SPRING SPRUNG A LEAK!

Good news I rang the doctor yesterday morning about the pressure area on Mick's chest and he came out the same day!!! I really hate asking him to come out as he is not the most tactful of men. In the past he has asked me questions in Mick's hearing like "Is he blind yet?"..."Does he still understand you?"......"Do you know can always get respite care from the Hospice?". Fair enough questions I know....but not in front of Mick!!! I have told the Doctors and Nurses (on their rare visits) that Mick does not know he is dying!....when he was first diagnosed and thought he only had 2 months to live he knew he would lose some of his memory. He particularly asked that we (family) didn't remind him of his condition as he wanted to have the frame of mind that tomorrow WOULD come. I resolved today that when the Doctor came I would talk "nineteen to the dozen" giving the doctor no chance to say anything untoward. It worked and the doctor merely prescribed some antibiotics and prompted by Manda (who was here during her lunch hour) promised to see if there was a bigger dressing that I could put over the area. At the moment I'm having to place two dressings side by side to cover the area....which isn't ideal....he says that he doesn't think they make bigger dressings...I find this absurd as surely many people have wounds larger than an elliptical 8cm by 6cm. We shall see what we shall see!

Our expected visitors phoned to say they are unable to come as Brenda still has a cold. Poor us!....that means the deliciously moist Ginger Cake I've made will have to be shared into bigger portions....LOL.

I'll freeze this half......maybe!......it is going down rather well!

Mick is continuing to eat well....still won't drink.....but at least the yoghurts, mousses etc I give him have a high liquid content. He enjoyed his haircut and kitchen shower and had a peaceful night. Tracey, our hairdresser, remarked at what good condition his hair is in and how curly it was getting. I don't know why this is...maybe something to do with the steroids he is on.

We have rain forecast for the week.....a great shame as there are a few jobs I need to do in the garden and it would be nice to get Mick out there to "oversee" what I am doing. I point out his cards to him whenever he wakes....he has always been one for "long" birthdays. Even under normal circumstances a week later if he wanted something he would say "Well it is my birthday!"

Last night and this morning the rain returned with a vengeance. I think Mick & I will be having a lazy chill out day.................

but that doesn't stop me printing this collage.......just to prove how lovely Spring really is in our garden!

“Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.” *

Yesterday was a very special day...a day full of presents, cards, emails, e-cards (many thanks Icarus & Mrs. Nesbitt), blog comments, blogfriend posts and love. In fact the whole weekend was special.....Mick was wide eyed for so much of the two days of his birthday weekend and every meal he has eaten with no hesitation. Each card and comment was read out to him at some point during the day. It was so wonderful of all my new found blog friends to send him their good wishes; some who had our address had sent cards; we had some very special emails that included pictures and poems and such love that I was overwhelmed and (yes I'll admit it) made me very emotional; and all the wonderful wishes in the comment box of both this blog and Me, My Life, My Garden were wonderful to read. My dear Sx who shares in and understands so much of my life sent a very special poem that he had written when in a similar circumstance to mine. He also sent it to Analia who for different reasons has much sadness in her life. She has posted it on her blog so I won't repeat it here but I urge you to visit her and read it for yourselves. Claire dedicated a post to Mick and CG & Talj both posted Birthday wishes on theirs. Apologies if I have missed anyone out; I've still not had time to visit all my blog friends. Talj in her card sent a photograph that is very special to her and is a memory of Rose...it is a beautiful pink carnation symbolising "I'll never forget you". I have made a collage which includes this photograph along with the gifts and cards that Mick received; the last photo being of a very satisfied Mick.

Leanne & co will be leaving today and then it's haircut and kitchen shower. Can't believe how quickly the time has passed since Mick's last haircut! On Tuesday Mick's brother,Ron, and our sister-in-law, Brenda, are visiting so the next couple of days will be busy too! I promise I will try my hardest to blogaround to see you all as quickly as possible.......'cos I love you all!....but it is gone midnight now (Monday morning) and I feel happily tired...so now I am going to bed with a joyous heart and sweet dreams ahead.



