your mum has got through the operation, and we wish her a speedy recovery now. It certainly has been a traumatic time for you, and as I said earlier if only we were a little closer to you we would most certainly have run you up to the hospital...back and fore every day if necessary. Let's hope you can get some form of transport to take you,...hope Pete can help you.
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
 Posted - 30 October 2005 : 23:22:26
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Thanks for the kind thoughts Fussy, it's at times like this that you really regret never having learned to drive. Not owning a car is one thing, but you can't even HIRE one when you don't know how to drive the thing. I wish you DID live closer, my Mother would enjoy nattering to you about Aberdare in the old days, and I'm sure you're a LOT nicer than most of the lot around here. There ARE some nice people out there who know my Mother and whom I'm sure would help if they knew about this, the trouble is none of them live in the immediate area and I've got no idea how to get in touch with them myself.
Anyway, it's O.K. at the moment as Pete popped over earlier tonight having heard the message on his answering-machine (he doesn't always remember to listen to them -- the twerp !) and he's going to take me up to Haverfordwest tomorrow at least, so that's something. I don't suppose he'll be able to take me every day because he hardly ever seems to stop working, but maybe something (or somebody) else will turn up. Not even sure how long she's likely to be in there at the moment, but hopefully I'll find out more tomorrow.
BG, someone suggested that we should apply for a Home Help or something before, but to be honest, the state this place has been in I think what it really needs is a bulldozer ! I have been trying to clear a few more boxes away lately, but it's hard work. It's funny, but all the stuff I've taken back down the caravan so far seems to weigh a lot more than when I carried it up last year ! I could manage to at least dust the place and run the vacuum over it if only I could actually REACH it in the first place (well, I could if I had a vacuum-cleaner that worked, THREE of the ******* in the house and they've ALL conked out ! I don't think it's worth the bother of having them repaired, they're past it, so I've just ordered a new one from Argos today, hopefully they're delivering it on Tuesday, so at least I'll be able to get rid of all the Dog's hair when it arrives -- I've almost forgotten what colour the carpets are underneath !)
After that I'm going to start sorting things out again -- and this time I'm going to try and be more ruthless and throw away as much of it as I can -- the rest I shall hide under the beds in the caravan. So hopefully the place will be a BIT less cluttered by the time my Mother gets home.
Well I'm off now to get things sorted out for tomorrow. I had a bath (I'm much paler now ! LOL !) and washed my hair. I let it dry naturally, BIG mistake, if I'd turned up at the Hospital looking like that I'd have frightened some of the patients with heart trouble to death. You've heard people say they looked as if they'd stuck their fingers in an electric socket ? Well I looked as if I'd been wired up to the National Grid ! When I looked in the mirror I thought it was Elsa Lancheser in 'Bride of Frankenstein' so I've damped it down again and stuck a few rollers in to flatten it, although if this wind keeps up it'll probably look as bad as ever by the time I get to the Hospital tomorrow.
I'll let you know how things went when I come home tomorrow. |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 31 October 2005 : 10:26:38
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Pauline
I am really please to hear that Pete is going to take you to the hospital to visit your mother .She will be surprised to see you I am sure .
Give her my love and best wishes for a speedy recovery .
Don't you go over doing it with the housework ,allocate yourself one job a day ,I'm sure your Mother will be glad to be home and won't be worried about the state off the house.
Hope to hear from you later as to how your mother is getting on .
Take Care .
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 31 October 2005 : 17:34:29
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Just to say that I'm off in a few minutes. Phoned the Hospital again earlier to see if she'd thought of anything else she wanted brought in, but they said she was asleep and they didn't like to disturb her, so I'll just have to use my initiative and if I forget anything she'll have to lump it. She'd better not be asleep when I get there though, not after all the trouble I've gone to, or I'll thump her one round the lug-hole  Only kidding ! LOL ! Just hope everything turns out alright. Wish us luck. |
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The Gravedigger
Advanced Member
576 Posts |
Posted - 01 November 2005 : 11:34:45
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| Popped in to see if there was any news on your mum`s progress.How was she when you visited her last night?Hope she`s recovering from the op and improving a little bit each day.Guess it will be a slow process recovering from something like that,but remember we`re thinking of you both and sending you our prayers |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 01 November 2005 : 18:48:46
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I was wondering if there was any news from Pauline too ,I have kept having a look all day .Hope things are going ok for her mother .
Have not been able to post as I had my grandson here and he takes up most of my time ,plus he nicks my computer . |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 02 November 2005 : 12:59:29
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Sorry I didn't get a chance to post anything yesterday, I did try a couple of times but kept getting distracted by other things. I managed to get to the Hospital on Monday (EVENTUALLY - tell you more about that later) and my Mother wasn't feeling too good then, said she'd felt better the day before (I think it was seeing me that made her feel worse) but when I phoned yesterday the nurse said she was feeling better than she had on Monday (see, it WAS the sight of me that did it)
I can't stop now as I'm going to TRY to get in to Tenby to get out some money (cash machine in Tenby was out of order  ) and buy a few things that they haven't got in Kilgetty. Barring any further mishaps (such as the bus ending up in Timbuktu instead of Tenby -- which with THIS useless lot operating them wouldn't surprise me !) I'll fill you in on the latest news when I get back this evening. |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 02 November 2005 : 17:29:12
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Pauline
Glad to hear that you managed to go and see your mother on Monday ,it was very good of Pete to take you .
Your Mother will feel a bit low some days and then better the next ,after all she has had a big operation .
My you are getting out quite a bit this week ,hope the weather down there is better than it is up here ,not fit weather to be going out in ,it is tipping down with rain here .
Off out to baby sit now will pop back in later . |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 02 November 2005 : 17:46:55
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| Got off the bus about 10 minutes ago, rang the ward as soon as I got in and they said she's fine, fairly comfortable at the moment and they're just about to serve supper in a few minutes (Not sure if that includes her, or whether she's still only allowed to sip water and not swallow it !) Going to put the shopping away now and have a spot of tea, I'll try and get back here later. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 03 November 2005 : 15:27:21
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Well I didn't manage to get back in here last night after all as you noticed, started doing this and that, sent some E-mails, made myself some supper (which as far as I can recall was the first actual meal I'd eaten for over a week, I've been living on biscuits and odds and ends) and by then it was very late and I was too tired to bother.
