Shopping and all that!

The shopping jaunt did not turn out the be therapy I had hoped despite it been Friday afternoon the shops were very busy and I got pushed and shoved all over the place, which was less than pleasurable. I absolutely hate crowds and even more now, if I get banged on my right shoulder it is very painful so I gave up.

I managed to get a new pair of shoes reduce from forty quid to 20 and a pair of trousers reduced from fifteen quid to a fiver, I also bought my shelf a smaller rucksack, I nearly bought myself one for the sake of buying one in the local department store but after standing in a queue for ages I went elsewhere and got one for ten quid cheaper and much nicer.

I returned home rather late thanks to busy traffic driven and by a bus driver that alternated between singing and yelling.

Next on my agenda was sorting the piggies out to go on their holidays, they have headed to a friends and I know they will have a ball but my house is so quiet without them. Her child asked if Harry could stay in her room, something which I am happy with. There was more involved in getting the piggies ready than there is for me and that's saying something! Both of our cars were full with cages, toys, hay, bowls, bedding, and various other piggy requirements.

I got their cages set up and helped them to settle, before I left Sparky was busy playing with one of her male guinea pigs and he had gatecrashed his cage and ate his tea!

On the way back home I popped into her local garage, her local garage is a lot cheaper than mine so the car is topped up with motion potion and ready to go. I heard tonight that the motion potion refinery that serves my area is now shut thanks to a strike so I will have to top it up on the way home. My nana lives a short distance from a refinery so I guess there will be no problems getting petrol were she is.

I have started packing and the washing machine is on. Tomorrow morning I vision a mad pack before setting off at 1pm.

Oh and yes Suzie if you can fit in my case you are welcome to come.

Retail therapy

This afternoon I am heading out and hitting the shops.

As I am going soon going away for 5 days I plan to buy some new togs for my jollies.

I am rather looking forward to it, need to be back though by half 4 as I need to organise my boys before they go on their jollies to my friends house not sure what her hubby will think of my piggies invading their living room. Last time they were there Harry ate their Christmas Tree! Husband reported that Harry thought it was yummy but required more salt.

Find your perfect car

I found this on the net and wasted a few minutes undertaking it and thought I would add it to my blog as to allow my reader to do likewise.

Have fun!

Mr G.Raffe phonecall for you!

This caught my eye in the news before

It must be a nightmare for the zoo but I personally rolling around laughing at the thought of people falling for this prank!

More pills and potions

I headed off to see my chronic disease managment nurse today. She's a fantastic nurse and has helped me through some really bad patches.

I came away with even more medication to take some is for the side effects of my pain killers and the rest is for my hay fever.

I have just worked out that my meds come in now at upto 44 doses per day, more than many of my residents take.

My list now looks like this

Salmeterol/flixotide accuhaler twice daily
Atrovent inhaler 2 puffs twice dialy
Phylocontin tablets 1 twice daily
Codiene phosphate 1-2 upto 4 x daily
Ducosate sodium 2 twice daily
Sodium Chloride Eye drops 2 4xdaily
Flixonase Nasal spray 2 x 2 daily
Hydromol bath oil
Hydromol cream
Hydrocortisone cream
Prednisolone 30mg for 5 days of peak flow drops below 300
Nysatatin for 7 days as required
Salbutamol inhaler as required
Atrovent nebules as required
Salbutamol nebules as required
Ispagela Husk twice a day
Cetrizazine 1 a day
Paracetamol 1-2 tablets upto 4 times a day
Diclofenic 50mg as required upto 3 x day
Saline nebules as required

I think thats it, even I had problems remembering it all!! I know its not normal for a young person to be on so much but, now I so use to it I hardly notice it.

Hurrah!

I am holiday for a few days and not due back to work will the week after next!

My next holiday will be spent preparing to go into hospital so I am planning to take this oppurtunity to really enjoy this holiday. My plans are to visit family member and visit Barcelona.

But, first things first I have an appointment to see my "chronic disease management nurse"

Red and itchy

Last night, prior to going to work I noticed that my right shoulder was hot, red and blotchy. Hhhhmmmm nice I thought.

I went into work and commenced my shift a hour and a half later my colleague blurted out "we were wondering why your face is so red?" Is it? was my reply, a quick visit to the loo followed by peering in the mirror revealed that they were right, it was red. And itchy.

I realised that something allergic was going on, by midnight it had spread and was heading downwards, as it was busy spreading I was busy annoying the hell out of my staff by scratching. I quick search of my handbag revealed that I had no anti histamines on me but that I did have my steroid cream unfortunately it is only mild and made no difference.

By 1am my staff were threatening to switch the lights off because my face was glowing so much they felt they no longer needed to be switched on.

I have spent the night scratching like a cat with fleas and have come home feeling very sore, the redness has subsided a little but the blotchiness an itchiness remain. I am going to throw everything at it in the hope that it subsides by tonight as I feel very self conscious wandering around work closely resembling a swan vestas match!