*Marcus Tullius Cicero

POST WEEKEND POST

First of all I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who have commented on the Clatterbridge Cancer Campaign post; I would love to thank you all individually but it would be rather unfair if I commented myself. Keep them rolling in; there's a way to go yet.
Once my computer was up and running again the rest of our weekend went smoothly. There was a bit of banging on Saturday afternoon as one of our neighbours was having a new fence put up. They had been laying out their garden last Summer when they moved in but I've not been able to see the end result until now.
I took this photo and put it on my computer screen so that Mick could see it and understand what all the noise was that kept disturbing him. He seemed quite satisfied then and slept through the rest of the afternoon.






On Saturday evening, when Manda popped in, Rocky decided he'd pay us a visit too. He jumped up onto Mick's bed and made himself quite comfortable. I think he liked the ripple effect of the mattress.







He wasn't very pleased when we had to turf him off so that we could get Mick ready for bed!








perhaps I should have shown him this picture of his sparring partner Max with his new haircut.








Sunday morning Mick and I had our usual 3 hour gardening radio programme on. I had some Amaryllis bulbs to plant up and was SO pleased that I had my camera phone on me as I could instantly snap Mick's reaction when I showed him how BIG the bulbs were. Moments like this can never be repeated. I sometimes wish I had CCTV in the front room because you never know when something like this reaction is going to happen.



Sunday afternoon we gave Mick his kitchenshower; he was awake the whole time and tried really hard, once again, to lift his arms so that I could wash under his armpits. The baby oil massage seems to be working well................I see you smirking in the corner................ON HIS SCALP FOR THE CRADLE CAP!!!........................ Mind you when we are putting Mick's Oilatum on his dry skin I often say "You lucky man....some men pay a FORTUNE for treatment like this!"........LOL
Mick ate well last night.........he loves the spicy mince that Chris makes (it's Chilli actually but Mick was always adamant that he didn't like Chilli when he was well).
Tomorrow we have Ron and Brenda visiting..........as it will be Shrove Tuesday I may make Apple Pancake instead of an ordinary cake; I'm sure I've some stewed apple left in the freezer that I froze last Autumn. It cuts into slices like a cake and will be lovely served with some cream.






I am still having some computer problems so if I suddenly disappear for a few days it's because my pc has had to go and see Dr. Rob. Hopefully it won't come to that but if it does it's no excuse for you to stop those comments coming in so that we can reach our target 100!

SHORT BACK AND SIDES

Mick so enjoyed his hair cut and kitchenshower last night. Whilst Tracey was cutting his hair he managed to hold his head up a little on his own without me supporting it and had his eyes wide open!; then when Manda and I were washing him he tried really hard to lift his right arm up (and succeeded a little) so that I could wash underneath his armpit. After all that he had a relaxed sleep until almost 9pm and then ate a little chicken broth and banana and chocolate mousse....I always have to make sure I don't leave an S out of mousse in case Mousie reads it and thinks we're going to eat HER!......

He didn't eat much breakfast this morning but has managed to eat almost a whole one of the Cheesy Muffins I made this morning (See Me, My Life, My Garden)......for the last couple of months I've not been able to get him to eat bread without choking so I was really surprised that he managed the muffin!

I had a phone call a little while ago from the speech therapist...those of you who have been reading this blog for a while will no doubt remember my Tongue In Cheek post......(just click on the words tongue in cheek for a reminder) and so will not be surprised when I say I had to stifle my giggles when she was speaking to me. She rang to apologise for not having sent out the typed up Thick and Easy directions that she had promised and was really worried that I'd not been coping without them. I assured her that I had managed quite well (giggle giggle) as her hand written directions had been clear enough for me to follow...(hee hee). Even so she insisted that she would send me a typed copy in the post as it could be of help to the District Nurses when they called in........(HAAA HA....GIGGLE....SNORT.....HEAD FALLING OFF WITH LAUGHTER)..................I just said "thank you" and didn't bother to mention the fact that it's been at least 6 months since a District Nurse even PHONED to see how Mick is. Don't get me wrong....I'm pleased the Speech Therapist phoned..it's nice to see someone doing their job and following up on patients..........it's just the reminder of that visit of hers just make me laugh.

