General Chat

I am so sorry to read about your mum Florence. It must be so difficult for you not being able to travel to her

Florence, such a shock for you and also your brother, but good that he was near and could call in. I hope that they are able to keep her comfortable. Sending you lots of thoughts.
<3 <3

Good afternoon peeps.
Thankyou for all you kind thoughts and good wishes for my mum.

So overnight she has remained stable which is good in one way. She is unable to eat or swallow and is on 2 tubes. The drs say it is a waiting game and could take weeks before she may make any progress.

We had to have a discussion about DNR which was hard but the 3 of us siblings made the decision to have this in place. The dr said it was likely she may take another stroke or a heart attack and we do not want her to suffer or just become a vegetable with no quality of life.

But on a lighter note, although her speech is slurred, she asked for a cup of tea which is positive. brother says one minute she seems brighter but then goes very tired very quickly which i think is expected.

So we all remain positive for now and take each day as it comes as thats all we can do.

I did some phone calls today to her hairdresser, her taxi driver and the local shop to cancel her papers. So at least I can do things for her even though im far away.

On a lighter note, am i right in thinking Joan, you had a cow in your garden? Made me smile as I sometimes have a stray cat, a dozen pigeons and various other birds, some sheep over the fence but def no cows!! Hope it got back to where it came from.
Like your hubby, I also slept in my recliner sofa before my heart op when I was struggling to breathe laying down. It was the best nights sleep i ever had sometimes so hope he continues to sleep well.

Linda, hope your sister is improving every day...baby steps

Ann, you almost have a full time job watering all your pots but keeps you out of mischief lol.

My little greenhouse is still standing after the gale but dont think I shall leave it out all winter as it would probably end up in Iceland lol

Well quick tea tonight so cheese & tomato pizza, chips and some fresh bread to have a chip sarnie!With brown sauce of course!

Hope all is well with everyone else today.

Florence in the hebrides

Good afternoon folks.
Well mum had a comfortable night and is still stable but no change and still paralysed down left side. her face is still dropped too.
I hopefully will get an update from little brother later when he goes over to see her.

I am just trying to keep busy rather than dwell on the situation. I have stripped my bed, hoovered and done some laundry.
The hairdresser lady tel me today asking after mum which was lovely. So I explained the situation and she sends her hugs from the ladies in the salon which was lovely.

My brother read mums gas and electric meters and so I rang them through to get up to date bills. Her gas meter hasnt been read since lockdown!! But she pays both by D/D so money into the accounts each month.

Still horrid rainy, windy weather here. More like winter and so depressing.

Hope everyone else is ok.
Joan hope you have no more cows in your garden.

Will be back later if i have any new news.
Florence in the hebrides

Hello again peeps.
Well update on mum is no change. She had a comfortable night but no progress of any kind. She seems bright for 10 mins and then gets very tired so sleeping a lot.

Joan not much anyone can say really. Its just reassuring that people are thinking of us as a family and that means a lot.

I stripped my bed, washed everything but not dried just put in the boiler cupboard to dry it a bit and save the tumble drier.

I popped outside for 5 minutes earlier but still windy and cool. I noticed my yellow roses are in full blooms and look lovely. The other roses are making progress slowly.

Yes varnishing the toadstool will def save the paintwork in the winter. Daughter made and painted a little bird house and i varnished that so the paint wouldnt run in the rain.

Daughter is elsewhere until Friday so not sure what I will do tomorrow. I may sort out my wardrobe and chest of drawers as both seem full to bursting lol

Joan burnt bits are always the best lol

Florence in the hebrides

Good that Mum is sleeping Florence. Sleep is a great healer. Also good that she is comfortable. Just to let you know I am thinking of you. It is so difficult these days when families live so far apart. No problem when things are going well but hard when they are not. <3

We had torrential rain and thunder and lightning yesterday, but it is much nicer today.

Little Esme doesn’t seem very well today, she has a runny nose and is being a real cross patch.