Anyway I just had a lovely surprise a few minutes ago. The phone rang and I answered it expecting it to be somebody asking about my Mother and it was my Mother herself ! She'd got them to take the phone-trolley to her bed at last and the lady in the next bed was feeding coins into it for her because she couldn't reach. She said she was phoning because she was worried about me ! That's a good un isn't it ? She's the one lying in Hospital after a serious operation and SHE'S worried about ME ! I think that's the wrong way round somehow.
The trouble is that although I phone the ward regularly they don't always give her my messages. If she's asleep they say they'll tell her I phoned when she wakes up, but then unless they write it down before the shift changes the next person who comes on doesn't know anything about it, so nobody tells her that I phoned and she's left thinking I haven't rung and that therefore something terrible must have happened to me. Wouldn't it be wonderful if she could have one of those Private Wards like you see in American films, with all the luxuries of a 5-star Hotel and her own personal telephone right next to the bed ? (And I wonder how many American hospitals are REALLY like that ? Not many I'd bet, not unless you're very VERY rich, otherwise you probably don't even get a bedpan)
But it was lovely to hear her voice (even though when she's at home I sometimes get fed up with hearing it ! LOL !) she still sound a bit weak and raspy, but she says they've taken the tube out of her nose now, sssso I suppose that must mean the congestion in her chest has cleared up. They've also removed some of the various tubes and drips, but she said that's only a temporary respite as they're going to attach some different ones later today Still, at least it means she must be improving, albeit slowly, so we can only hope she continues to improve and doesn't have any setbacks.
She says she's missing me (Gawd knows why) and I told her that all being well I'll see her on Sunday as my cousins are coming from Gloucestershire to see her and will pick me up on the way, but it's three days since I was in there and there's still another three days to go til Sunday, so by then it will be almost a whole week. It's so damned awkward living here, to get anywhere you first have to get a bus to Kilgetty (and they rarely if ever arrive on time) then you usually have to wait around in Kilgetty for a Hell of a long time, because whoever plans the bus-schedules seems to be totally incapable of arranging for ANY of the srvices to connect Even if the bus up from here arrived on time it would STILL miss the connections to other places by about 5 to 10 minutes, so you then have to wait around in Kilgetty twiddling your thumbs for at LEAST an hour (sometimes even longer) for the next one to arrive, which seems bloody ridiculous to me. WHY can't they work it out so that this bus either gets there slightly earlier, or the other bus leaves just that little bit later ? Surely it wouldn't take a genius to just make a few small changes ? But then, I almost forgot, we're talking about Silcox Coaches here. How can we expect them to work out a sensible timetable when at least 50% of their buses are off the road at any given time ? Their buses are so awful that I think most of them are rejects from Third World Countries -- they get them second-hand from this country to start with, such as old London buses that have been on the road for Donkey's years, then after they've used them for another few decades and completely knackered them, THEY then sell them back to Silcox ! I also think that many of Silcox's drivers used to drive at Brand's Hatch, Silverstone and so on, because they go down these country lanes as if they're in racing-cars and take the bends at such speeds that you expect to take off at any moment and fly over the hedge into the nearest field. By the time you get to your destination you're knuckles are white because you've been hanging on so tightly to the edge of your seat that the blood-flow has completely stopped. It's hair-raising
Well I'm off now to do a bit more tidying-up. When I've finished the living-room I'll have a go at my Mother's bedroom. I've also been looking at beds for sale because she's been planning to get a new one for ages. I've seen some nice ones, but I don't know if they could get one delivered by the time she comes home as most of them seem to take at least a few weeks. I know I could probably get just any old bed locally and get it delivered straight away, but I'm looking for a 4-foot bed because there's not that much space, and also it has to be a bed-STEAD with a footboard, as opposed to just a divan and headboard, and they're much harder to find in a 4ft size, most firms just do single, standard double or King Size (and we'd have to throw out all the other bedroom furniture to fit one of THOSE in) But I'll keep searching the Internet, I might get lucky eventually.
Back later (unless I fall asleep while clearing the bedroom) |
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Fussy
Baileys Benefactor !
4609 Posts |
Posted - 03 November 2005 : 15:30:52
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Pauline ,
So glad that you were able to visit your mum. Liz and me send our best wishes to her. |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 03 November 2005 : 16:28:57
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Living in the country does have its advantages with all the lovely scenery and the peace and quiet ,but you always find that the bus service is chronic.
Your mother seems to be getting on quite well now ,nice she was able to phone you ,it is only natural that she is worried about you especially if the nurses are not telling her you phoned .
I bet you are looking forward to see her again on Sunday ,she will be pleased to see you and your cousins .
Hospitals are so boring it is good to see a few new faces and have someone different to chat to .
You may have a job getting a 4ft bed we could not get one for our back room a few years ago . Good luck with seaching for one .
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The Gravedigger
Advanced Member
576 Posts |
 Posted - 03 November 2005 : 21:00:19
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| Glad to hear your mother is making progress,it was a big op so it`s bound to take some time for her to recover completely.But don't worry,I`m sure it won`t be TOO long before she`s back home and nagging you again(well that`s what mothers are for isn`t it?LOL)Give her our very best wishes. |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 04 November 2005 : 21:42:09
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Been Busy today .
Pauline
Just poppped in for a few minutes to say I hope your mother is still progressing well.
Say hi to her from me when you see her on Sunday . |
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The Gravedigger
Advanced Member
576 Posts |
Posted - 05 November 2005 : 16:24:18
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| Any more news today? |
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Bob
Devout Dipsomaniac & Technological TWIT !
1906 Posts |
 Posted - 06 November 2005 : 18:21:08
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| Hoe ys yuoer mihter noe/ I hoep sehs geetimg beeter##DOm/t frogeet tp giev heer oyr loev |
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Moonraker
Senior Member
1024 Posts |
Posted - 06 November 2005 : 19:53:44
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Hi Pauline,
Hope your mother is making good progress.
Did she enjoy seeing your cousins today.?
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The Gravedigger
Advanced Member
576 Posts |
Posted - 07 November 2005 : 21:27:16
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| Still no news from Pauline? Hope everything`s ok down there! |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 07 November 2005 : 22:49:02
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It has been a few days now since we heard any news of how Paulines Mother is getting on ,lets hope all is well and that Pauline is just very busy .
