The long road to recovery!

Dulcie was all ready to come out to the dining room when we arrived today.We found an empty table and sat down. She had pork in plum sauce and Will and I had left over 'Curried Goat.'....that's goat in a curry!After lunch we collared Damien to find out what was discussed at the case conference.They are pleased with her progress."She is not on the oxygen any more," he said.We know that....we've been in twice a day since last Thursday...'we've probably seen her more than you!' I thought.She was now borderline as to whether she would qualify for oxygen at home but as she still got breathless after exertion she still might need it at home....they needed to do more tests.Will asked about a time frame for her coming home....Damien was cagey....and gave no deadline.We reiterated we were keen to get her home and we were prepared to make changes to the house to get her back."Am I right that there will be care for her at home?"Flippin' heck! We've told him 'yes 'twice before!We asked about getting an OT out to the house to discuss our plans. "Could we get one this week?" Basically we couldn't."And there is the issue of the 13 stairs....."I cut him off.....'yes but we have discussed and are prepared to get a chair lift.'"And she is down to 40 kgs...""Yes, but she eats everything and we have been bringing her biscuits and cakes and even a pie yesterday."In the end I wanted to scream...."You let frail old Doris out who sat there crying 'Help me! Help me! Will somebody please help me!' ....Dulcie would never do that!.....what is the matter with you?"The OT reckons in a few weeks she will be able to climb stairs.We told him she just wants to go home...she has lost her spark and fears she will never get out of there.It was not what we wanted to hear but at least she is progressing.

6 Months Down Under!

Dulcie was still in her bed when we arrived at lunchtime. She had already been to physio.She looked settled but we got her up and out into the dining room.Lillian was sat on another table with the 'talker'. When she saw Dulcie coming out she mouthed 'she said she wasn't coming out today.''Like hell she is,' I mouthed back.'Well done,' mouthed Lillian.Will and I had brought pies for lunch. We got one for Dulcie too. She ate her hospital lunch and then some of her pie.Will went for coffee and hot chocolate before we started our game of cards.Nina came with the empty biscuit tin. "I've brought it for a refill," she said. It was a bit cheeky."I loved the jam ones," she said."Well, I'll make more of those," I said."Could you write out the recipe and put it in the tin?" She asked. "I won't be here this weekend...shall we say next week?"Nina is not backward in coming forward."What are we going to do when you've gone?" She said walking away.We had a game of euchre. We overheard Nina telling Doris's daughter that Doris could go home tomorrow. We couldn't believe it. Doris is much more frail than Dulcie.When the card game was over I found Nina and asked if it was ok to take Dulcie outside for a bit."Escape!" said Nina."Do you want my camera as collateral?" I asked. She smiled. "We'll bring her back.""I know you will," she said.We wheeled Dulcie outside, for the first time in three weeks. We sat in the fresh air for about half an hour and then took her back.Dulcie had mentioned missing her radio and listening to the news so when we left we went up to Garden City and bought her some wireless headphones with built in FM radio.We had half an hour at home before it was time to go back for tea.She ate all her tea and then ate some soup that Danny had brought. We don't know how she fits it all in.A 'loony' walked in. He was wearing a  hospital tunic. We had never seen him before."Have you eaten your tea?" He asked Lillian. "Did you give it to the guy with horns? He is called Dracula." He went and talked to Maureen. "Are you eating your soup?""No," she said."Can I eat it?"Maureen burped loudly..."Pardon me," she said."Did you eat your soup?" He had moved onto Celia. "It puts hairs on your chest. I want hairs on my chest. I want to have a competition to see who has the hairiest chest and when that is over a competition to see who has the hairiest 'boo-tocks'. (That is how he actually pronounced it.) We will line everyone up and ( he mimed pulling down his pants) then the Queen can come along a see who is the winner."He walked out leaving us all open mouthed.Dulcie liked her head phones but found it a bit complicated to work them. Hopefully she will get used to them.It is six months today since we arrived in Australia.

Renal Scan....part one.

