Wednesday 5th of August - Mum's Trip to Hospital

Wednesday 5th of August - Daily Trials with Mother.....

Well life hasn't much changed from yesterday apart from me knowing how prisoners must feel when they are deprived of sleep to get information out of them.  At the moment I feel half asleep but annoyingly cannot sleep as my mind is constantly going over a thousand things, but more about that later.

Tuesday 4th of August 2020 ... seemed like any other day with Mums demanding requests, like "you know that grass seed you got me, well it just needs spreading in the lawn.  If you rake it first and then plant the seed and put some plastic over it ...", Mum was requesting this while I was driving to see Olivia's Mum to help remove her old carpet so I said I would look at this later.  Upon hearing I was up near Oxford Square Mum then said "Oooh I tell you what you could get me, a bucket of KFC.  It's on special today only £5.99 for nine pieces." I reply "Okay Mum but I am sure you won't eat a whole bucket alone, Gary and I will have a piece." To which Mum replies "Oh that's okay treat yourself and use my card." I think no more of it and when I have finished helping Jamie-Lee, I pop to the KFC for Mum's bucket which I take round. Mum grabs the bucket from me and wanders off to the front room. I call after her "Don't you want a plate Mum?" Mum replies - "No it's okay I will eat it like this, it looks Delicious!" I can almost hear her mouth watering as she tucks in, I look at her puzzled as I haven't yet taken two pieces out for Gary.  "Are you okay, where's yours, is it in the car?" asks Mum.  Me - "Well I was going to take two pieces from your bucket but obviously you want them all." Mum replied "Well I told you to get a bucket each!" Me - "What?" I ask incredulously  "I cannot believe you thought we would eat 27 pieces between us! In fact I don't often eat it anyway as it isn't gluten free so sometimes it makes me ill." "Oh says" Mum rather despondent "well take two pieces for Gary in fact take three because I suppose I won't be able to eat them all."  Mum asks me how she looks and I say "okay why? your breathing is whistling a bit but you look okay, just take things easy and don't rush your chicken!" I leave and let Mum enjoy her feast!

            Less than an hour later Mum rings obviously struggling for breath so I go round immediately, I tell Mum to pull the chord but she says she will wait until I am there.  I take one look at Mum and know she is not well as she is a sort of grey - purple colour, not healthy at all and her breathing is rasping. I put the nebuliser on her to see if that helps but it makes little difference, so we pull the chord.  Rachel from Vita line is really helpful and asks do we need an ambulance at which Mum shakes her head, I tell Rachel that I think Mum just needs checking over by a Paramedic to make sure she is doing what she should be doing with her Inhaler, etc.  We wait an hour or so and Kevin and Kelly arrive all the way from Kendal, they are really lovely but tell me that I have been doing all the right things whilst checking on Mum each day and are generally really nice.  They take Mum's stats and ask if she has COPD. I tell them that I know she is on COPD meds for her Asthma but the Dr and Hospital ruled that out two years ago.  Hmm says Kevin, "her stats are definitely indicating that that is the problem", which does not surprize me.  

        They are incredibly kind and ask lots of questions which Mum struggles to answer due to her breathing so she is glad I am there to tell them that she has not been seen by a Doctor but had both steroids and anti-biotics prescribed.  I know that is unusual but put it down to the Covid problems, they look at one another and I can tell they are not impressed.  I tell them how the Dr thinks Mum has caught an infection from gathering up the grass outside. They go off to speak to their superior, saying they know Mum doesn't want to go to hospital and they really don't want to take her under the circumstances with Covid, etc however they need to get advice from their superior.  Twenty minutes later they return saying Mum has two choices she can ask for a second opinion from a duty doctor who may send her to hospital anyway or they suggest Mum goes in just to be checked over and have an x-ray, possibly coming home later.  We opt for the latter as no point wasting any more time.