Maybe her cousins stayed over so she is busy with them .
Pauline if you are looking in give our best wishes to your mother . |
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The Gravedigger
Advanced Member
576 Posts |
Posted - 08 November 2005 : 23:25:21
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| And ours too.Hope to hear from you soon. |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 09 November 2005 : 21:19:23
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Well they say no news is good news ,so lets hope this is the case here .
I am getting rather concerned that there is no sign of Pauline on here .
I have E.mailed her ,but not sure if my mails are getting throught to everyone ,as my e.mail has been going funny just lately .
Heard from too friends who say thier mail messages to me are getting sent back ,gawd knows what is wrong with it .
I have paid the bill HONEST. |
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Bob
Devout Dipsomaniac & Technological TWIT !
1906 Posts |
Posted - 11 November 2005 : 00:36:32
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| I hoep heer mihter us geetimg beteer # Yf wer domt haer frpm heer soom Iem goimg p semd Rooverr doen theer tp fimd oyt yf eevrythnigs hokay |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 12 November 2005 : 14:13:59
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| Sorry I haven't been around lately,but I'm trying to do so many things that I don't know if I'm coming or going half the timeAlso my Mother is up and down so much that I'm almost afraid to say anything just incase. Our friend from Kilgetty Post office is coming to take me over there at 2.30 so I can't hang about now. I'll try and get back in here with some more news tonight if I'm not too tired. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 12 November 2005 : 14:16:05
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| P.S. I never got those E-mails you mention BG, I've checked both E-mail accounts, the Chat On line one and my personal one, but they're not in either |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 12 November 2005 : 15:53:43
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Hi Pauline
It is good to hear from you ,and to know that you and your mother are ok .I guessed you must be very busy .
Glad to hear that your friends are taking you to the hospital to see your mother ,you must be missing her she has been in quite a while now . Have they given you any idea as to when she will be home ?
Don't know why my E.Mails do not get sent ,I will give it another go tomorrow .They must all be trapped in my computer somewhere .!!!!!!!!!!!
It has not been right since we had broadband installed ,though I can't see why that should affect the mail .?????
Let us know how your mother is getting on when you come home if you have time .
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murtle
Intermediate Member
284 Posts |
Posted - 12 November 2005 : 18:27:27
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| hi Pauline, sorry to hear your mother is in hospital, I hope that she is soon well enough to come home, and glad to see that you are getting to the hospital, thats the only trouble when hospitals are so far away it takes for ever to get there and when you do get there its time to turn round and come home, you would think that these hospitals that are so far away would put on some form of transport for relatives. |
<img src="http://cluelessonline.2cuk.co.uk/graphics/sigs/Murtle.gif" border=0><img src="http://cluelessonline.2cuk.co.uk/graphics/sigs/Icons/Spanish_dancer.gif"> |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 12 November 2005 : 20:24:47
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Well I'm back from the Hospital now, but I can't honestly say that I feel any more cheerful, the last two weeks have been bloody awful and half the time I don't really know where I am any more. I don't think I've posted anything on here for over a week have I, so I'll try to give you a quick update. I think the last time I was in here I said that they'd taken the phone to the bed so I could speak to her and she sounded a bit better, seems I spoke too soon.
I rang the Hospital on Saturday and they said she was fine, but then in the evening the phone rang and it was someone from the Hospital phoning ME. They said "I'm afraid your Mother is very poorly this evening, her heart has become very erratic and we're moving her up to the Cardiac unit".
Well that was me in a complete panic ! I didn't know what to do. I rang my cousins to let them know, obviously there was nothing they could do but I just wanted to talk to somebody. Then I sat around worrying for a while before ringing the Hospital again. They said she was not too bad and that they'd given her treatment for the heart trouble etc., but I just couldn't settle down, so in the end I rang Pete. I wasn't expecting him to be in as they usually go out on a Saturday night, but last Saturday he'd decided to stay in because of the weather. He said he'd been just about to settle down with a few beers when I phoned but he'd abandon them and drive me to Withybush instead, so lucky I rang him before he started on them. (It was a dreadful night to be driving too, with strong winds and torrential rain all the way)
I'm not sure what time we got there, but we stayed for quite a long time. She looked pretty awful when I went in, she was awake, but very weak, so I sat there for as long as possible, but had to come home in the end, it was even worse coming back than going, at one point a huge 'Tidal wave' of water shot up over the front of the car and we couldn't see the road for a minute or so. I barely slept at all that night, and then the next day my cousins arrived and I went back over with them.
She was quite a bit better when we arrived there, she was wired up to a heart moniter and other things, but definitely alot brighter than she'd been the night before. Anyway, the nurses told her to take it easy and not try to talk too much, but she didn't listen. Then after we'd been there a while a nurse came in with a trolley with some sort of machine on it and asked us if we'd mind sitting outside for a few minutes, so we went and sat on the benches by the desk, and while we were sitting there another cousin turned up. She's originally from Hereford but she married somebody from Tenby and has been living down here for years, first in Saundersfoot then in Tenby, the she got divorced and is now living near Pembroke with her new partner. I was surprised to see her as we've hardly seen her for years, but I'd phoned her mother in Hereford to let her know what had happened and she'd phoned Elaine, so she turned up there with a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates(which my Mother can't eat, but she didn't know that)
Anyway, after a bit the nurse called me over and told me that my Mother's heart had started racing again (probably from too much excitement) but they'd given her some tablets to stabilise it and she was "O.K." but she asked if we could go in not more than two at a time. So I went back in and Elaine came in with me for a bit, then she left. Alan, Vi and I stayed on for a bit longer and my Mother had perked up again by the time we left. They dropped me off back here again but had to go soon after as they had to drive all the way back to Gloucestershire that night. After they'd gone I felt AWFUL I was sat here all on my own with nothing to take my mind off things and I felt really depressed.