P.S. Anyone interested in knowing what the role of the District Nurse in England is may like to read the piece I copied from a source on the Internet..........click HERE

DAY TRIPPER

I was really pleased that today was so mild as I had made my mind up that Mick and I were going out. I was really excited as I got him breakfasted, washed and dressed. He is such a darling when I'm getting him into the wheelchair; he never grunts or groans. It's quite a palaver as when he is in the hoist and the wheelchair is beneath him I have to tip the wheelchair onto its back wheels, the back towards me and rest it with him in it against my leg so that my hands are free to unhook the hoist. It's a bit difficult to explain but luckily I've strong legs so it doesn't cause me too much of a problem as long as I balance the chair right. Of course it means Mick is tipped right back "wheelie" fashion but if I didn't do it that way the hoist would come down straight on top of Mick's head!! Considering that "in the beginning" the District Nurse said that it takes two people to use the hoist and so I probably wouldn't be able to manage it...we've coped well. I was reading Dirty Butter's latest post today. It reminded me only too well how difficult it was "transferring" Mick from his bed to his chair or sitting him up in bed in the "pre hoist" days. It was a case of having to actually lift him!!....it's incredible where the strength comes from..Mick was a good 14 stone then and was unable to bear any weight on his legs at all by the time July 2005 came round.
Well that was another case of "Ruth in digressing mode". ........
A quick harp back to my BLUE MONDAY post; another instance this morning...........I had "parked" Mick at the bottom of our front steps while I popped back indoors to get the prescriptions I needed to drop into the doctors surgery. One of our neighbours parked his car outside his garage and went to walk to his house which is a few doors up from ours. he spotted Mick and instead of walking along the pavement behind Mick which led straight to his house....HE DETOURED, went over to the other side of the square, walked right round and got to his house from the other side. I could see him doing it out of the window...I felt like shouting "IT'S NOT F...ING CATCHING!!!!!" It's unbelievable; especially when this neighbour is allegedly disabled himself due to difficulty waking; he gets a nice free car from the government because of it...it's funny really because quite a few other neighbours have commented to me how well HE manges digging his garden and walking around town etc without a stick...except when he's due for a disablement review (their words not mine) and then his stick suddenly appears again......................digressed again didn't I!!
Mick and I had a nice leisurely trip to the Drift. I know it sounds silly....no one LIKES spending money but I really miss having the feel of REAL money in my hands as I have to do so much On-line shopping. Funny the little things we take for granted in every day life that we miss when we can't do them.

It was warm enough that I didn't even need to put a hat on Mick; their was no wind at all to make it feel chilly. On our way back there was the sound of birdsong in the air. It was beautiful and I stopped to listen. Mick lifted his head slightly, opened his eyes and turned his head ever so sightly towards the sound. It was lovely to see that he could hear it; I peered up into the tree from where the sound was coming and it was a Robin....I couldn't zoom in clearly enough to get a closeup photo but if you look carefully he IS there.

We must have been there a full 5 minutes before the robin finally flew off and Mick kept his eyes open the whole time.

As we got nearer home I saw that some Forsythia coming into bud. Don't tell the council will you but I snapped off a couple of sprigs. These will come out into bloom in the warmth of the house and when they do ad Mick sees it he will know that Spring is on its way.

