25th March - CCH - Good Friday all round!

Usual night. Early morning bloods 7.9. Huge breakfast of a bowl of porridge and toast with diabetic marmalade. Not sure if I should be having this each day, but they seem happy for me to have it, so who am I to complain?!

Got dressed and went to bathroom to sit on loo, where I did a poo. Got the rest of me dressed. Didn’t do much during the morning – had a cup of tea, watched tv.


Lovely sunny day – saw my blackbirds, sparrows and the first butterfly of the season out of my window.
Pre lunch sugars up to 16.6. I made a bad choice for lunch – fish and chips, and peas. It was all a bit dry and not very hot. On reflection, when I ordered it on Wednesday, I had forgotten that today was a bank holiday. The other choices were goulash or veg pie. Had the cheeses and biscuits. Never mind.

Then disaster struck. I had been taken to the bathroom to sit on the loo (trying to establish muscle movement and routine) and had done very well (i.e. done a poo!). However, I wasn’t able to stand up off the commode onto the cricket. Had to sit down again and shuffle myself back on to the commode as half on and half off. My lovely nurse Ellen called for help, and my other lovely nurse Becky and another young man care assistant came. Had to get the hoist in and the sling under me (whilst I was sitting on commode). Quite a tricky manoeuvre. Hoisted back on to bed, nappy put on, then transferred back to wheelchair. Decided not to use cricket for rest of today, but to be hoisted.

Sian and Juli arrived just as I was being put back in wheelchair, and I had permission given for me to leave ward “as long as I was sensible”. Made our way to the Grapevine, where David and Maria and Debbie and Sandra were waiting for me. They had brought me my piece of Good Friday Pie and cheese and pineapple on sticks, with some Seven Up sugar free (with proper glasses!). Just as well the café was closed as I don’t think we would have been able to eat our own food in there. Chatted, caught up then we went outside to sit in the lovely spring sunshine. Time for D &S to go (there had been awful traffic on the M4 when they wee coming) so we sat for a bit longer, then J&S took me back to my room while T took B to the loo.

Pre supper sugars were high at 25.4, but I had had pineapple juice for lunch and cheese and some pineapple chunks as well as the pie, so I wasn’t too bothered. I was feeling a bit full (!) so didn’t have the soup, just the turkey salad and more cheese and biscuits for supper.

Watched more tv, did some emailing and update, and Juli arrived again. He must have left as soon as he got home. This twice a day visiting is too much for anyone.

We went to the day room, but M the wandering lady was in there, so we went down to get J a drink. Back to the day room, and I asked J to get me a glass of water. While he was doing this, M asked for one too (in quite an imperious tone!).  We sat at the other table, but then we were  soon joined by the gentleman with amputated legs who wheels himself around quite a lot (and who Sian regularly lets back in when he’s gone outside for a smoke). He had sort of joined us as we were sitting at the table by the tv, so J helped put it on. M had been complaining about how hungry she was and that she was waiting for her fish and chips. I tried to explain that we’d had that at lunch time. She said that a man who she didn’t know had been sitting opposite her and had got quite angry because his fish and chips were cold. She was hungry and hadn’t had anything to eat for ages and if she didn’t have anything soon, she would be getting light headed. I explained that we’d had supper not long ago. She was going to get a taxi and get fish and chips. Or go to Waitrose and get something to cook in the kitchen, but there wasn’t a kitchen here so she’d have to go home. So taxi to get fish and chips and then home. Juli and I beat a strategic retreat and I told the nurse that M was talking about taxis and fish and chips. This is quite common.

So, back to my room. Julio put away my clean clothes. Said goodbye.

I’m updating, having temporarily removed Ria from the recipient list as they are on holiday, and reinstated Dad as they are back, and waiting to see what happens re bathroom, hoist and bedtime. In the meantime, Masterchef on.

Will  talk tomorrow.
Goodnight.

Our traditional family Good Friday Fish Pie - It's had up to 8+ names before! This year it's the 3 eldest family members!

We enjoyed the sunshine during the visit from Sandra, Deb, David, Maria as well as Sian & Julio who were the photographers!