Well I kept phoning the Hospital a couple of times a day and they said she was improving, and one night they took the phone to her bed and let me talk to her again and she did sound a lot better. She told me she'd had a bit of a problem as they'd taken out the metal staples from the operation and the last one wouldn't come out, so they'd had to wait a day or two and get someone else to do it which she said was very painful, but they'd eventually got it out leaving just the stitches and she was getting over it by the time she spoke to me. Then on Thursday Elaine came and fetched me and took me over to see her again and when I got there I felt really relieved as she seemed so much better in every way. She said that the Surgeon had been to see her, he told her that they'd found two tumours in her bowel, but they were benign and he'd removed them, and he said that if she continued to improve they might consider letting her come home one day next week, so I left the hospital on Thursday feeling much happier.
Despite that I still didn't sleep much Thursday night and got up quite early to have a cuppa, then while I was drinking that i suddenly decided to try and catch the earlier bus into Tenby, so I managed to get washed, dressed and out to the Bus stop in about 50 minutes (a miracle for me, I've NEVER got ready that fast in my life) I went to Tenby first, bought a few things there and then came back to Saundersfoot. Ordered our usual stuff from the Pet Shop there and from there went on up to Kilgetty. I bought a huge pile of stuff in the Co-op and arranged for it to be delivered, then went on to the Post Office and finally to the Chemists before making my way to the bus-stop. Unfortunately the bus was late and it started to rain again while I was waiting, so I nearly froze, and the Co-op deliverty van passed me while i was standing there, so the goods arrived here before i did and I found them all piled up in the porch - I had to do a bit of mountaineering to get into the house.
One of my Mother's friends was on the bus and she was asking me all about everything (she's a nurse so she understands all the technical stuff) I told her my Mother was much better on the Thursday and that she might be coming home soon and I'd phoned the Hospital earlier and they said my Mother was fine, so I was feeling much more cheerful when I got back in the house (apart from the fact that the downstairs toilet had sprung a leak and flooded the room and I had to get Pete over to sort it out)
Then later in the evening I phoned the Hospital again and they told me my Mother's temperature had gone sky-high and she had a urinary infection and they'd put her on antibiotics, and as soon as I heard that my heart plummetted back down into my boots again.
This afternoon our friend Shirley from Kilgetty Post Office took me over to visit her again and after seeing how bright she was on Thursday it was really upsetting to see her not so good again. She told me that yesterday the nurse who was on duty had taken her for a shower, well my mother hates showers as much as I do so she wasn't very happy about that, and on top of that this nurse had kept telling her to stand up and how the hell she expected her to do that I don't know as for the past two weeks she's only been on her feet with a nurse on either side to hold her up and a zimmer-frame, but she said this particular nurse is bloody horrible and didn't lasten to her at all, then to make matters worse she wasn't dried off properly and her nightie was sticking to her skin because she was damp, so she's sure that's what caused this fever.
When I got there I thought the room was boiling, but my Mother said she felt freezing cold all the time and she wasn't feeling too good at all. Then after I'd been there a while she started feeling sick so I got her a bowl and rang for the nurse -- and miraculously TWO of them turned up together ! My Mother says that maost of the time you keep ringing for ages and NOBODY turns up (it was the same when I was in there) Anyway, they got out their contraptions and did a few tests and said her temperature was up again, so they turned on the Electric fan (even though my Mother said she felt freezing to stsrt with !) Then they gave her some tablets, but she couldn't swallow them, so they fetched her some soluble ones instead.
Before I came away from there she said she was feeling a bit better, she said she thought the sickness had helped to shift some wind which had been bothering her, but I still didn't really want to come away and leave her there. I couldn't stay though as we'd already been there for longer than originally planned and if I hadn't come back with Shirley I'd have been stuck there. I've phoned the hospital again since I got back and they said she's alright (but they hardly say anything else do they) so I told them to give her my love.
Shirley says she'll take me over again one evening next week as she's busy in the Post office during the day, but that if anything crops up in the meantime and I need to get back there and can't find anyone else to take me to give her a call and she'll take me over tomorrow afternoon or whenever. I just hope to God that nothing else DOES crop up because I'm worried enough already, and it all seems so much worse once it gets dark and I'm stuck here all by myself. I don't normally mind being on my own, in fact I enjoy it, but when the REASON I'm on my own is something like this it's a different kettle of fish isn't it.
The only good thing that's come out of all this is that when I was clearing some stuff yesterday I came across the Bathroom scales, so I got on them and was amazed to find that I've lost 1st 4lbs since my Mother went into Hospital. I WAS 14st and now I'm only about 12st 10lbs, probably because most of the time I'm too worried to eat. I start to eat something but then find I just can't swallow it because it feels as if I've got this big lump in my chest. I'm quite happy that I've lost some weight at last, but I'd have been even happier if I hadn't lost it for this reason.
Well I feel totally exhausted so I think I'll go and lie down for a bit now, even though I probably won't be able to sleep. I would have gone earlier, but just after I started to type this the woman next-door rung up to ask how my Mother was then kept talking for ages about other things (as she does !) so my ears are a bit tired now as well as the rst of me.
I'll try and get back in here if there's any more news. I tried posting something earlier in the week hoping to take my mind off things, but it didn't work, I just sat here thinking about it all so in the end I gave up again. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 12 November 2005 : 20:31:37
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Please excuse mistakes but I'm too tired to see the keyboard properly |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 13 November 2005 : 09:01:07
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Hi Pauline
So sorry to hear that your mother has been so ill this past week,you must be worried sick about her .Hope there is a big improvement today .
Will e.mail you later .
Take Care. |
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Larry Lamb
Senior Member
1249 Posts |
Posted - 13 November 2005 : 14:13:53
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| Very sorry your maa's had such a rough time of it.I was thinking about you both last sunday but could'nt get down here to ask.Hope she'll be feeling a lot better very soon |
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Larry Lamb
Senior Member
1249 Posts |
Posted - 13 November 2005 : 14:15:59
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Just reread my post from 2 sundays back,think I must have been having a touch of the Bobs there with that spelling |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 14 November 2005 : 14:18:29
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Well I'm still plodding on here.
I rang the Hospital yesterday about 12.30 (I'd also rung them fairly late on Saturday night) and they said she was feeling a lot better, she'd eaten a spot of Lunch (the usual mush as she's still not allowed solid stuff) and that she was having a nap, so I felt qiute happy about that and carried on with the clearing, intending to ring again later when she was awake and they might let me speak to her.
Well at about 5.45 I heard a noise outside and something came through the letter-box, then went I went to see what it was somebody called my name. I opened the door and it was the man from next-door, he said my Mother had got the Hospital to ring them because SHE'D been trying to ring ME and couldn't get an answer !
