The Scan.

So.......today we took Dulcie for her CT Scan.We were originally going to go to Sunnybank Private Hospital for it and had an appointment for tomorrow at 12.00 noon, but 'Chatty Debra' from Blue Care who comes on Wednesdays for Dulcie's shower said "Why don't you ring Exact Radiology?"They are the people I went to for mine before I ended up at the hospital. I hadn't rung them because they were not listed on the form Dr Hew had given me but it turned out they did take Queensland X Ray referrals after all.We managed to get an appointment for today at 11.00.Dulcie had to fast for two hours before...but was still fast asleep at nine. We woke her at 9.30 and she had to drink a litre of water but could have no breakfast.It was all a bit of an ordeal for her. She didn't want to go. We had hardly turned out of the street in Roxy and she was wailing;"Oh, I wish I could just stay at home with my feet up and a cup of tea."She had to hold her arms over her head on the scanner and found that very difficult and uncomfortable and it proved quite difficult apparently to get decent shots but eventually her ordeal was over and we came home via the bakery for pies.Dulcie didn't want a pie she had her banana sandwich for lunch but had wanted a custard tart.Will and I had a pie......'Elaine' was over the moon......we hadn't had one in quite a while.We will ring Dr Hew tomorrow to find out the results of the scan.Thankfully she appears to be slightly better than she was and we can see little improvements in her ability to move around."Well, there's no bugger coming tomorrow so that's good, I can have a lie in," she said just before bed."Well, no," I said, "Blue Care will be coming for your shower sometime tomorrow."She just shook her head in resignation.

The verdict is in on Janina's biscuits!

Janina comes every Monday for Dulcie's shower and a few times it had coincided with biscuit making here. Weeks ago she asked me for the recipe and last week I finally handed it to her. She said she was going to go home and make some for her husband.She brought two today wrapped in tinfoil."My husband can't have gluten so I used gluten free flour and I added chia seeds and some hazelnut flour. You need to have them with a drink because they are a bit dry but my husband likes them.'Elaine' unpacked them eagerly......but they looked dreadful......and nothing like the biscuits we usually make."Oh, I will have one later with a hot drink," I said.When Janina had gone we tried her biscuits. Shelley and Phoenix shared one and Dulcie and I the other. Phoenix the Biscuit Annihilator, took one bite and handed it back saying,"I don't like it."They were very dry."It just tastes like flour," said Shelley.We waited for the verdict from the Mary Berry of Acacia Ridge............"A heap of crap!" She said.

Dr Hew and the Flu Jab.

So........I rang Marie at 9.00 am this morning at Dr Hew's Surgery......Oh, the difference!I admit that if I were a Doctor's Receptionist in Bangkok I would be nowhere near as good as the Thai Receptionist Dr Hew employs for two days a week......so 'hats off' to her for that, but Marie is so efficient......like an Audi car....'vorsprung doktor technik'.I asked if Dr Hew could come out to see Dulcie as we have not had a very good weekend. She went off to speak to him and came back to say that he couldn't as he had another appointment but that he would ring later.He did, about 10.00. I explained about Dulcie's pain and her continuing constipation. He recommended prune juice or pear juice. (I knew about the effect of prunes but was surprised about the pears!) He was going to write out a request for a 'cat scan' which we could collect. I asked him about her getting her flu jab but he said that it was best to deal with her pain before giving her that. He rang off without saying he would be coming another day and I felt a bit let down.Shelley, Dulcie's granddaughter arrived with her son Phoenix....

Could he be any cuter?

Shelley is getting married in a few weeks and we are all going up to the Sunshine Coast for the weekend as it is a 'beach wedding.'

Just before lunch the phone rang and it was Marie. The patient Dr Hew was due to see had ended up in hospital so he was coming to see Dulcie after all.

She had been fine all morning and enjoyed her visitors.

"Make sure you moan a bit when he is here," I said.

He arrived just before 1.00 pm.

"How is your pain, Dulcie?"

"Oh, not too bad Dr Hew."

"But is has been bad hasn't it," I butted in.

She looked hard at me but said nothing.

"And have you been coughing, any shortness of breath?" Asked Dr Hew.

"No, Dr Hew," she said.

"Well, you did have a cough in the last few weeks but it has been a lot better recently hasn't it? But, apart from getting short of breath when moving you have not really been coughing have you?"

Another hard look.

"And she hasn't been to the toilet since last week Dr Hew" I continued.

"And I have been eating my veggies," it was her turn to butt in.

"Yes, we have been trying hard to give her lots of fibre," I said.

"And fluids?" He asked.

"Yes," I said.

"I always have a glass of water beside me," she said.