My sister is hoping to go home tomorrow if they can arrange the ambulance. Her speech is still tortuous, she has to struggle to get her words in order then say them It is really frustrating for her and she often wells up. Her walking is more like shuffling using a walker.

She lives in a totally unsuitable thatched cottage with steps every where. The steps up to the first floor are about a foot deep and turn around on themselves. There is no way that she will be able to get up there herself. They are hoping the ambulance men will carry her up, but the stars are very narrow, so how they will do it, I don’t know. Once she gets up there she will be able to get to two of the bedrooms and a toilet.

It would be no good if they put a bed downstairs as the bathroom is down a flight of steps on a lower ground floor. Maybe when she gets stronger she will b3 able to shuffle down stairs on her bum, but going back up, I doubt that she would be able to stand herself up.

I hope your mum is still stable Florence and mainly sleeping, so she won’t be upset at being in hospital

Good morning everyone.
Mum is still the same and no change except last night she was feeling sick but wasn't.
Visiting hours have changed to 5-7pm so not hearing any news until 8pm once brother is home.

Been raining here and very windy so not nice at all. yesterday felt very warm in the morning when the wind was low but the midges were out again grrr. Plenty flowers on the strawberry plants but dont know how long it takes for them to grow fully?

Oh Linda, good that your sister can go home but the practicalities of steps is awful.
A bed downstairs for now sounds a better option. She must be so frustrated with her speech but in time it will improve. My mum can only slur out one side of her mouth and isnt understanding really why she cant eat or drink properly!

Hope your weather is better today Joan so you can get outside, no use gardening in the rain.

Ann, hope you are keeping well and enjoying good weather.Im sure you are busy with all your pots etc.

Off to put some washing on and maybe get it out. Not sure whats for evening meal yet, havent decided.

Florence in the hebrides

Yes Florence thanks I am ok. My neighbour has covid but luckily I had not been with her since Tuesday.

Well there was no gardening done yesterday as it rained most of the day. I mafe 9 greeting cards though, just simple ones but it boosts my stock.

Today I had a friend here for a couple of hours for a cuppa and a chat which was nice. Linda, I am surprised that they are letting your sister home if the house is not really suitable. Still maybe in her own surroundings maybe she will improve more.

Florence It is good that there are people to visit your mum and let you know how she is. But it is a worry for you not being able to see her.

Ann, I rather feel helpless tbh and little brother is the only one that drives. Middle brother or his wife dont drive. And if I was down, I could only go when someone could take me. other sil has a 5 year old in school.

Im always asking lots of questions but I dont get the answers. "A" said that yesterday as there was a skeleton staff with it being the weekend, noone had washed my mother all day!! That isnt good enough and I would have demanded to know why but he said there were very busy and wasnt many nurses around to ask. So yes it's very difficult for me but Im trying to stay positive.

Been raining all afternoon so no washing got hung out and im feeling it chilly too. not very summery at all.

Was keeping busy shortening two night dresses I bought awhile ago but they were far too long. I cut them and then used that wonderweb and they look ok so a good job done.

Florence in the hebrides

Afternoon Joan and anyone else looking in.
Well its blowing a right old hooley here and heavy showers. Grass cutters came awhile ago after I didnt think they would come. There was a break in the rain so they came and all done now.

Bin day too...typical! They emptied the bin, left it on my parking space and within seconds it was on its side. Luckily my left sided neighbour is off from Tesco this week so he quickly picked it up and put it in the corner bit for me which was kind.

This weather Joan is lasting all week...so depressing and now im using tumble drier which Ive been not using saving the pennies.
Glad hubby is taking all his meds and washing up for you is a great help and at least he feels able to do something useful.

Have just been tidying up, bit of sorting out documents on PC and deleting old things.

So no other news so far today. Might pop on later.

Florence in the hebrides

Good afternoon folks.
Well the weather for the last few days has been so awful that i couldnt go out the front door as it was sooo windy, gale force and torrential rain! When will it end and summer begin.
The south east is set for another heatwave so why cant we please get a slice of the sun up here? Oh well we live in hope.