I couldn't understand why I hadn't heard our phone ringing, but when I picked it up it was completely dead, no dial-tone or anything. Well I thanked him for bringing me the message (musn't say things about him in future must I ?) and rang the Hospital from my phone. I told the the nurse who I was and she laughed and said "You're going to get such a telling-off from your Mother, she's been going frantic wondering why you weren't answering". Anyway, I told them what had happened and they took the phone through to my Mother so I could speak to her. (She didn't give me a telling off by the way, she was just so relieved that I was alright !) I talked to her for a while and she sounded much better than she had on Saturday so I was feeling a bit better myself after that.
My Mother told me to ring BT about the phone, but the weird thing is that when I picked it up again later last night it was working perfectly normally again, so let's hope it was just a temporary glitch and that it won't happen again.
But I'm worrying again now as I phoned the Hospital again earlier today to see how she was and the bloke who answered went to check then came back and said she was down in X-ray at the moment and told me to ring back a bit later when they'd brought her back upstairs. So NOW I'm wondering why they're X-raying her, is it just routine or do the think there might be something else wrong now ? I HOPE it's just routine because otherwise I think I might have a nervous breakdown before she gets home.
I've been trying to sort the place out in the meantime, so it won't be QUITE such a dump when she does come home. The new Toilet seat I ordered arrived last week and it looks very nice. But it made the rest of the place look even worse in comparison, so I decided to lay the new Vinolay in the Toilet (it's been sitting there rolled-up since I can't remember when) I used to lay Vinolay and Carpets myself, haven't done it for years now, but I thought i could manage that bit as it's only a very small bit of floor. So I got it down and it was starting to look a lot better in there, I was even thinking of sticking up a bit of new wallpaper if I could find the paste. THEN as I said earlier, I flushed the Toilet and it all ran out the back and flooded the place and I had to get Pete to fix it. It's alright now (touch wood !) but the floor was soaked and it had even soaked up the walls and left tidemarks, so at the moment I've got the radiator on at full blast hoping it will dry out soon.
I also orderd a new Vacuum Cleaner from Argos, so I've finally been able to get all the Dog's hair off the carpets and also got rid of a lot of dust and cobwebs now that some of the boxes are out of the way. At the moment I'm working on my Mother's bedroom (and by heck, after seeing what she's got in there I'll have something to say to HER the next time she tells me MY room is a tip !!! ) I've re-arranged some of the furniture to make it easier to move around up there (nothing too strenuous, I just shoved it along a bit) and I've also ordered her a new bed. She's been meaning to get a new one for ages, so I thought it would be a nice surprise if I could get one by the time she comes home. The mattress was delivered today, but the rest of it is going to take a bit longer (it's a metal bedstead in a 4-foot width, not a standard size, so it takes longer) I HOPE it will get here before they send her home, but even if it doesn't the new mattress alone will be an improvement, we'll just have to stick it on the old bedstead in the meantime.
Better get back to it now as if I sit around 'resting' for too long I lose the impetus, then I'll ring the Hospital again and see what the X-ray was for (fingers crossed that they haven't found anything ELSE wrong anywhere) |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 14 November 2005 : 14:53:17
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My Pauline you have been busy down there sorting all the odd jobs out ,with all the exercise you are getting you will be losing more weight .
Thank goodness your phone came alright in the end ,that is all you need right now to be without the phone ,good job you have your mobile charged up .
I would think the X.Ray was just checking up on how things are going after the operation,lets hope so anyway ,don't want there to be any more set backs now do you .
Glad your mother is sounding better lets hope she is home before long .
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Fussy
Baileys Benefactor !
4609 Posts |
Posted - 14 November 2005 : 16:53:27
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Oh dear, Oh dear! Pauline, you have been through one hell of a week. I've only just logged on here, and I am so sorry to learn that Mother has had those setbacks. Let's hope she will now gradually improve.
Thank goodness you had someone to take you to visit her. And then to have the damn phone pack in made matters worse still...which leads me to tell you...SNAP! I have also been without a phone and broadband connection for nearly a week. It appears that BT here have had numerous faults recently, and they have left messages on my mobile daily, with a progress report as to when there would likely be a repair. They must have suspected that there would be more faults to follow, 'cos they said that any incoming calls would be transferred to my mobile at no cost! Ho! Ho! Something FREE from BT!!!!!!!
Anyway,...hope Mother shows an improvement every day from now on.
I am still doing some work here...odd jobs, but will try to nip in now and again. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 14 November 2005 : 17:46:50
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Hello Fussy, what a relief to see you back here again I was beginning to think something had happened and maybe YOU were in Hospital too.
Yes, my Mother has certainly been through the Mill these last couple of weeks, I told her the other day that if she came down with anything else I was going to enter her in The Guinness Book of Records !
Well, I got the old mattress off her bed this afternoon, rolled it up and tied it with string then wrapped some black bags around it so it's all ready to go out with the rest of the rubbish tonight (I thought I'd better use the black bags as it's a foam mattress, so if it rained after I put it out tonight it would have been so water-logged by morning that they wouldn't have been able to lift it onto the lorry !) After that I unwrapped the new mattress, laid it on her bed and lay down on it to test it -- it feels very nice and comfortable. I didn't remove the last layer of plastic though as I was afraid it would pick up some whiffs from the old bedstead which is very dusty and icky. It's actually mine, it's an Antique and I believe it's American. I inherited it from my Grandfather and he and my Grandmother originally got it from someone else who had lived in the U.S. many, many years ago then returned to Aberdare. It's a lovely bed really, but in desperate need of 'doing up'. My Granny used to varnish it (she varnished everything) and all those old layers of varnish have become tacky with age so now all the bits of fluff from the blankets stick to it and so does the dust, and it's almost impossible to get it off, so it's starting to smell very fousty, and it's also coming apart at the joins. So once the new bed arrives we'll have to try and find a furniture-restorer who can hopefully repair it, then strip off all that ancient varnish and re-polish it, and maybe one day I can have it back in use again.