        Mum isn't too happy but says she has a bag well two bags ready for hospital! The ambulance people smile when I bring the two small bags out, one with a housecoat in, the other with her nightie and make-up and wash stuff inside. Kevin smiles and says it looks as though Mum plans on staying a fortnight!! I smile and check that Mum has her mobile phone - although she is useless at using it - and anything else she might need including her keys.  Mum starts to panic because she hasn't got her curlers and tells us that she cannot sleep without them!  The ambulance staff smile and reassure us that it  will possibly only be a flying visit and advise me to ring in a couple of hours around half past eleven.  I go to lock the front door, just as Mum's next-door neighbour shouts "see you soon Phyllis",  Mum turns, smiles and gives a Royal wave as though she is off for a night out!  She has already excitedly told the ambulance staff that this is her time out since 'Lockdown' apart from us walking her around the block.  I lock up, having let both my sisters know what has happened, but I can tell my youngest sister who has just returned from America is concerned however I tell her this is not the first time this has happened.

        I return home and tell Gary that Mum has gone off to have her bloods checked and she is to have another chest x-ray as the ambulance people feel it needs doing.  Gary says "That bloody woman should be glowing for the amount of x-rays she has had done, especially on her chest!!" I smile and say she really didn't look well and of course I couldn't go with Mum due to the Covid precautions at the hospital.  An uneasy silence settles between us, as I relate the nights details and we realise this is probably going to be a recurring incident.  We wait until 11.30 p.m. to ring up only to be told that it is one of their busiest nights and Mum is just about to go for her x-ray so advised to ring back in an hour.  I duly ring back to be told that Mum is only just back and waiting to see the Doctor, they advise me to ring back in an hour if, I am still awake - their words - which I possibly should have heeded as by now it was half past twelve.  However we wait another hour, Gary snoozing while I sit doing some more colouring therapy, very relaxing and at least it keeps me awake.  I ring back at 1.30 a.m and speak to a young lady who sounds quite harassed, I apologise for bothering her and ask about my Mum.  To which she replies, "Oh yes did she come in with an injury?" Me - "No, but knowing my Mum she could have had one whilst there?" To which the young lady replies "oh no she has just been discharged, she must be on her way home".  I explain that I am worried as I expected to pick Mum up and she doesn't have any money or bank cards with her.  The young lady suggests I ring her mobile and if I get no joy to ring her back.  As expected I ring Mums mobile only to receive a message saying it is switched off!! I ring the A&E department back and someone else tells me that Mum has gone home in a hospital taxi but they cannot tell me anything more.  At nearly 2 o'clock having tried Mum's home phone, without any luck, Gary and I trudge off to bed.

Wednesday 5th of August 2020 - Daily Trials with Mother .......Gary reluctantly gets up for work the next morning and leaves me to have a lay in.  8.30a.m. Mum rings!! "Hi sorry I didn't ring you back last night, all I wanted to do when I got home was have something to eat so I had the rest of my KFC!" Me - "Really? Well you sound a bit better but still breathless." Mum "Hmm, all my tests were all clear, they think the anti-biotics will clear up the chest infection and I think they said to ring the Dr for some more steroids. You know how I hate those!!  Are you okay you do sound tired?" Me - "Yes just a bit Mum we stayed up til 2 o'clock as I thought I might have to pick you up?" Mum replies "Oh I am sorry I didn't realise, but a hospital taxi brought me home.  The hospital organised it when I told them I hadn't got my money or bank card as I am not used to going out due to the lockdown!" Me - "Okay Mum I will see you later." Mum - "Okay maybe you can spread that grass seed then once you have given me my Nebuliser dose as the hospital Dr said I must continue to use that!"   Unbelievable but Yes, I go round to find Mum still looking rather pale and breathless.  However after a Nebulizer doze and an 'Inhalation mixture' that I suggest she sounds a bit less breathless just looks tired.  However she is happy that I have put her grass seed down and adds that the sun and rain will help.  I leave Mum watching TV and come home hoping to doze off myself, but of course it is impossible!  Now you know why I said I feel like a POW about to be interrogated! I would sell my soul just to get some sleep and hopefully will now I have written this .......