Lost and found.

I realised my wallet was missing yesterday. (Thursday.)I searched the house both upstairs and down....nothing.I searched in the car....nothing.I tried to think back to the last time I had seen/used it......On Tuesday night we went to the Eldorado cinema to see 'Cuban Fury." I had it there.I rang the cinema,"Have you found a wallet?"They had.Today I drove to Indooroopilly....(meaning 'valley of the leeches') to recover it.I am reunited with my wallet.Such a relief!

Updates.

Dulcie:Dulcie is fine. She is really good at the moment and has been going out into the communal area for lunch for the last 2 days. Last night she had a few breathing difficulties and so did not go out for lunch today but stayed by her bed. The doctors are concerned about her lungs and are carrying out further tests. Some of these tests are to see if she is eligible for and whether she will require oxygen at home. They are saying that they do not expect her to be out for at least another fortnight.....and more worryingly....if ever! We, the family, feel that she is much better and that her lungs were probably this bad before the fall but that her body was coping. She is pretty much as she was...just thinner, tired and lost a little of her spark.....though she is still able to beat us at cards! She is walking well with the aid of a walker and is showering, with help every morning. Of course we are all adamant that she will not stay in hospital or be sent to a nursing home. We were due to have a family conference tonight at Celtis St to discuss plans but we have little to go on from the doctors and Danny cannot come tonight....the rest of us will still go ahead and talk.....and eat roast chicken.Celia:Celia has had no more visitors that we know of since her son the other day. I asked if she needed anything the other day and she needed conditioner and toothpaste which I got for her. She has been going to speech therapy but it is very difficult to understand her still. We have not heard her crying as much in recent days. I have been using Dulcie's walker as a seat during visits and slip and slide around the ward on it....today I wheeled myself in on it grinning inanely....clear as a bell Celia said..."Oh, bloody hell!"Maureen:Dulcie said Maureen has had new hearing aids. She does seem to be hearing better. Today, as they were putting her into bed behind the curtains we heard her say in her loud voice..."Isn't it funny....you wait for ages for a nurse to come along and suddenly you have...one....two.....three and four!"Insook:Insook is not eating very much.....though she does eat all the mashed potato they give her. She is Korean and probably just prefers Korean food. She walks slower than Dulcie and is permanently attached to a drip. Today two women came in holding a plastic bag between them....ie, a handle each. Insook was asleep. They started praying by her bed and she woke up. She seemed pleased to see them.Will:Will is now on holiday for Easter....though he has been called in tomorrow to help with the other Kindy group as their assistant is off this week.....it means more money for Pepsi Max and chocolate.Nick:I am still trying to remember to take my blood pressure tablet every morning. I have to go back to the doctor tomorrow to hear the results of theEcho- cardiogram. I finally received a letter from Education Queensland to say that I am now, officially, allowed to work in schools here.....hmmmm,....they break up for Easter tomorrow....so, I have another two weeks off at least!......Timing! Marvellous!Other news!Our neighbour here....Daryl....has allowed us access to his computer 'network'....he has a vast collection of films and TV series which we have discovered we can stream straight to our 'Telly'....we are so glad we shipped it out!

Echo-cardiogram.

Yesterday they changed my echo-cardiogram appointment for 2.45 pm to 9.45 am.I drove to Sunnybank, found the hospital and parked Roxy.The Hospital at Sunnybank is a private hospital. I took the lift up to the second floor and found the Sunnybank Cardiopulmonary Clinic.On pushing the door open I noticed two reception desks, one on my left and one straight ahead. The one on my left had a sign on it with some doctor's double barrelled name. I hesitated...The woman behind the desk on my left saw my hesitation and said "straight ahead," as if I couldn't possibly be a patient arriving to see a doctor with a double barrelled name.I went to the desk straight ahead and handed in my referral form to a woman in a very bad wig.She asked for my name, date of birth and address and of course for my medicare card, then told me to take a seat.This was an upmarket waiting room with cane furniture....there were no "Join the Bowel Movement!" posters here. There was 'modern art' on the wall.There was also a large blind lady with a live bird in a small cat basket.Someone came for her. They helped her up and led her out...."This is Peter 2," she was saying loudly about the bird in the cat basket,"I still miss Peter but the pain gets a bit easier everyday."A well dressed woman came in. She went straight to Doctor Double- Barrelled's reception desk. I was not surprised. After signing in she came and sat near me."Where is the best reading material?" she asked me in a thick Russian accent. I pointed to a pile of 'Gourmet Traveller' magazines on the table between us.She gasped and shrugged in such a way, which I understood to mean, 'What?! With these hips?!'She chose a gardening one and buried herself in it.Finally my name was called and I was lead into a small room.Jenny introduced herself and her Asian student, whose name I forget.Did I mind the student having a little practise on me first? I didn't.I had to remove my t- shirt and lie on my side on a bed.Jenny attached four sticky sensor pads on my chest...Yikes! I was hoping they would come off easier than the ECG ones they put on me at the hospital."Have you had an Echo-cardiogram before?".......No."It will take between 30 and 45 minutes," said Jenny, "Just relax.""Could you hutch your hips nearer the wall?" The student sat behind me right up against my back."This gel might feel a bit cold."She reached over and started moving the ultrasound stick thing around on my chest. I could hear clicking and tapping on computers and Jenny saying..."Just down a bit....there..."...then click.After awhile Jenny took over."Your accent," she said, "whereabouts are you from?""The U.K," I said."Yes, I know that," she said, "But whereabouts?"I wondered what accent I had....I don't think I have much of an accent."Well, I was born near Manchester," I said."You are third person I have seen from Manchester in two days," she said,"What does that say about Manchester?" I said."Exactly!" She said."I have lived most of my life in the Lake District though," I said."Oh, lovely!""Do you know the Lake District?""Yes," she said, I went for a holiday to the U.K and Ireland for a month and we started our trip in the Lake District. We went to Ullswater and we stayed at Patterdale," she said. "We were lucky with the weather."We had a good chat. At one point I heard the sound of my heart coming through some speakers...."Oooh, it sounds just like a disco," I said......It did.....with bass and little cymbal sounds."It just sounds normal," she said.It did take 45 minutes in the end."Have a good day," said Jenny "and good luck finding a job!"I went back out to the reception desk.The woman in the bad wig charged $295 to my credit card. (£170)

'Handsome Agitator'.....(mixed up!)

