Tuesday 20 May 2014

Catch Up

I'm going to do a quick catch up to let everyone know where I've been lately and to apologise for not visiting or commenting for so long.

Harry had to be admitted as an in patient at the Bristol Oncology Centre.  His pain level was way out of control. That was two weeks ago now and he's entering into his third week. I've been spending as much time at the hospital with him as possible as well as trying to keep house and garden up together as well.
I've been very tired but have managed to catch up on my sleep at night.
He is due to be discharged soon...... and he'll now be an invalid so I'll have my work cut out to look after him with my own health problems too. However, I naturally want to do this and will give it my best shot.
He is known as a *bed blocker* and they want him out of that hospital.
The thing is....... I'm having a big central heating change over (boiler update) next week and will have absolute chaos in most rooms. The job is desperate to be done and now is the time of the year to do it. The system is simply gushing out heat in the bedrooms in hot weather and I'm unable to stop it .....perspiring badly as I write this........ or it is too cold in winter.
There is an intermittent smell of gas from behind the boiler so I have just got to have it done. Harry will be discharged very soon.
To make things worse, my new daughter in law's mother had a major stroke over the last weekend and is in a city hospital, lying helpless. Every one is on the verge of exploding with stress and exhaustion.
So blogging has been the last thing on my mind.
I have a phobia about lifts (elevators) and I have to walk up many flights of stairs to avoid them  when I visit these two patients and I am wearing myself out with this and carrying all the washing that I'm taking home daily and bringing back clean things etc, even though this is my own fault as people tell me. So the hospital visiting is not easy .....many because I'm making things hard for myself because of the lift phobia.
Will keep you all posted.
In the mean time Harry's pain level is more acceptable which a good outcome.


Friday 2 May 2014

Pain, pain, go away


It is really dreadful to watch someone you love having to put up with severe pain. Even more horrifying  to have experienced that particular pain myself before having my course of radiotherapy three years ago.
Unfortunately, Harry has this pain in several different areas of his spine, hip and shoulders due to advanced prostate cancer spread.
He is on painkillers that seem to mask it for a while.
His face goes white when the pain gets bad and he nearly cries.
He is normally a *toughy* and used to be on building sites all his working life, so he is used to roughing it. However, this pain is unbearable at times. He cannot walk very well and sometimes not at all. He has to get up in the night and have the lights on and be helped to the bathroom. By the time we get back to bed, he falls into a deep sleep and starts to snore loudly. I lie awake until the dawn. I am feeling really tired and totally uninspired when it comes to blogging, as well as all the emotional stuff.
Hoping everyone will understand.