Lesley is here now - Message Board

Thank you, gentle reader. :)

I had a good (long, tiring, but worth it) day yesterday.

Jonathan got here late on Tuesday evening to eat and sleep. At the beginning of this year, he took on the job of Social Secretary to one of the college orchestras, as though he hasn't got enough to do, and he decided that orchestra socials would no longer be every term, but every week. This week's was ice skating, in the open-air rink near college. I don't know whose idea it was, but his girlfriend has skated for England, so that might have had something to do with giving him the idea. So he stayed to skate before he went to his flat and then here. He arrived at half past midnight.

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They told me not to eat or drink after 2am, and to arrive at 8am. So we had tea and hot food, finished at 1.30am, and I have no idea how we managed to get up at 6. The driver arrived at ten to seven with a warm comfortable frostless car, and drove calmly and efficiently, through rush-hour traffic at a godforsaken hour that I didn't even know existed, and got us to the hospital for half past seven, then turned round to pick someone up from Corby. Heroic!

I mentioned my finest driving moment, when I wanted to warm my car and get the snow off before I drove off, and managed to lock my car with the engine running, and ended with a random remark about people who think it's OK to drive a four-wheeled igloo, just scraping a porthole for the driver to squint out of. Last week, he said, he was driving along "this bit" of the main road, when a car scrambled out in front of him. He realised that the other driver hadn't bothered to get the frost off any of his windows.

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Papworth people are charming, reassuring, efficient, communicative and competent (by contrast with Bedford staff, many of whom have trouble remembering or caring what day it is). They booked me in, asked all the usual questions, and gave me plastic bracelets, one for ID and one for allergies - not that many medicines are made with cashew nuts. They then explained that the procedure I had come for would be carried out in the anaesthetic room outside the operating theatre, and would be fitted in between surgeries.

I was delighted when they took me up at about eleven o'clock. Earlier than I'd expected, so I'd get food that much sooner. They would give me up to three doses of electricity to try to correct the arrhythmia. If three didn't work, they'd give up. Possible after-effects would be soreness or mild burns. "Good morning. I'm Barbara, your anaesthetist." Barbara put a little lightweight plastic cannula in my hand, nothing much happened for a minute, and I can't remember anything after that.

When I woke up, they gave me some very welcome cold water to drink and told me that they'd only needed to give me one burst of electricity. No discomfort - perhaps soreness and burning are more likely if you have two or three bursts. They also told me to wait for 24 hours before driving, or signing any documents, or making any life-changing decisions.

Back to the ward for food, and Jonathan went to the restaurant to get his lunch.

A few more hours resting, both of us dozing off after our early start and trying not to snore, while we waited for discharge papers and patient tranport.

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We went home in an ambulance, which we shared with a man from a village which the crew had been told was five minutes from me. The centre of the village is about seven miles from where I live, and I'm relieved that we genuinely were on the way to his village, not the other way round.

We got settled in the ambulance while they went off to find the other passenger. "He won't be long - he's just having a bite to eat." (What?!?) But he wasn't long, and he was forgiven when he explained that he'd been there for 17 hours, with very little food, to have a stitch removed. He continued to grumble about the staff, the lack of communication, the waste of his time, while giving us a blow-by-blow account of his medical history. He had had heart surgery (and the rest), with stitches that were supposed to dissolve, but this one hadn't.

This must make him sound like a 120-year-old who can't remember who's told him what, or anything that happened more than ten minutes ago. This man was in his forties, and it didn't seem to have occurred to him how many other people at that hospital would have comparable, or worse, stories of their own, and really don't need to hear his. Boring, boring, boring! No, he carried on ranting about One Lousy Stitch -
"Why do I have to come into hospital just to have a stitch removed? Give me a knife and I'll do it myself!"
- and then casually mentioned that the stitch was between his windpipe and his jugular.

He managed to keep up the stream of rant for the twenty-mile rush-hour journey from the hospital to our house. I don't think I've never been so relieved to scramble out of an ambulance.

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We got home at about five, had tea and hot food, and Jonathan went back to London. He had a rehearsal at midday and said he'd rather travel back on a cold evening than rush back on a cold morning.

I have to keep taking the anti-flutter meds and anti-coagulant for the time being, which is disappointing because I thought I'd be able to stop immediately, and was looking forward to having a Warfarin bonfire. I'm sure it won't be long.

And then I slept for eleven hours. :)

Reply #2082. Dec 09 10, 4:05 PM

Other stuff ...

My cousin's wife's funeral was early this morning, and I've talked to him since then. His daughter has been staying with him, and supported him this morning, but she's gone home because her mother is having surgery to remove a benign brain tumour. Doesn't everything happen at once! He's going there on Sunday to spend the week with his daughter and her husband.

He still hasn't heard from the cousin who will inherit his father's flat. (Nor have I.)

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I've been paying too much council tax for ages and I've just had a welcome refund of £800. Some of that'll pay for the car. No, most of that'll pay for the car.