Today I finally rang up about the renal scan Dr Wang wants me to have.They gave me an appointment at 1.50. I had to go to the loo at 12.20 and then drink 800 mls of water before 12.50!We went to see Dulcie at the hospital for lunch. Nurse Mouskouri-Roussos greeted us with"She's good but she's having a day in bed."'Like heck she is!' we thought.We got her up and out for lunch and sat at the table with Lillian and Celia and another chap.The other chap turned out to be Lillian's foster son,George.I went to the loo at 12.20 then filled my water bottle and started to drink.Lillian is from Kent...."The garden of England," she said.She swears more than Dulcie."How are you?" Asked Will."Up for shit!" was her reply. She went on about all the papers they had given her about what she needed to do before she went home all signed by some 'c*%$!'Dulcie never uses that word!"If it all takes too long," she said, "I'm just walking out. What can they do about it?"I said they might not let her back in again if anything happens to her. She didn't want to come back.Will heated up some leftover paella that we had brought for us to eat.George's ears pricked up at 'paella'....he had some Spanish blood in him he said. His auntie used to make paella.Lillian didn't eat much. The tall, leggy dietician came by as she was getting up from the table."Have you eaten everything?" asked the dietician."Most of it," lied Lillian.The dietician lifted the cover off her plate and rolled her eyes."Are you telling me fibs Lillian?"....but Lillian was gone."It was nice to meet you," said George. He had been brought up well.The dietician was pleased that Dulcie had eaten well. She said she was down to 40 kgs now. They were still concerned. She said that she had seen all the cakes and biscuits we had brought by the bed."She will need to keep having protein shakes when she goes home," said the dietician.....that sounded positive!By 12.50 I had drunk my 800 mls of water.....like a good boy.We took Dulcie back to her bed and started a game of cards but they came to take her for physio before we finished. It was timely because we had to get away for my renal scan.We arrived in time at the little clinic next to 'The Golden Spoon' Chinese Takeaway.The receptionist had been trying to ring me. The woman before me was pregnant and it meant that her scan was going to take longer and they were now unable to fit me in today."Could yo come tomorrow at 12.40?""No," I said, "I will be visiting at the hospital.""How about 5.30?""No," I said, "I will be back visiting at the hospital."I am going at 10.00 am on Thursday."Did you drink all the water?" The receptionist asked."Yes," I said."Oh, I'm sorry," she said.I have to go to the loo at 8.00 am on Thursday morning and drink 800 mls by 9.00. Oh Joy!Back home I dozed off and woke all thick headed just before it was time to go back to the hospital.We found Dulcie and Lillian sat out in the dining area ready for tea. They were having a good old natter."Go away!" Said Lillian as we approached, "we were just having a good chat."We were sorry that we interrupted. It was just the perfect picture to see them sat there talking.Also sat at the table was another woman patient . Lillian knew her. I  think they had been room buddies at one time.Tea arrived. Dulcie ate everything. Lillian nibbled."What's this?" She asked, pointing to her dessert. The meal slip said it was 'Mousse D' lite.'"Oooh, must be French," she said."What's that one called in the bed next to me?" She asked."Maureen," I said."She was making animal noises last night and that other one was crying. I'd had enough. I just shouted 'Shut up!' and they did. I could never be a nurse," said Lillian.She told us that Maureen had called one a 'bitch' that afternoon, "but they were being rough with her.""She's a nice nurse, lovely natured," she said indicating to one of the older nurses. The nurse came and sat with us using Lillian's walker as a seat."They're good aren't they?" said Will perched on Dulcie's walker."Yes," said the nurse," but some are too high and my feet don't touch the floor.""You're a short arse!" said Lillian.Nazi Nurse walked past making tutting noises...."I'm Skippy!" She said laughing.We all wished she would fall down a well!"Look out, the 'talker' is coming," said Lillian.A woman with a walking stick was coming out of one of the rooms."I've never heard a woman talk so much."The woman came nearer. She was the woman who plays the piano sometimes. She started talking..."I rang my daughter," she said, "She's coming on Friday." She continued to walk past."Keep going!" Said Lillian under her breath.The woman went to the TV and sat in a chair.We all went back to the room. Lillian gave Maureen a friendly wave as she walked in. Maureen waved back.Celia was trying to put a pear core into the small bin bag hanging on her bedside table."Keep going love, you'll do it," said Lillian.Celia managed it. We all cheered.Lillian is great.She is just what that awful room needed.

It's Lillian Bird!