My mother has not improved at all. She can speak a little but very slurred except shes asking after her mother and when shes going home to the house she was born in? Her "dementia" has taken a turn for the worse.

However yesterday, they were talking about moving her to a rehabilitation hospital but I have no idea if that is in the same hospital or elsewhere. By the time little bro gets there at 5pm, not many drs about to discuss mum with.

The 5-7pm is staying for visitors because of the covid on the unit.

I have been ringing for updates after lunch but I only get a general update from the nurse.

Does anyone have knowledge of being moved from a stroke unit elsewhere?

One thing is for sure, she wont ever be returning to her home :-(
Im being kept busy sorting out things that i can do from here so its making me feel better for that.

Hoping everyone else is doing ok.

How is your sister Linda?

Take care all

Florence in the hebrides

Edit: Tesco delivery between 5-9pm today, so that will keep me busy awhile as its a big order. Not had a delivery for over 2 weeks!

I am sorry to hear that your mum is not well Florence. It is a few years now, but after an operation, my dad nearly died and was very ill. He moved into the hospital rehab ward and was there for several months until they got him well enough to go home.

My sister came home on Sunday, she was sitting there most of the day with her discharge letter waiting for the ambulance to take her home and get her into the house. In the end they said that they couldn’t get an ambulance. She wasn’t prepared to stay, so her husband took her home. Between them, they managed to get up the steps into the house then very slowly up the internal staircase. How she managed, I don’t know. She stayed upstairs for a couple of days, then managed to get down again. It is tiring for her, but she is improving every day. She is still struggling with her speech. It is all going to take time. After about five weeks, she had to start daily radio and chemotherapy, so that is going to knock her back

Good morning folks.

Sorry Linda your sister couldnt get an ambulance to take her home, how distressing!! At least in her own home surroundings, she may feel so much better and her improvement might also speed up.

Today after speaking to my brother last night, I had to phone hospital for an update! Yesterday mum had pulled her feeing tube out and so overnight had no food going into her just fluids. Today i was told they tried 5 times to get a new tube without success and so now will need to do it via xray to see where the tube is going.The nurse said they check her blood sugars every 4 hours and can give meds if needed to keep sugar level up .
The nurse said they are extremely busy and so is the consultant and so she may not get a new feeding tune until early next week!! I got so distressed and said 5 days without any food or nutrition is dreadful. Mum is also hallucinating and wanting home to the place she lived as a child.

My brother will be seeing her later but he was upset last night as she couldnt remember his name.

Why is it always the weekend when things happen and depts are closed?
Its the same up here. We always say better to get sick on a Tuesday when all drs etc are available.

Sorry, I'm droning on but just needed to let off some steam.

So same old weather again...my poor greenhouse has partially collapsed and will have to wait until daughter comes back to sort it out. My poor strawberries have been battered by the wind and outside my large couldron of potatoes has been bashed too. The leaves have turned black so not sure if the potatoes will carry on growing :-P

I hope all ok with everyone else .Surely this weather has to give???

Florence in the hebrides

It is a problem when they pull the feeding tube out Florence. My dad did that and after several goes they couldn’t get it back in again. Luckily the next day was the weekend and there was only one consultant covering the hospital, but she knew my dad, so agreed to have one last go and managed to get it back. They said that if he pulled it out again, it would have to stay out because he obviously didn’t want it. When he improved and got a lot better, he had no recollection of taking it out and definitely wouldn’t have if he had known what he was doing. It gave him another eighteen months, but of such poor quality that I am not sure that it was worth it.

My sister saw the oncologist this morning, she has to go next week to have a special mask made to go over her head, so they can target the radio therapy. It will have eye holes and a nose hole, but she won’t be able to talk. She has to start the treatment in three weeks. It will be five days a week for six and a half weeks. The problem is that it is an hour and a quarters drive each way, just for a five minute treatment. The consultant was trying to persuade her to have it done at a hospital much closer to home, but she is refusing because she doesn’t like the consultant there. They have said that she is going to feel really sick and are worried about the long journey, but she just isn’t listening

Good afternoon folks although its nearly evening lol. I have only had time for a coffee and some toast as have been busy doing paperwork nearly all day. Infact, I felt as if I was working in a office.