Shirley has been busy today.We got to the hospital a little before 11. Dulcie was dressed but lying in bed. She had had a shower.The ward was busy. Two women were chatting to Celia who was crying.Nurses were bustling about and then a 'dose' of doctors arrived. They pulled the curtains around Maureen while they chatted to her then went out again to discuss her around a trolley full of files.Celia's son arrived...but it did not stop her from crying.The doctors came back in again and went to see Celia.I suspected Dulcie might be next so thought I would make some room by leaving. Dulcie was looking good and more perky than usual but feeling clean and being dressed would do that.I left Shirley to her day with her mum and drove home.I had a lovely relaxing day, making lunch and then practising some guitar this afternoon before heading off to pick up Will.We were back at the hospital by 4.00.Dulcie and Shirley had had a productive day. Dulcie had been out in the communal area for lunch. Shirley had sorted it. It seems they have not been taking her out before because the oxygen tube was not long enough. They brought a portable oxygen cylinder for her.Shirley ensured Dulcie rang regularly for toilet visits...even if she did not feel like going.Shirley chatted to Damian, the doctor and discovered that they had not been doing physiotherapy because of her lungs. He told Shirley that it was 50/50 that she would leave hospital.Rubbish! There is no way any of us are leaving her in there! Even if we have to break in at night and lower her down with tied sheets out of the window!Shirley told him she had had breathing problems for ages. He seemed surprised but I told him two weeks ago that she had smoked since she was 19.She went off to the loo on her walker while we were there and looked really steady. She has been told to slow down!...but that's Dulcie.She was looking really good today and had got a bit of her old spark back.....50/50 chance my foot!I took the Ipad in and got up a map of the British Isles and we asked Celia to show us where she had lived in the UK. It was somewhere north of London but she couldn't seem to pin point in on the map.A bit later she called me over again. She wanted something but she couldn't get through to me. It is so frustrating for her."Is it about your bed?" I asked....she shook her head."Is it about the light?".........it wasn't."Do you want me to get the nurse?" .......Definitely not! "They're horrible!" She said clearly.She started to cry and then pointed at the TV. She wanted the remote......why didn't she just point at the TV in the first place?Tea came. Dulcie ate all hers and needed  no helpI cut up Celia's beef for her.Jennifer had been moved to Dulcie's old room....with Anne....would you believe it? It seems she has been trying to get out of bed at night and they have moved her there to keep a better eye on her.In her place was a little Asian lady, Insook....she was eating very slowly.....she seemed very zen.Maureen was eating her spaghetti bolognese with her fingers. I went over and opened her carton of orange juice for her and poured it into her cup."Oh thank you!" She said.Celia groaned....she had no milk for her tea."I'll get some," I said.Nazi Nurse was sorting out the communal fridge.(I haven't mentioned Nazi Nurse before....but she has been around a few times when we have been there and her manner and attitude tell of someone unhappy in her work. She is not suited to her job any more.)"Is this general milk?" I asked, grabbing a big milk carton."Ya vole!" she said.....well......she actually said 'yes'......but I wouldn't have been surprised by a 'ya vole'.I carried it to Celia, poured some in her tea, and took it back.Maureen was trying to open her banana....I peeled it for her."Oh, thank you!" She said.Celia had eaten her ice cream but it had dribbled all down her chin. I went over and wiped it with her towelling bib.Crikey!If there is a time when people need visitors in hospital.....it is at mealtimes.Dulcie manages well on her own now, unless her food needs cutting up, but these poor other people are just left.Celia is left to eat her meals with her left hand....her right arm is still paralysed.Shirley is going back all day tomorrow to keep up the momentum with Dulcie....Will and I will be back for tea- time.

In the Doldrums.

We had a good game of cards on our second visit of the day at the hospital.We were able to play four handed as Shirley is up.I was Dulcie's partner and we won but it was a close game. We saw some of Dulcie's old spark during it.Jennifer was wriggling about in her bed, Maureen was mumbling in hers and Celia just looked fed up in her bed.Tea came and as usual Dulcie wasn't hungry but she ate pretty much everything.Celia was struggling so I went and cut up her roast beef for her.Half way through the meal Maureen said in a loud voice,"I'm weeing!"Nobody batted an eyelid.Afterwards Celia started to talk to me. It is mostly difficult to understand her. She thinks she is talking normally but her stroke prevents the words she hears in her head from coming out.She had noticed I was British. She asked where Will was from.It turned out that she was English. I asked whereabouts but we couldn't understand what she was saying."Is it near London?" I asked. She nodded.She managed to tell us that she had been here a year but that she was wondering if she had done the right thing. Sometimes her words came out right but mostly it was unintelligible.I asked if she had family here. She did."Do they come and visit you?" I asked."Yes," she said, with big sad eyes,"but not enough." That was as clear as a bell.It was heart breaking. We have never seen any visitors at her bedside.She was trying to tell us something about her house but we could not understand it."Do you need anything?" I asked. She didn't. "If you think of anything you need just let us know, we will get it for you."Poor, poor Celia....no wonder she is often crying.