I realise I haven't blogged since the beginning of August, and there have been questions asked by some of you. Where have I been and what have been doing? I've even been sent an article on the importance of posting blogs regularly!
No, the dog did not eat my homework, and I haven't got any of the usual excuses. There's been plenty I could write about and there were certain events I will cover, albeit belatedly, but life has just got in the way.
I did spend ten days away, but I didn't venture far or to somewhere hot....I was down in North Somerset looking after Mama, my Mum, after an operation. At 87, she had been getting very breathless and in pain after walking - even just after 50 yards or so. There were large blockages in her calf and groin which needed to be sorted out.
At 87 years old, Mama was prepared in case anything went wrong...she had written instructions for her funeral service and other things were discussed, however much I didn't want to talk about them.
Luckily she sailed through the operation, and going to her hospital room, I could see her through the open door before going in. Smiling at the sunshine streaming through the balcony windows, propped up in bed, with full eye make up and rosy lipstick, she looked as if she popped in for a pedicure rather than a big operation!
Being with her as she recovered was a joy, she's such a positive person, and a very patient patient even as I fumbled doing her dressings every day. We laughed, she walked her first steps around her garden, and as I was on chauffeur duty for shopping, to take her to the doctors. I also became her social secretary as an army of her friends rang to speak to her.
When she rested, I caught up on some reading. I got quite a lot of writing on another project done, the old school way. With a pen and notepad. There was no wifi at Mama's and I don't know about you, but I cannot write blog posts in my i pad or phone even with the Blogger app.
It was also great to catch up with my brother and his family.
When I left to come home, Mama was feeling much better, and so did I, after a time in the slow lane.
Coming back home, I was at full pelt work wise, both in the newsroom and making history and gardening programmes. Great fun, squeezing the most out of sunny days, as well as going off to Glee, the last hurrah in the gardening calendar for the trade at the NEC .
More about Glee and the people I met there in another post, but I had a wonderful time there. When I got home that night though, there was a jolt in the form of a white envelope. I had been for a mammogram a few weeks before, now I was being invited to go Leicester's Glenfield Hospital for a recall in three days time.
I won't lie, I was uneasy. I 'd had one before, which involved a quick mammogram, and I was out within minutes with good news at the end of it. This time, things weren't quite so straightforward. I had one mammogram, a long wait, and then on to another machine for two different types of mammograms. Then an ultrasound, and as I walked in to the room, my images were up on the screen, and it was obvious that something wasn't quite right. I could see a lump, bump or nodule or whatever you call it.. My heart sank, but the wonderful staff, after more tests, told me it definitely wasn't cancer.
I didn't take in much of what was said after that. I was so elated, as my husband drove us home. It was grey and drizzly, but to me the sky was blue, and I just wanted to shout to the world how wonderful life is. Oh, and how amazing the staff are and the service is at Glenfield Hospital Breast Care Centre.
Now I'm having some more of my annual leave to look after my husband, who had a back operation at the beginning of last week. A fusion of his spine involving bolts and rods and something (cement?) to shore up his spine, digging out lots of arthritis, and preventing trapping of nerves in his legs.
All went well for a few days, until he became unwell ...and after a scan, was found to have multiple blood clots in both his lungs. So a delayed discharge from hospital, and he's now on the mend after clot busting injections and medications,he even walked to the end of the lane this morning. He's now having a rest before we're off to another hospital check up.
So there you have it.....it's been an interesting few months one way or another. I have seen more of hospitals than I expected, but I've also seen some incredibly dedicated nurses and doctors . I've also been really valuing the little things and understanding only too well how we can never take life for granted either.
No, the dog did not eat my homework, and I haven't got any of the usual excuses. There's been plenty I could write about and there were certain events I will cover, albeit belatedly, but life has just got in the way.
I did spend ten days away, but I didn't venture far or to somewhere hot....I was down in North Somerset looking after Mama, my Mum, after an operation. At 87, she had been getting very breathless and in pain after walking - even just after 50 yards or so. There were large blockages in her calf and groin which needed to be sorted out.
At 87 years old, Mama was prepared in case anything went wrong...she had written instructions for her funeral service and other things were discussed, however much I didn't want to talk about them.
Luckily she sailed through the operation, and going to her hospital room, I could see her through the open door before going in. Smiling at the sunshine streaming through the balcony windows, propped up in bed, with full eye make up and rosy lipstick, she looked as if she popped in for a pedicure rather than a big operation!
Being with her as she recovered was a joy, she's such a positive person, and a very patient patient even as I fumbled doing her dressings every day. We laughed, she walked her first steps around her garden, and as I was on chauffeur duty for shopping, to take her to the doctors. I also became her social secretary as an army of her friends rang to speak to her.
When she rested, I caught up on some reading. I got quite a lot of writing on another project done, the old school way. With a pen and notepad. There was no wifi at Mama's and I don't know about you, but I cannot write blog posts in my i pad or phone even with the Blogger app.
It was also great to catch up with my brother and his family.
When I left to come home, Mama was feeling much better, and so did I, after a time in the slow lane.
Coming back home, I was at full pelt work wise, both in the newsroom and making history and gardening programmes. Great fun, squeezing the most out of sunny days, as well as going off to Glee, the last hurrah in the gardening calendar for the trade at the NEC .
More about Glee and the people I met there in another post, but I had a wonderful time there. When I got home that night though, there was a jolt in the form of a white envelope. I had been for a mammogram a few weeks before, now I was being invited to go Leicester's Glenfield Hospital for a recall in three days time.
I won't lie, I was uneasy. I 'd had one before, which involved a quick mammogram, and I was out within minutes with good news at the end of it. This time, things weren't quite so straightforward. I had one mammogram, a long wait, and then on to another machine for two different types of mammograms. Then an ultrasound, and as I walked in to the room, my images were up on the screen, and it was obvious that something wasn't quite right. I could see a lump, bump or nodule or whatever you call it.. My heart sank, but the wonderful staff, after more tests, told me it definitely wasn't cancer.
I didn't take in much of what was said after that. I was so elated, as my husband drove us home. It was grey and drizzly, but to me the sky was blue, and I just wanted to shout to the world how wonderful life is. Oh, and how amazing the staff are and the service is at Glenfield Hospital Breast Care Centre.
Now I'm having some more of my annual leave to look after my husband, who had a back operation at the beginning of last week. A fusion of his spine involving bolts and rods and something (cement?) to shore up his spine, digging out lots of arthritis, and preventing trapping of nerves in his legs.
All went well for a few days, until he became unwell ...and after a scan, was found to have multiple blood clots in both his lungs. So a delayed discharge from hospital, and he's now on the mend after clot busting injections and medications,he even walked to the end of the lane this morning. He's now having a rest before we're off to another hospital check up.
So there you have it.....it's been an interesting few months one way or another. I have seen more of hospitals than I expected, but I've also seen some incredibly dedicated nurses and doctors . I've also been really valuing the little things and understanding only too well how we can never take life for granted either.
