EVENTFUL EVENTS

It has been a tough day today. Just after midnight this morning Mick started coughing and sneezing. This wasn't a mucus build up cough; it was far more chesty than that. My poor darling coughed and sneezed for nearly two hours and he became so red and flushed. There has been a spate of coughs and colds around lately and I had felt it hovering it the background as far as my own health is concerned. It worried me to hear Mick coughing like this. After coughing and choking for so many months it is obvious that some fluids or food particles will have got into his lungs. A chest infection could be imminent. All the coughing had made him open his bowels and it was difficult cleaning him up and at the same time sorting out his coughing. I was slapping on the bacterial handwash; moving from one end to other and went through almost a whole pack of baby wipes. Then it was a good soapy wash and a complete bed change. He really puts up with so much.

I managed to get a little Beechams syrup down him between coughs and about 2am he settled a little and fell asleep. I then had to make sure I got the hoist sheet washed and dried. We are only allowed two and I didn't want to risk being without a dry one in the morning just in case we had another overflow. I'm glad I did as at 5am Mick woke up again and we went through the whole scenario again. His poor throat must feel so sore. It is such a shame that just as we had almost got the mucus under control; that he should come down with a cold. Mick drifted in and out of sleep for the next couple of hours. I tried to get him to eat a little porridge but he just wasn't interested -very unusual. He still seemed to be very flushed and, with a weekend coming up and having past experience of the difficulty of getting a doctor to come out on a Saturday or Sunday, I phoned the surgery and asked for a home visit. Unbelievably (a first I think) the receptionist said she would get the doctor to come out TODAY!

Mick slept quite peacefully during the morning; he must have been worn out! I quickly finished getting the rooms ready for Leanne and co; pre-made a meat loaf for dinner and a bakewell tart and in a flash it was lunchtime. As it was I needn't of done so much as Leanne phoned this afternoon to say that Kirsty (who hadn't been very well during the week) was still feeling rough and Melissa had come home from school complaining of being sick. She felt, and I agreed, that they would leave their visit until next weekend when (hopefully) the girls and Mick will be feeling better. Lynn's coming tomorrow so guess what we will have for lunch? That's right - meatloaf and bakewell tart.
I went off on a bit of a tangent there didn't I? But I am tired so forgive me. Where had I got to.............Lunchtime. Mick managed to eat some rice pudding at lunchtime and had just finished it when the doctor arrived. It was a locum doctor............(a quick aside here for the ladies - very dishy he was too!). Luckily Manda was here to help me sit Mick forward so that the doctor could listen to his back and chest. I must say, considering the doctor was not fully conversant with our situation he was VERY tactful in the way he discussed things with me. He explained that because there was a lot of liquid gurgling round Mick's chest it was difficult to say if he had got an infection or not but ------this is definitely a first----------in his opinion I would be the one who would be most aware of changes in Micks cough,condition etc and so he would go by my evaluation! He prescribed some antibiotics to be on the safe side.

Mick was very hungry come dinner time and I felt so sorry for him trying to eat and cough at the same time. It took a long time but he managed it.

Sleeping peacefully at the moment so shall keep my fingers crossed that he has a good night. After only an hours sleep myself last night I'm feeling pretty dozy my self so I'll ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz