A Blurgey Blog of Birthdays and Bugs (four in one!)

What a funny few days it has been, a lot has happened and I wish I could write this better and make more of a story of it, but this is just my blog, an online diary - and as such, a sort of scrap-book, with untidy, messy mixtures. I like it that way, I often find that out of these messes the best creativity often grows, but it's not always easy for you dear readers to pick your way through the muddle! Every day is different and my mood changes; shifting seasons, weather patterns, light and day, sun sky and worry.

Tuesday There was the great fun and happiness which all of you wonderful people helped to create on my birthday, thank you all so much for your kind wishes of joy and fun! In between scrubbing down the holiday cottage for the arrival of new guests, it made the hard work a lot easier.

In the evening we drove to Dunfermline to celebrate with my family: my Mum, Dad and Gran, the dogs, and of course hubby Lita O'Peat. Mum at the hub of the kitchen cooked us an absolute banquet of a dinner, we had sparkling wine and lots of laughter, birthday cake and candles, and we stayed overnight in the old family home, in the same bedroom as I have had since I was a young girl. Some of you will have seen this pic of my Gran before, she will be 95 soon - but here she is again, just looking magnificent and sparkly with her glass of sherry! We are so fortunate as a family to be able to share these happy times together.

Wednesday Still in Dunfermline. Morning first thing brought a phonecall from the nursing home where O'Peat's mum is a patient. She has dementia and her health has not been great, in spite of being tough. The nursing staff suspected she had gone into heart failure, her condition was critical. The doctor and ambulance had been called and poor O'Peat had to just drop everything and rush off to drive the 45 minutes to the home, leaving me and the dogs with my family, to get there in time to meet up with the doctor and ambulance. His mum was vomiting blood and her legs had swollen dreadfully.

For several nights in a row now she has been screaming and screaming, working herself into a frenzy, all night long. Not good for her, the other residents or the staff. We have been warned that she could eventually give herself a heart-attack when she is in the throes. She ignores her medication, she doesn't even know it is there because of her dementia, sometimes she just stares at the colourful tablets which mean nothing to her. By law the carers in the home cannot force her to take it or put it in her food to ensure she receives the correct dose. Blood pressure, pain killers, tranquilisers, diuretics, iron supplements and medication for a stomach complaint and sleeping pills, all left, day after day, wasted. A waste of time, money and an old lady's dignity and comfort. A waste of the carers' resources. Meanwhile we all have to stand back and watch her suffer. By law if a 'crisis' is reached - in other words, if she screams herself to near death because she is in pain or is frightened by her pain, or simply having a tantrum, a team of heavies are allowed to hold her down while she is injected to try and prevent heart failure.

The picture above right shows O'Peat's mum with her twin sister as little girls in the 1920's, I love this photo.

A shock, we really thought that was it.

This time, however, we were lucky. She had worn herself out, anaemic, no fight left, so she allowed herself to be treated. She was taken to A&E and given a blood transfusion, pumped full of drugs to make her comfortable. Not heart failure, but something intestinal - perhaps an infection of the stomach lining, bowel cancer has been suspected for over a year but there are limits on the tests they can do on her.

Phew. O'Peat made it back to Dunfermline in time for a late lunch. We felt a bit whacked but rushed off to Perth on the way back home to pick up wicks for the Rayburn amongst other things. It was really hot in Perth, believe it or not - the traffic was bad, and in the car I began to feel a bit queasy and faint and achey, but brushed it off as tiredness, excitement, stress.

Matron's Party Then hurray, made it back in time for Matron's Party! Thank you, you wonderful Westerwitch, what can I say - could anyone ever have hoped for such a neighbour. Not only had she arranged the on-line party, but she had also cooked us a lovely dinner, knowing the events of the day would have left us tired and that we wouldn't be in a mood to prepare food when we got back. There were beautiful flowers and wine, and laptops all round to share the PurpleCoo party - all done with thoughtful care and enough space to allow us to recover and settle into the evening at our own pace - but the whooping it up began pretty quickly. She and her hubby Happy Snaper created a joyful and unusual evening together with all you amazing people out there, and again my thanks go out to all of you for entering into the spirit with such gusto and good-natured enthusiasm! Two parties now!

Pic above: Me and the lovely Bogey-man having a dance beside the fireplace

The Morning After Awoke Thursday morning feeling rather shaky. Naturally I assumed it was what you could describe as 'after-effects', the price you pay for having two parties and making your birthday last - normally I am one of those lucky people who hardly ever gets a hangover, but I thought, well I did sink a few battleships last night! After a while it transpired, though, that I had come down with one of those nasty viral bug thingies, it had been hanging about for a few days waiting for a spare moment to pounce.

The chance to do some happy scribbling in my sketch pad

Friday Bug still with me today, but it was not a bad day at all - to start with, there you all were again and thank you for your kind comments and fun, although I'm sure by this time sick to teeth of hearing what ghastly Matron had been up to next!

Peat visited his mum, and there was good news from the hospital - she was sitting up, rosy-cheeked from the blood transfusion, feeling an awful lot better, and demanding food! He took her flowers and presents and he was very happy to see such a change in her.

And I was in bed. With my laptop by my side, and nothing else to do. But I was so disappointed: at first I felt too rough even just to read a single blog, the laptop felt too heavy and my eyes wouldn't stay in focus. It really upset me and I got all weepy, hence the box of man-sized tissues on the bed! But around lunchtime the cloud lifted. I started off with a couple of gentle comments on the CCW page, then more and more, then I actually managed to get around a few blog-sites and visit people - I've been promising myself that luxury for ages. I've even managed a blog of my own now, and a medicinal sip or two of the red stuff (no, not Calpol this time!) and I am feeling much, much better.

Thought I would show you this pic of my sick-bed replete with laptop, box of tissues, sketchpad, camera, dog's toy, a slipper brought onto the bed by the dog, and yes that huge hairy lump at the end of the bed is Bogey sound asleep. The little dog is in her cubby-hole under the bed snoring. And yes - that is THE bedspread of bath-stomping fame that Bogey is sleeping on (will I never learn), neatly avoiding his 'blankie' put there to protect it - it washed up beautifully in the end by the way, and thank you once again for all your kind enquiries on that score too! Just thank you, thank you, you are a fabulous crowd, thank you for being there.