After I'd done that I rang the Hospital again and they said she was back up from X-ray and was 'resting comfortably' (famous stock phrase !) I asked what the X-ray was for and they said it was an Echo Cardiogram, so I suppose that's to do with the Heart problem last week. I just hope to God it doesn't show up any MORE problems that's all, because if there are any more worries I think that on the day they finally DO send her home they'll be taking me in instead ! I'll phone again later when the night shift come on, they're more likely to let me speak to her in person then and she'll tell me more than they do.
Think I'll have a cup of tea now as I can taste dust all the time, then I'll get back to the grindstone and try to do a bit more before bed. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 14 November 2005 : 17:49:03
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Hello Fussy, what a relief to see you back here again I was beginning to think something had happened and maybe YOU were in Hospital too.
Yes, my Mother has certainly been through the Mill these last couple of weeks, I told her the other day that if she came down with anything else I was going to enter her in The Guinness Book of Records !
Well, I got the old mattress off her bed this afternoon, rolled it up and tied it with string then wrapped some black bags around it so it's all ready to go out with the rest of the rubbish tonight (I thought I'd better use the black bags as it's a foam mattress, so if it rained after I put it out tonight it would have been so water-logged by morning that they wouldn't have been able to lift it onto the lorry !) After that I unwrapped the new mattress, laid it on her bed and lay down on it to test it -- it feels very nice and comfortable. I didn't remove the last layer of plastic though as I was afraid it would pick up some whiffs from the old bedstead which is very dusty and icky. It's actually mine, it's an Antique and I believe it's American. I inherited it from my Grandfather and he and my Grandmother originally got it from someone else who had lived in the U.S. many, many years ago then returned to Aberdare. It's a lovely bed really, but in desperate need of 'doing up'. My Granny used to varnish it (she varnished everything) and all those old layers of varnish have become tacky with age so now all the bits of fluff from the blankets stick to it and so does the dust, and it's almost impossible to get it off, so it's starting to smell very fousty, and it's also coming apart at the joins. So once the new bed arrives we'll have to try and find a furniture-restorer who can hopefully repair it, then strip off all that ancient varnish and re-polish it, and maybe one day I can have it back in use again.
After I'd done that I rang the Hospital again and they said she was back up from X-ray and was 'resting comfortably' (famous stock phrase !) I asked what the X-ray was for and they said it was an Echo Cardiogram, so I suppose that's to do with the Heart problem last week. I just hope to God it doesn't show up any MORE problems that's all, because if there are any more worries I think that on the day they finally DO send her home they'll be taking me in instead ! I'll phone again later when the night shift come on, they're more likely to let me speak to her in person then and she'll tell me more than they do.
Think I'll have a cup of tea now as I can taste dust all the time, then I'll get back to the grindstone and try to do a bit more before bed. |
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Moonraker
Senior Member
1024 Posts |
Posted - 15 November 2005 : 10:12:56
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Hi Pauline,
Hope your mother is feeling better today.
With all the work your doing, when she comes home she will think it is the wrong house. |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 17 November 2005 : 10:00:52
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Hi Pauline
How is your mother getting on .?
Any news of when she will be home .?
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Fussy
Baileys Benefactor !
4609 Posts |
Posted - 17 November 2005 : 12:45:04
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Yes, I hope Pauline's Mum is getting better now. I e-mailed her last week to give her some encouragement, but you can never be sure that she receives e-mails, 'cos she gets so much trouble with her PC from time to time.
Let's have some news Pauline. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 17 November 2005 : 13:36:03
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Hello again, meant to drop in here yesterday but I just felt too tired in the end.
Well I went over to see her again on Tuesday evening (Shirley from the Post Office took me again) and thankfully she seemed much better than she'd been last Saturday, in fact better than she's been since before she went in, she looked better and her voice was also sounding stronger so let's hope she keeps it up now and doesn't have any more relapses.
Since I saw her last they'd found out that what they'd thought was a urinary infection was actually an infection in the wound itself, so they started injecting the antibiotics directly into her stomach again (they'd been doing that after the operation but had stopped it, obviously they'd stopped it too soon !) and that seems to have worked as her temperature had gone down and she was a lot brighter, but it's obviously meant that she now won't be coming home until at least next week, so she's feeling a bit miserable about that, but as long as they get the infection under control and she doesn't have any more setbacks that's the main thing isn't it ? It's just such a worry when she's up there and I'm stuck here, and at the moment I've got nobody to take me over as they're all busy until at least next Monday, which means I won't have seen her for almost a whole week unless somebody else turns up and offers to take me in the meantime (and considering how much we used to do for some of the neighbours around here you'd think that ONE of them would offer to take me at least ONCE wouldn't you ?) I know I can phone, but it's not the same as actually seeing her is it.
At least I've been getting on with sorting the place out, but it's a long job as she'd got a lot more junk in her bedroom than I ever imagined. Apart from ancient timetables (some of them were so old they had times of the London to York Royal Mail-coach and a 'Wanted Dead or Alive' poster of Dick Turpin on the cover ! LOL !) there were dozens and DOZENS of old bus-tickets, they were mostly under the bed and under the bedside cabinet -- when I told her about those she said she thought she'd been dropping them into a carrier bag next to her bed, and I said "Well you must have missed an awful lot of times !"
I also found umpteen bottles containing my Father's old tablets and even some with Sonny's old Epinutin tablets, and as my Father died in March 1997 and Sonny died in March 1994 you can tell how long they'd been there ! I've now flushed them down the toilet and the empty bottles have all gone out in the rubbish. I know that my Mother and I are both sentimental and hate throwing stuff away, but even I think that saving old medicine is carrying things just a BIT too far ! Apart from anything else it could have been dangerous, one of the bottles had come open and some of the tablets had fallen out, so given Sadie's habit of eating ANYTHING she finds, what might have happened to her if she'd found those and chewed them up ? Anyway, they've gone now along with several bags full of other old junk, and I've put most of her clothes away in the wardrobe and drawers and hopefully I'll finish it and get it all dusted and tidy by the time the new bedstead arrives.
I'm feeling a bit off-colour myself today though, my throat is a bit sore and my head feels stuffed-up. I think it's this weather, there was a thick frost last night when I was carrying the rubbish out and I think it's got to my chest a bit (and I don't think the dust has helped either) But I shall persevere with it so that at least my Mother's two rooms will be looking more respectable by the time they bring her home. Then I can work on my own two rooms at a more leisurely pace after she's back.