My brother found mum's bin still not emptied now after 3 weeks and after me tel last Monday with a promise of it being emptied by last Tues afternoon . So another 45 minutes in a queue. Eventually got through, referred to a supervisor assuring me it will get emptied asap, we shall see.

Dealt with various other bits and bobs, typed a few letters and printed out returns forms to send back 2 dresses(were awful) and my new keyboard as the keys were terrible to type on. Actually found the right keyboard at Argos so ordered it now and daughter will collect it.

Finally packed up the goods and now ready to post when daughter goes to town later in the week.

In between all that, the internet went off 3 times no less, so flipping annoying!!

Mum is just the same and when shown a picture of myself & my daughter, she didnt recognize us except she thought the 2 women were sisters lol We do look a bit alike though.

Unlike the rest of the uk, the weather is again still gale force winds with showers. I don't want 30 degrees, but some sun and 23 degrees would be pleasant, I live in hope.

Hope everyone else keeping ok and staying safe in the hot weather with keeping hydrated.

Florence in the hebrides

Well its happened!! The storm force winds ripped the plastic off my little greenhouse and the frame was collapsed. Daughter was out in the pouring wind & rain last night trying to take it apart. So now I have the frame in my kitchen by the back door but the cover is ruined and in the bin.

My strawberry plants leaves were all brown but I cut off the damaged ones and managed to salvage them. A good water and no wind overnight seems to have perked them up. There is one strawberry but oh my its so tiny lol.

Still breezy here and showery 15 degrees :-(

Havent phoned hospital yet as they have a weekly discussion today but not til 3pm so will leave it til after then.

I have made Chinese chicken pieces for tea tonight, left them in the marinade for now with onions and mushrooms. Will serve it with some rice. Cant wait as ages since we had this.

Tumble drier is working hard to push up my bill that usually has a rest this time of year but I need the laundry dry!

Hope everyone ok

Florence in the hebrides

Afternoon folks.
Nothing good about it as the weather is still rubbish!!

Mum is just the same but very confused, her dementia has really gone from bad to worse since she's taken the stroke.

I have a very grumpy old man in my family who really is making my life a misery by criticising everything I do and its getting me down. My only saving grace is that i live hundreds of miles away and not planning a trip anytime soon down south. Why do family older than us treat us like children? Im 61 this year for goodness sake!

Its just when people say "If I were you " etc...except they are not me, end of.

Having a down day today but the upside is daughter is on the bus with a chinese takeaway for tea as its been months since we last had one and we both need perking up. :-)

Hope you are enjoying your visitors Joan and everyone else ok.

Take care
Florence in the hebrides

I am sorry you are feeling down Florence, hopefully your takeaway will cheer you up

It is really hot here today. We had a day off from the heat yesterday when it rained steadily all morning, that was good for the garden at least.

I took Eve with me this morning while I had a haircut. She had her long hair trimmed across the bottom as well. We had lunch in the town and she spent the Waterstones vouchers which she was given as her prize at school speech day.

It is Esme’s birthday next week, so we ordered a very substantial wooden triple swing frame. She has a swing seat, so we are going to transfer that to the new frame. We have also got a large nest swing for the frame. I made OH check it was all there. Just as well as the two wooden side braces and fittings aren’t there. Of course, there is no telephone number to ring, you just have to email. We got an automated reply saying they would get back to us within 24 hours. It is a good job, we have a week before her birthday. If the worst comes to the worst, OH will have to cobble something together. It is very annoying as it is an expensive one, not a flimsy cheap thing

Oh dear Linda, always something. Im guessing you bought it online? Have you checked online to see if you can find a number? Like try contact number for.... and see if you get anywhere else hope they reply to your email soon.