We had a little sit in the garden when we got home; I chatted to mick about all the things in the garden that were growing/ budding/blooming and then we came back indoors and I put him back on his bed. Except when he had a little lunch he has been peacefully sleeping since. We've a busy evening ahead...haircut then kitchenshower...............in fact looking at the time I'd better get a move on. I've the kitchen to clear to make room for the paddling pool; towels,, wash gear, fresh sheets etc to gather and then I've got to get Mick undressed and back into his wheelchair ready for Tracey to come.....................I do make sure he is suitable covered with his dressing gown (back to front) for the hair cut but have him naked and ready for his shower underneath it. If I didn't do this it would mean that once Mick had his hair cut I would then have to hoist him back onto his bed to undress him; then hoist him back out again to get him into the kitchen for his shower.............as after his shower we have to hoist him onto the bed wet, dry and dress him and then hoist him up again to make his bed it would just be a hoist too far.

No time for spell checks or a read through so hope all this has made sense!

HAIRCUT 2006

HAIRCUT 100 (ARE THEY STILL ABOUT?)

HAIRCUT 2006

Mick had his haircut and kitchenshower last night and slept really well. I had been expecting some coughing during the night as his patch was due at midnight but so far he seems to be coping so shall leave it for a while.

As he was peacefully settled I thought I'd have an early night myself as I was feeling so tired (Yes Haircut 100 did make a song called SO TIRED). I thought I'd just do a quick Blog runaround and see how Jen was (bushfires), drop into MileStones and see if he had any further comments on his thought provoking photograph and then maybe a quick hop into Ruby on my way back home. What a fruitless task. Every blog I tried to get into wouldn't load!!!! Very frustrating!!! I thought that as I had turned the computer on I would just do ONE more card insert for my home made Christmas cards. Well one insert turned into two; and two turned into three......................and the next thing I knew it was TWO O'CLOCK in the morning!!!!!!!!!! So much for an early night...................more an early morning. The good thing is though I have at last got all cards and inserts printed. Just the cutting, glueing and sticking left.

I've also today written out all the shop bought neighbours and distant family cards. In a bit of a quandary here...............Do I send cards to the work mates Mick had who have since his illness completely ignored him!!!!!!!!....................More than that though do I send cards and presents to the FAMILY members who have found it easier to stick their heads in the sand and wipe Mick from their lives........................one being a SON and daughter-in-law (Micks side of the family) who despite living 7 miles down the road have not phoned, text, sent birthday card or Father's day card to Mick over the last 14 months. I find it difficult to comprehend people like this.........I understand people wanting to stay away because they find the whole situation too upsetting......but to not even contact to see how he is; to see if he is still alive!!!!!!!!!!!..........to not even offer to help externally!!!!!!!!! a little shopping done or something?????????? To not even give Mick a chance to see his newest grand daughter who he doted on!!!!!!!!!!! So sad. Not that I have any complaints or anger about it. My energy for that ran out a LONG time ago. And the family and friend who HAVE stayed by us MORE than make up for the MISSING few. To be honest although in my heart I want to send everyone a Christmas wish I really think that from a financial point of view I would rather spend the extra on those who have BEEN there for us. Or maybe give some money to a charity instead; as MileStones has so poignantly reminded us there are many needy people in this world.

DESCISION MADE.

HELLO!

What a wonderful start to the day today. My darling said "HELLO" to me and then said"HELLO" to Manda! That was all he said, but to us it was like he had just read the whole of "War and Peace" out loud. Why it is that approximately once a month he manages to come out with a word I dont know; but believe me it is worth waiting for and stops us from doubting that he remembers who we are.

I was especially pleased for Manda. She is off to Bury St Edmunds for the first day of a First Aid training course (I expect she will be hitting Toms first aid blog a few times this week) and she was worried about being out of touch with us as she would have to turn her mobile off. I know hearing Mick speak will have sent her off with a happy heart.

Couldnt resist taking this pic of Mick; think he is looking quite pleased with himself! Tracey (our hairdresser) is coming round to give him a haircut and then Manda and I will give him a kitchenshower - so its going to be a busy evening.