A NEW LIFE BEGINS

Thursday evening, 26th July. Just before I left for my evening visit to the BGH, Janet phoned and asked me to bring in a suitcase. She was being moved to Hay Lodge in Peebles sometime tomorrow. Dr Kerr had only told Janet late afternoon and although she may not have been happy, she didn't put up any resistance to the move. By the time I arrived about 6pm, she seemed quite resigned to the move and indeed she directed me on what items of clothing, toiletries, as well as the duvet, to take with me when I left. This was because she is only allowed to take one suitcase on the ambulance when she is moved. Dr Kerr assured Janet that her care and physio would continue at Hay Lodge as it would have at the BGH. We shall see, but really there is no reason to suppose that it will not continue as it should. Alex and Debbie were up today and took Janet for lunch at Herges restaurant in Tweedbank, where she was taken on Sunday past by Neil and Ruth. She is going to get far too used to this, I...

Wednesday, 25th July. Four weeks to the day since Janet's stroke. Well, the scan on Monday didn't happen. The doctor in charge, Dr. Kerr, saw Janet that day and decided that because she is on the maximum dosage for her injections, in relation to someone who has had a stroke, and because Janet now is in no pain at all, there is no need for a scan. As far as the doctor is concerned, the blood clot will have dispersed, although the injections will continue until the end of this week. Good news, although Janet is disappointed that she won't be having the scan to confirm all of this. She is however, also having her blood pressure taken every two hours, as it was low and she was taken off her blood pressure tablets for the past few days. Dr. Kerr said that she expects Janet to be walking, perhaps with a stick, within the next two to three weeks and to be home in that timescale. The doctor was not so certain about Janet's right arm and face / speech getting any better. A m...

Monday morning, 23rd July. Gordon, Logan and Blake have just left after arriving Saturday morning. Because we couldn't get down to see everyone, as planned, Gordon and the boys drove up and stayed a couple of nights and we visited Janet on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Janet playing board games with the boys  I think Janet enjoyed seeing them all and I certainly appreciated them all being here. I didn't cook at all - we went to Franco's in Peebles on Saturday night and the Golf Club on Sunday for a lunchtime carvery. And on Sunday (yesterday), Neil and Ruth had driven up in the morning and were able to take Janet out for lunch to a nearby restaurant in Tweedbank. They had to take the bus from the hospital to the restaurant (they couldn't get a taxi) and Neil and Ruth walked back with Janet in the wheelchair, a distance of just under 2 miles. I drove us over to the hospital yesterday afternoon but popped in to see Janet, Neil & Ruth at the restau...

Friday morning, 20th July. Not a good week so far. Janet was scanned again on Monday morning and it was found that the clot had moved from her calf to her groin. Not good news that it was on the move. It was decided to double the dosage of her daily injection from 2,500 (not sure of the units involved) to 5,000 and scan her again on Thursday. Perhaps understandably, Janet was feeling quite depressed about all this, only alleviated on Wednesday evening when her son, Neil, visited and we all went upstairs to the first floor dining room for a snack and to try out different surroundings. She definitely perked up a bit that evening. Also on Wednesday, I told our hairdresser, Sara, of the news. She had been away on holiday in the U.S. and was only just back. Again I choked up when telling her - I just can't help it. Janet had her scan yesterday, Thursday, and again, not good news. Whilst the blood clot had not moved, it has increased in size. The doctors have now decided to double ...

Sunday, 15th July. Janet was assessed by the Occupational Therapist on Monday past and whilst doing so, she mentioned that her right calf had been, and was, sore. A doctor was called to have a look and Janet was taken immediately for a scan, where it was discovered she had a blood clot. After a bit of discussion between the various professionals, it was decided the best course of action was to disperse the clot by either a drip (which would mean Janet having a cannula in her arm) or a course of daily injections in her stomach. Janet chose the latter option and these injections will continue for 4-6 weeks. She also had a chat with the doctor who was very positive about things and even gave Janet a date when she could conceivably get home - 24th July! Just two weeks away which I think unlikely but perhaps the doctor was giving her a date to aim at and to put Janet in a more positive frame of mind.  Because of this, her physio was delayed by a few days, although she was re...

Friday, 6th July.  I had a round of golf this morning, the first time I had been up to the course in 10 days but I think it helped me to try and get back to some normality. I enjoyed the company of the usual guys in the group and hope to continue my usual Tuesday / Friday games. Janet was transferred down to Borders General Hospital this morning, leaving about 10am and arriving at lunchtime. She had fish and chips for lunch and said that the food was much better down here than at the Victoria Hospital. She was placed in a 6 bed medical ward initially, but was moved to the Stroke Unit on the ground floor when I was visiting her this evening. She has her own room, with en suite and television. I did the unpacking of her case and toiletries and the staff in the unit all seemed very friendly. The nurse in charge did tell Janet that "intense physiotherapy" would start from Monday and although maybe Janet wasn't overly enthusiastic I think this will be exactly what she needs....

Wednesday, 4th July. Still going every evening, when Janet is usually quite tired, but it still makes sense to stretch out the visiting, as other visitors tend to go in the afternoon. Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy She was assessed on Monday morning and the results from that are awaited. Her physio started on Monday afternoon and she was able to stand and take three steps. Progress, but no sign of the physio yesterday! Alex and Debbie arrived Monday evening and stayed until this morning. They visited in the afternoons and this morning, so I didn't see too much of them. They ate out both nights, partly because I was away in Kirkcaldy and also I didn't have a lot of food in the house. I started washing clothes on Monday and Tuesday - got the hang of the washing machine okay and today I started ironing. This job I find tricky and will not be able to meet Janet's exacting standards. ;-) I phoned Janet's friend in Aldershot, Caroline Riddell, as she was to meet ...

Monday, 2nd July. I didn't mean to post again so early, but having got back home from the hospital last night, about 9.30pm, I felt incredibly sad. Seeing Janet lying on the hospital bed (although she had actually been sitting up in a chair when I first arrived) and us talking and crying just broke my heart. This whole change in our life seems so unfair after all we've been through together. The life we had, which despite our arguments and my sometimes melancholic mood, was pretty good but that has gone and we shall need to get another good life back in a different fashion. Janet has said a couple of times that she is scared I will walk away, with her now being disabled but that she would understand if I wanted to leave and wouldn't want me to stay against my will.  I have quite firmly told her that's not going to happen    Curiously enough, I am feeling as close to Janet now as I ever have.  We are both feeling very lonely at the moment, in different environme...

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”, the first lines of the Charles Dickens novel “A Tale Of Two Cities”. Now I’m no Charles Dickens and this isn’t about two cities, but it is about two lives, changed forever one sunny day in June 2018. Today is Sunday, 1st July 2018. Last Sunday, and indeed just Tuesday past, were both very ordinary days. Me and my wife Janet went out for a walk, went shopping, watched television, I played golf and because there is a heatwave currently, we spent a bit of time sitting out in the garden, mainly in the shade, sipping our glasses of wine. Quite content. That changed last Wednesday, 27th June. Having gone to Burntisland on a day jaunt with her sister and great niece, they visited the local fairground and she and her sister went on one of the rides. Not sure what happened, but half way through the ride, Janet felt "funny" and after it stopped she had to sit down at the side, feeling dizzy and had pins and needles down her arm...