Why doctor, your pants are on fire.....doggy doorbells....and other amusements

It's been just another day...another day of plans...plans made, plans changed, plans achieved...eventually. Yes, it's Steve here again...blogging as Jill is in the bath here at home....yes, home! Actually, it's more of a warm puddle than a hot bath, but at least it's here at home. We have finally managed to break free from the Hospital, and, as much as they have looked after us fantastically well, it's so good to be home.

Yes, I know that the plan had been to be at Hospice...but the best made plans of mice and men etc. For many reasons home has turned out to be where we are.....and we're just grateful to have her at home....well....we are at the moment....once the demands and moaning starts maybe we can send her back?

Yesterday, Jill's lung drain was left in overnight....very little additional fluid....PS said she was very pleased....and she said the drain could be removed by Doctor Harry as he did his second round of the day. The said pipe was removed and, although I wasn't present at the time, by all accounts it wasn't exactly a pain free procedure...and there was a bit more a little hole that doc Harry was happy with. "I'll just put a couple of little stitches in there" he said...."will it hurt?" said Jill..."just a little scratch like taking blood" said Doc H. It would appear that his version of "a little scratch" and Jill's probably isn't the same! Liar, liar, pants on fire came to mind.....

I digress. With lung free of pipes etc. it was just a case of getting organised with the drugs for home, and the paperwork to be completed. With the best will in the world this was never going to be a quick thing to achieve...and the first target of 14:00 came and went...as did 14:30 and 15:00....lets just say we managed to miss the after school rush, by leaving after it had finished!

Many hugs and kisses were given on both sides as we left the ward...the staff there have been so wonderful...working under difficult conditions much of the time....sometimes short staffed....working long shifts....we take our hats off to them all.

Delivered to the door by the porter in a chair, Jill put in the back of the car with nurse Stephe alongside with oxygen (we don't seem to be able to go very far at all now without an oxy machine of some sort) and Jack driving. Pete and I followed in the second car. We got home to a reception committee of Dan, Bex and two dogs. Everyone seemed very happy. Jill sat on sofa and caught up with the comings and goings of the last few days at Seaford.

For once she actually did what her body was telling her and retired to bed at about 5 for a snooze.....but she quickly needed some "soothing medicine" to help her settle....Martin the nurse had given her a firm telling off as we left hospital and said "if you need drugs then flippin' we'll take them"...and so Jill had some methadone to help her relax.....it did the trick! Despite feeling hungry a little later it wasn't very long before she was "off with the fairies"!!

Thank you for that Steve, that makes me sound like a junkie, ( or as the sister says, a "user" ) !!

I never expected to be in my bed tonight , what a bonus ! And to see my dogs...although their greeting was short lived. After the trauma of the "The big hospital exit " and the exciting day I had had, I was ready for a sleep.

The family of course knew where their priorities lay, and it wasn't with me, it was the football. So I was dispatched upstairs, plugged into oxygen, pumped full of morphine and told to keep quiet.

Bex felt sorry for me, and had a brain wave, last year she had bought a "doggy doorbell " . The attachment is fixed outside and we have been trying to train Beanie to touch her nose on it, which makes the 'plug in doorbell' ring in the kitchen. They also sent her another doorbell separately, well it was this that she bought up, and it's sitting on my bedside table .
So I am now reduced to the level of the dogs, and if I require assistance I press the doorbell which rings in the kitchen, of course if nobody hears it .... Actually I think they do hear it but just ignore it.

I'm going to have to stop and post, the morphine is working, the words are blurring and Steve needs to sleep.

I'm back in again Monday ( hopefully not before ) oncology to take bloods through the port and change needle . Straight onto EAU to have a drain fired the and right lung drained. Stay in overnight . Chemo Tuesday ... Home Tuesday afternoon .... This plan too could change ....








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