Pete came over yesterday and fixed the bathroom light and also hopefully cured the leak in there. It's been leaking on and off for ages, it wasn't as bad as the DELUGE in the downstairs toilet last week, but it was worrying because it was upstairs and I was always afraid it might go down through the floorboards and get into the kitchen light and blow every fuse in the house as happened once before soon after we came to live here.
Well I'm going to make some tea now and then get back to work for another few hours. Just hope this cold/sore throat doesn't get any worse and stop me from working on it as now that I've finally started to get things a bit more ship-shape I don't want to stop until the job is done. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 17 November 2005 : 13:36:57
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P.S.
I got your E-mails, I'll try and answer them as soon as I can |
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Moonraker
Senior Member
1024 Posts |
Posted - 17 November 2005 : 19:57:53
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Hi Pauline,
Glad to hear your mum is feeling better.
You will have a kit inspection when she comes home.
Then for weeks you will hear her call, "Pauline where have you put ...............?"
Still you'll be glad she's there.
Give her our love.
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 19 November 2005 : 09:55:26
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Pauline
Hope the treatment for the infection your mother has is working and she will soon be home with you .
I am as bad as your mother with her bus tickets but mine are sweet papers ,I read in bed and munch my sweets and you can guarantee that I miss the bin at the side of the bed every time .
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The Gravedigger
Advanced Member
576 Posts |
Posted - 19 November 2005 : 15:25:54
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| Hope your mum is improving by the day and will be home with you soon |
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Larry Lamb
Senior Member
1249 Posts |
Posted - 20 November 2005 : 15:59:59
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How's she doing this week?Bet she's fed up of being in that blinking hospital at this time of year,it always seems worse in bad weather does'nt itI'm sure you'll both be pleased when she comes home.
Sounds like you've been busy down there,do'nt go overdoing things though or you'll be ending up in hospital yourself and then who'd look after all your animals?SO take care of yourself now you hear |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 20 November 2005 : 18:58:44
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Pauline
Any news about your mother ,I bet you are fed up of being on your own down there .
How long has she been in there now ? is it about 3 weeks .
Hope you can get someone to take you to visit her this week ,although I know the weather is rotten to be travelling long distances . |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 23 November 2005 : 12:34:09
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Well she's been in there for three-and-a-half weeks now, my cousin took me over on Tuesday and she IS quite a lot better compared to how she was a couple of weeks ago, but they still haven't said when they think she might be coming home.
At the moment they're trying to get this Warfarin sorted out (did I mention that she said they'd started her on "Rat Poison" as she calls it ? I'm so confused lately that I can't remember what I've told you and what I haven't !) and they want to get the dosage right before they let her out. She says they WERE giving her five tablets and they decided that was too much so they suddenly dropped it to ONE which seems a Hell of a big change to me, you'd think that they'd lower it more gradually than that wouldn't you ? They also want to make sure she's reasonably mobile as well, but all these setbacks have slowed her progress in that area too. She told me the other day that she'd managed to walk to the bathroom and back again with the aid of the Zimmer, but it tired her out, so they obviously want her to be able to get about a bit more than that by the time she comes home. She's getting really fed up now though as she never expected it to take this long.
As for me, I'm STILL struggling to get her bedroom sorted out, if I'd known that it was going to take this long I'm not sure that I'd have started it in the first place :-( I knew that she had a LOT of stuff in there (every room in the house is the same) but I didn't realise how MUCH was in there, nor just HOW much of it was JUNK ! I mean, I know that MY room is piled up from floor to ceiling, but it's more or less all clothes, shoes, bags and so on, but a lot of what I've been finding in my Mother's room is rubbish that there seems to have been no reason for keeping in the first place, let alone keeping for SO many years ! (Just for starters, she had enough used carrier bags in there to keep a Supermarket going for at least a few weeks !) and I've chucked out umpteen bagsful of those alone, plus the afore-mentioned bus tickets and other assorted bits of old papers, envelopes and God knows what else. I've moved all my Father's clothes and shoes down into the smallest bedroom in the caravan until I decide where to send them, but even with those gone there are still too many of my Mother's clothes to fit them all in to her wardrobes and chests (she's always telling me that I'VE got too many clothes, which I admit is true, but in these past couple of weeks I've been amazed at how many SHE'S got herself !)
I've bought her a new little cupboard thing to keep SOME of it in (it's a sort of cross between a bench and an ottoman, in a dark wood to match the rest of the furniture) so some of the stuff can be hidden inside that and a FEW of her vast collection of furry animals can sit on top of it -- the rest of them I've arranged on open shelves at the back of the room (and the stuff that WAS on the shelves I'm trying to stuff into cupboards or boxes under the bed) so at least when she comes home she'll have more room in the bed for HERSELF, as it was getting VERY crowded with all those Teddies, Dogs, Cats etc in there with her !!!!!! But at the moment it's still far from tidy and I'm beginning to feel a bit daunted by it all now, I'm just hoping and praying that I can get it finished, or at least looking tidier by the time she comes home, but at the moment there's still so much stuff lying around everywhere -- despite the VAST amounts I've thrown away -- that I'm starting to panic and feel that I'm never going to get to the end of it all, or at least that I'm not going to finish it in time, and I'd really hate for it to still be a mess when they bring her home.
Her new bed still hasn't arrived yet (wish they were as quick as the firms where I bought the mattress and that new cupboard, they both arrived in just a couple of days) and I'm HOPING that it will get here before she does, but at the moment, if I could just get the room looking less like a junkyard I'd be reasonably happy. I was planning to sort out the whole house before she got back, but I never ever thought that clearing just ONE room would take this long. I'm beginning to flag now, especially as I've got a cold and a cough coming on and I don't feel very energetic at all. If I'd done nothing else for the past few weeks I might have finished by now, but as I've also had to go out and do some shopping and also been visiting my Mother whenever there was someone to take me it's just all taking me so long. I wish I could have got the crew from one of those TV programmes to come in and do it for me -- THEY always seem to get a Hell of a lot done in a very short space of time don't they ? But then, there are dozens of them and only one of me, so I'll just have to keep plodding on by myself and HOPE that I can get it into some semblence of order in the next couple of days, but I must admit that it's depressing me now as there's still such a lot to do and if they decide to send her home in the next few days I'm just not sure that it's going to be ready in time. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 23 November 2005 : 12:41:03
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| You know, there's a lot of truth in that old saying that although you might start out owning your possessions, THEY eventually end up owning YOU ! |
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Fussy
Baileys Benefactor !