She was looking too well and wouldn't she just when Dr Hew had come all the way over from Eight Mile Plains.

"But it is the pain that is the biggest concern," I said. "She is fine when she is sitting still like she is now but when she moves it is agony. In fact, it has been so bad that at times you have said that you can't stand it, haven't you?"

She looked hard at me and said "I'm not telling you anything again."

"I'm only being honest because I am trying to help you," I said. "The thing is, Dr Hew, she is scared you are going to send her to hospital."

"Oh, there is no need for that......as yet." He added. I heard the '....as yet' but thankfully Dulcie didn't.

He had brought the CT scan request form over for us and....

"I've got your flu jab too," he said flourishing a large needle that would have made Will faint.

(They have only just been rolled out here today as well so it is good that she has had it so early.)

He gave us a prescription for more Movicol and said to get in touch if we needed more Endone and away he went leaving her to her banana sandwich.

Getting rid of 'Elaine'!.......3

So........The scales this morning declared '89' kgs!.........I don't believe them. They are as unreliable as Tony Abbott. Hmmm, perhaps that is being a little too harsh on them.I am happy, however,  that I appear to have lost the weight that 'Elaine' collected on our road trip to Canberra and that I am back on track.I have been trying to walk for over an hour a day. On Friday I walked around the city for three hours and yesterday walked for two hours passing 'Trim St'.....but that hardly describes me as yet. I reckon if I shaved my stubble off I would lose another 500g!

Getting drugs for Dulcie!

"Hello, Dr Hew's Surgery." It was the Thai Receptionist."Hello, my name is Nick Allen and I am the Carer for Dulcie Rodgers. I spoke to Dr Hew yesterday about him possibly coming out to see Dulcie today and him prescribing some painkillers for Dulcie."Are you a patient?""No.""He only come to see patients.""No, I am the Carer for Dulcie Rodgers. She is the patient. Is it possible to speak to Dr Hew?""No, he is very busy.""Could you ask him to ring us as soon as he can? Tell him Nick rang. We want to ask him about Endone.""Is that another patient?""No, it is a medication.""Oh, well he will not be able to ring until lunchtime.""Well, if you could ask him to ring as soon as possible as Mrs Rodgers is in terrible pain."In the meantime I had to go into the city to finally pick up my camera. (The camera that Trace and Jen got me for my birthday last year but which broke earlier in the year and which I had taken back to be mended but which they couldn't mend and recently emailed to say that they were giving me a new one and that it was ready to be collected.)I went to the shop that I took the camera to in Fortitude Valley but the woman there looked perplexed."Hmmm, we have had no camera sent here.""Well, I have had an email about it."I read her the email."Your new camera is ready for collection at our Queen Street shop."DOH! I was at the wrong shop!I eventually found the right shop and collected my new camera. They even gave me a free soft case for it."Well done!" said the camera shop man as if they had never replaced a camera before.Back at Celtis St Dr Hew had rung and the prescription for Dulcie's Endone was waiting. I said I would pick it up on my way home.I called at the Surgery on my way home.There was another woman already at standing at the desk talking to the Thai Receptionist.The Thai Receptionist looked at me."Oh, hello," she smiled as if I was a long lost friend, "I'll be with you in a moment."The other woman continued talking."I have not been here for awhile but Dr Hew asked if you could check the folder with my X Rays to see if I have left a disc in there, I can't find it at home.""Sorry, what is it you want?""Do you have a folder or a file with information about me where my X rays may be because there might be a disc in with them."The Thai Receptionist peered at her computer screen intently for awhile and then leaned even closer to it in case that would help her find what she was looking for......but it didn't."I'm sorry I don't understand. What do you want?""A disc," said the lady calmly, that might be in with my X-Rays.""A disc?""Yes, a disc, a CD."The Thai Receptionist opened a cupboard door and looked in."No nothing here. No disc.""Well it might be with my file. Is there a file with my name on where my X-Rays might be?""I don't know.""Well, Dr Hew just asked me to ask you to see if it was with my X-Rays.""No disc here," said the Thai Receptionist, spreading her arms to encompass her work area."Well no, it wouldn't just be lying about on the desk, " said the woman."No, it is not on the desk, just a prescription here. No disc.""Well, never mind.""I only work two day. Ring on Monday and speak to Marie. Maybe Marie know about the disc."The woman left.The Thai Receptionist looked at me."I'll take that prescription that you have there," I said, then thought that sounded a bit menacing so added "I have come to collect it for Dulcie Rodgers.""Ah, yes! I gave Dr Hew your message." She was very pleased.......it seemed as if it was the first thing she had done right all day!