I got up early to 'skype' Lewis in Edinburgh and was already making a batch of Anzac biscuits when Will got up.We headed off to the hospital for lunch-time.Dulcie was dressed and lying on her bed."Is that your mum?" asked the new old lady."Yes," said Will."She's lovely," said the new old woman.The name card over her bed declared her to be Lillian Bird.She was so different from the woman we had seen lying in the bed yesterday. That woman had looked very ill and looked like she would be bed ridden for weeks. This one was very perky."I want to get home," she said, standing up and reaching for her walker. "If  they don't let me out soon, I'm just walking out." She sounds like she  is from London.She tottered out into the dining hall for lunch.Will saw Dulcie out to the table and I wheeled Celia out.We had taken some lunch too and heated it up in the microwave."Is that a boy or a girl?" Dulcie nodded towards the person mincing past.It was a 'he'. He was there visiting his dad."Oh," she said, "I didn't know what 'it' was."We started a game of cards after lunch but had to stop when a nurse came to take Dulcie away to O.T. (Occupational Therapy)."We need to collect Lillian too," said the nurse."You can't hide Lillian ," I said, "They've come to take you away."We said we'd be back later and went home. I made some of Dulcie's jam drops and choc chip cookies.Danny came with a builder friend to check out the bathroom before we were back at the hospital for 5.00 pm.I took Nina and the nurses a tin of biscuits. They liked them. Nina wanted the jam drop recipe.Dulcie ate all her tea. Maureen ate her baked egg custard with just her knife."I don't think she knows how lucky she is to have her dinner with two men," said Lillian of Dulcie."Oh, I think she appreciates it," I said."I would never have thought life would be like this," moaned Maureen, bringing us all down.

Update from 26- J

Today we went to the hospital for lunchtime. One of the patients was playing 'golden oldies' on the piano. It was right outside Dulcie's room. We all sang along to 'You are my sunshine.'Celia rolled her eyes.Dulcie had shared some of the cake Shirley had made with Celia....Celia had enjoyed it.They came to take Insook away, while we were there. I think she has gone back to Level 2. In terms of height it is further away from Heaven than rehab....but it is not good for poor Insook.Dulcie walked out into the dining room with her walker and had her lunch with us. Nurse Mouskouri-Roussos put on a 'seventies' cd. She started clapping along to the beat and shouted 'Come on!'......Nobody joined in. Will, Trace and I loved the cd, as did a little old lady in a pink dressing gown who was dancing in her chair.After lunch we played 2 games of Euchre....Will and Tracy vs Dulcie and I. Will and Tracy thrashed us both times. They had moved everyone else back to their beds except Doris.......she was say in her wheel chair at the table.Doris has a room to herself...we have never seen her up....in fact whenever we pass her room and glance in....Doris looks dead. It was nice to see her....alive.Halfway through our game Doris started saying "Help! Will someone please help me?' I think it was a phrase she has heard from Maureen. Of course I couldn't ignore it...and I was the somebody who went to get help. The nurses came soon after and took Doris away.The nurse let us see Dulcie back to her room ourselves...and the whole time we were there she was not on oxygen.It's all good and surely come Thursday and the doctor's case conference, there has to be a more positive outlook than last week when they were concerned by her breathing and oxygen intake...she looks good enough for us to take her home now....but we have to wait for them.They brought a new 'old' woman into Insook's place. Her son was with her.We drove home after waving Tracy off back to Maclean...she has done us all a world of good.We tried to beat the approaching storm and get home to bring in the washing before it hit us but the last set of traffic lights turned red at our approach and we saw the rain coming up the road towards us. By the time we got home the washing was drenched....nature's final rinse.We were back at the hospital this evening...Danny arrived at the same time, so we did not stay long with Dulcie. She seemed even more perky than she had in the afternoon. I took Celia some 'licorice bullets' of her own....she had enjoyed eating some of Dulcie's. Ice cream had dribbled out of her mouth and down her neck. I cleaned her up."You look good," I said giving her the thumbs up."You do me good," she said....clear as a bell."That's what I want." I said.The new 'old' woman still has no name up....but her son was still with her holding her hand.At last! I was beginning to doubt humanity!On our way out, Nina was sat at the nurse's station. We promised to bring her biscuits tomorrow."You guys!" she said, swivelling on her chair, "You crack me up!"