4609 Posts |
Posted - 23 November 2005 : 15:02:08
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Glad to hear Mother is getting better. At least they haven't just off-loaded her back home sooner than they ought, as seems to happen quite a lot these days. Taking into consideration her age it is understandable that the recuperation takes a while longer. It took me two sessions (2 weeks and 5 weeks) when I had my op' in 1991, so it's good to know that they are not letting her home before time.
Regarding old relics of the past that Mother has been harbouring over the years...you never know what the value of these ancient bits and pieces are today. I read somewhere the other day that one of the old kid's comics...was it Beano...or one of those 20/30s comics, probably issue No1, fetched over a thousand smackers. Ho! Ho! Ho!
Anyway, hope everything turns out for the best for you, and that you'll sort out all the hullaballoo and topsy turvy situations that you have been encountering lately.
And thanks for your 'short novel' again today!!!
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 23 November 2005 : 16:20:14
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Pauline
It's good to hear that your mother is progressing well even though it is very slow .
Best for her to be really well before coming home ,if she comes out too soon she may have to go back in if all is not well .
My you are keeping yourself busy down there with all that clearing out lets hope your mother does not go mad because you have cleared out all her stuff
It is quite unbelievable the stuff we amass over the years ,this year we have had a good clear out and done a few boot sales to get rid of it ,although there is still piles of stuff here that could go.
We have also had a good clear out of tons of paper work we have amassed doing family history stuff ,we shredded 3 black bags full last week .Tried putting it out with the paper recycling stuff but they refuse to take shredded paperso it went with the ordinary household waste ,does not make sense to me as it could have been recycled with the other paper ,what a waste .
Anyway I hope you manage to get the house all sorted before your mother comes home and hope the bed arrives soon .Also hope your cold gets better soon .
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 28 November 2005 : 22:52:11
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Pauline
Is there any news of your mother being home ?????
Been looking in all day to see if you had put a little message in to say she is home .
Although if she is home I bet we won't see you on here for a while as you will be busy looking after her and catching up on all that went on in hospital .
Hope you are now feeling a lot better yourself now .
Look forward to hearing from you when you have a spare minute . |
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Fussy
Baileys Benefactor !
4609 Posts |
Posted - 30 November 2005 : 20:09:10
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Pauline,
Any news? Just scribble a few lines to let us all know how Mother is getting on, as she was expected to be home two days ago.
And,...hope YOU are feeling better as well.
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 04 December 2005 : 19:11:35
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OH DEAR !!!!
Still no news from Pauline ,I hope eveything is OK down there . |
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Zihv Yzxpdziwh
Gsv Fmpmldm Nzm !
123 Posts |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
Posted - 07 December 2005 : 14:55:31
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That's it Zihv you crack the whip and get things moving on here again.
Just hope Pauline can get in here soon and give us the latest news from Pembrokeshire ,it has been ages since we heard anything from her . |
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Larry Lamb
Senior Member
1249 Posts |
Posted - 11 December 2005 : 15:02:53
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| How is your Maa doing now?Did she come home on the monday?I could'nt get in here to ask last sunday and I ca'nt see any new messages so I hope she's ok(Hope your BOTH ok) |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
 Posted - 11 December 2005 : 19:06:34
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| You are right Larry we have not heard any news about Paulines Mother for a while now ,I do hope she is not still in hospital. |
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Pauline
Administrator & Miserable Old Fart !
United Kingdom
2110 Posts |
Posted - 13 December 2005 : 13:57:57
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Yes, she's home folks, came home two weeks ago yesterday. I've kept meaning to let you know, I've come in here a few times to do the Christmas 'decorations' (as you've noticed !) but sorting all the Avatars, signatures etc. takes me quite a while every time and by the time I've done a few of them I never seem to have enough time left to post anything (and besides that, I feel absolutely k*******d most of the time )
It's been a mixed couple of weeks, we've had a couple of minor disasters, but also a lovely surprise ! I'll try my best to post all the news later today but I can't stay long now, at the moment I'm drinking a cup of tea and as soon as I've finished I've got to go and feed my Mother and the menagerie (would have done it earlier but she's had two different nurses here today, one to do her blood tests and the other for something else, so it's been a bit hectic) I also have to wash my hair and have a bath so I can (hopefully) go out to the shops tomorrow, but I promise that I will TRY to post something else sometime before I go to bed tonight. |
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
 Posted - 13 December 2005 : 17:00:44
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Pauline
Thank you for letting us know that your mother is home safe and sound ,I know you must be very busy looking after her all day and with the nurses coming and going I bet you don't have time to do much else .I know when we were looking after "M" mother we never knew when the nurses would arrive so you seem to be on pins all morning waiting for them to turn up ,it never seemed worth getting started on any other chore until they had been .
Thank you also for finding time to decorate the site for Christmas , it is looking really lovely .
Give our best wishes to your mother .
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Fussy
Baileys Benefactor !
4609 Posts |
 Posted - 14 December 2005 : 16:27:12
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Pauline,
Great news! So glad mother is home with you.
I'm busy at the moment,...be back as soon as possible. My best wishes to your mum.
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Beacon Girl
A Fiery Female !
4774 Posts |
 Posted - 15 December 2005 : 10:46:03
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We were pretty busy yesterday too ,writing out all the christmas cards !!!!!!what a job I now have writers cramp .Cost me a fortune in stamps think next year I will donate the money to charity.
Also getting roped in to baby sitting while parents go shopping for their childrens presents .
Started our Christmas entertainment already Been to grandchildrens Nativity plays and a musical evening where grand son played carols on his guitar and went to hospital to see grand daughter conducting the school choir singing carols for the patients .
We really enjoy these things it is great to see all the youngsters getting into the spirit of christmas and entertaining the public.
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Larry Lamb
Senior Member
1249 Posts |
Posted - 18 December 2005 : 15:31:43
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SO glad to hear your maa-maa is home safe and soundhope she continues to improve and you both have a happy Xmas |
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Posted - 07 December 2005 : 14:17:26