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Jonathan will be back on Saturday. It's the twelfth anniversary of his father's death, and it's become a tradition for us to see each other on that day. Easy when he lived here, a little harder now he's in London, but this Saturday is easy. It'll be nice to see him again and be awake for it.

Reply #2083. Dec 09 10, 8:05 PM

Phew, that was a day and a half and Jonathon was a wonderful companion. Great they fixed it in one go. It brings back memories of Edgware Hospital with my grandparents and grandma (when she was alone) for hours on end in what used to be A&E (still there but now 'walk-in', including my grandma who walked in with a broken leg, as only she could). Notice said 'nurses are in shortage so waits will be longer than usual'. My beard and hair were testament to that I reckon, I think they had one nurse for everyone that day and then had to wait while the xrays were taken, read and I think her leg was plastered. Happy days...

Reply #2084. Dec 09 10, 10:00 PM

Bugger, bugger, bugger, I got the spelling wrong! I wish I could post-edit!

Reply #2085. Dec 09 10, 10:00 PM

It was a day and a half and yes he is.

Apart from a wrong vowel in Jonathan's name, I couldn't spot any wrong spellings. Most people misspell it, just as they misspell mine, even when it's right in front of them. They put random extra letters (mostly h) in his, and change mine to Leslie, and then write "Dear Mr." Cut and paste would stop that happening, but I guess people like the thrill of looking and copying. Can't think why. :(

Reply #2086. Dec 10 10, 7:13 PM

That was it, it's the only one I know with two A's and unless I concentrate I'll miss it. Just my own standards being breached ;)

Reply #2087. Dec 10 10, 8:57 PM

Relax, David--we all make mistakes sometimes ;-)

Reply #2088. Dec 10 10, 9:19 PM

veronikkamarrz

Hope you're feeling well. I'm sorry you can't eliminate the Warfarin yet...But you will, soon.

Jonathan is one of those 'great kids' that you can't imagine not having. I have three, so I know this! :)

Reply #2089. Dec 10 10, 9:40 PM

Jazmee's right, David. Lots of people I write to see the name Jonathan, and still write back about JoHnathOn. Nathan seems to be exempt from the tweaking, though. It's as good as the same name, but nobody ever spells it Nathon. (Do they?)

Thanks, VM. I am looking forward to rattling less. Three "great kids"? You must have done something right. Good, isn't it?

Reply #2090. Dec 11 10, 5:57 AM

Professer

Is so good Jonathan looks after you when he is home amd so pleased things are getting better health wise.

Reply #2091. Dec 11 10, 11:41 AM

Thank you, Gary - yes, and that's two things I'm delighted about.

Reply #2092. Dec 11 10, 6:28 PM

It was only after seeing how many people got the name wrong I then only saw after it was posted I'd done the same thing myself. Only a small trap but it got me!

Reply #2093. Dec 11 10, 7:06 PM

It shouldn't bother you so :)

Reply #2094. Dec 11 10, 7:37 PM

It wasn't a trap. {puzzled face} Relax!

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Jonathan got here for lunch, and then we went into town where we found the High Street closed off and filled with market stalls.

One of the first ones we came across - heard - was full of pots and pans, and we watched a man show how they coped with burnt milk, burnt sugar, pancakes and eggs. He made an omelette and it looked like he got it out of the pan by blowing on it. I bought one and Jonathan was kind enough to offer to take it home and road-test it for me...

Then we wandered into a few shops and wandered out again. I was looking for sheepskin gloves and he was looking for freeview boxes. Then he spotted some baking dishes, said his baking dishes were looking very sad, and would I buy him one? A deep dish or a tray - decisions decisions - so of course I bought them both.

We sat down for a cup of mediocre coffee and then went home to eat again. Later he rang his girlfriend and was telling her all about the cooking demonstration. A lot of men don't know what a frying pan does or looks like. I have created a monster.

It's lovely seeing him but why does it have to be so expensive?

Reply #2095. Dec 11 10, 7:42 PM

It's not a bad thing he can recognize different cooking items ;-)

Reply #2096. Dec 11 10, 8:40 PM

No, it's a good thing really. :)

He's always been interested in food, he's been feeding himself for four years, and he's good at it.

I was brought up in a world where women cooked and ironed, and men drove cars, and said my car, your kitchen. I am very happy that things are changing.

Reply #2097. Dec 11 10, 8:51 PM

Lochalsh

My ex-husband did about 75% of our cooking. He preferred food prep, I preferred cleaning up, and at least that part of the marriage worked out nicely. :)

Reply #2098. Dec 11 10, 9:20 PM

My mom's ex-boyfriend preferred to cook his own food (no one else could get it right) and would mix up his "concoctions" daily (rice, mostly; sometimes in the winter, he'd make up this thick oatmeal [he made fun of me because I like the instant flavored stuff, calling it "naked" oatmeal).

Reply #2099. Dec 12 10, 8:56 AM