Ooooppppsss

Next week I flying out to Barcelona. Hurrah!!

My sister is organising it all, unfortunately it appears a minor blooper has been made.

She has booked the flight out for Sunday and the return flight for Tuesday.

Unfortunately she has booked the hotel for Monday and Tuesday.

Thus meaning we will have nowhere to stay when we get there and somewhere to stay when in fact we will be back in the UK!

There mow follows a panic as my sister attempts to find us all some where to stay on Sunday night.

Home comforts

I decided that with my forth coming op I want to take my teddy with me, but not just any old teddy. No, I want a new teddy. But not just any old shop bought teddy.

No. It has to be one knitted by my nana.

Pre-assessment clinic

I rang the clinic this morning and it transpires that my appointment was in fact this for afternoon.

I crawled off to bed feeling somewhat poorly, and set every available alarm clock in the house in the hope I would awake in time. As it was to transpire there was no chance of a lie in. The world and his wife seem to want to get a hold of me today, first the post man came knocking at my door, bleary eyed and unable to find my dressing gown I staggered to the door. The the phone rang, then it rang again, and again. At 2pm I gave up and got up.

Due to the ridiculous car parking fees at my local hospital which I think are theft in its own right, what you have a loved on dying in that hospital? no one should be expected to pay to visit a dying or seriously ill loved one. Anyway I digress that is material for another post. I took the bus up to the hospital and discovered that were I will be having the op is in another part of the hospital, it's newly built and rather nice but such a trek to get to I eventually found where I was meant to be.

I took a seat in the waiting area, carefully noting after the events of last night were the loo is and waited. Shortly a nurse attired in a purple uniform, called for me.

I tootled in and she ran through a questionnaire checked my lung function and said that all would fine for the op, I was concerned that my severe asthma may prevent me but I appears not I was apparently the fittest patient she had seen that day despite my repeat script spanning three pages. She did, however say that while the intention is to do it as a day case because of my asthma there would be a ward bed available to me should I require it. I am sure my friends spare bed will be the much better option and there is a less likely chance that I will come home with pressure damage, there is a bet flying round work that I am bound to come home with pressure sores after been in the hospital given that most of the residents that we get back from the hospital come back with pressure damage.

Any way that's phase one over and done with, next phase is to see the surgeon next month, followed by the anesthetist in June and finally the op on the 26th of June its self.

Vomit-olympics

Opiate painkillers work well for me, unfortunately I seem to manage about 8 weeks on a painkiller then they start upsetting my stomach.

Last night I went into work and had my night painkillers with an hour my stomach began to feel like a washing machine and initially it felt like a normal cycle, then a slow spin, then a fast spin and then a very fast spin, this was then then followed by me legging it up the corridor very fast.

This set the tone for the night, I struggled my way through the shift with regular visits to empty my stomach contents down a porcelain bowl. I have just been on the phone to my doctors surgery and I have an appointment to see the nurse on the Thursday at 3pm for yet another painkiller review. Until then it will be paracetamol and deep heat, my staff will smell me before they see me!

Here's hoping my stomach forgives me before Wednesday, its our last night shift before we return back on to day shift and we're having a chinese and I am buying. They've been a great team to work with and I want to say thank you to my staff.

Here's hoping my stomach recovers before Wednesday

Daft creatures

Some one is wolf-whistling outside. Loudly.

So Thomas decides to reply.

He sets of squeaking. Loudly.

Loony pig!

Just realised..........

There is an error in my appointment date for next week, it stated that my appointment is Tuesday 21st April when in fact the 21st is the Monday so I have no idea when my appointment actually is.

I'll give the ward a bell tomorrow in the hope that someone can help me but, as its a day unit I would doubt anyone will be there, so I could be facing a bit of a problem. I am night shift Sunday, its my first shift back so by the Monday I will be shattered but I will have to sit up until half eight or nine o clock or whatever time it takes to get through to the ward and if it transpires that my appointment is actually on the Monday I will have to get back up after just five hours of sleep to attend my appointment as the appointment can take up to an hour I may not get home till 5pm so it will hardly be worth going back to bed.

Operation paperwork

This morning two letters dropped onto my doormat both bearing the local hospitals stamp.

The first one I opened contained a letter advising me that an appointment has been made for me in the pre operation clinic were I will see the surgeon doing the operation, the aim of this appointment is to inform me about the operation and to gain my consent to allow him to operate.

The second one is a letter that provides me with a provisional date for my operation and also to ask me to go to the ward next week for a pre admission appointment where I will undergo various test and they will also take my medical history and ensure that I am fit for surgery.

It now feels for the first time, real and at the moment I feel a little overwhelmed by it.

I am not even sure how best to prepare for surgery, I want to be as physically fit as I can but all my googling reveals is information about how to prepare your child for surgery or how to prepare for going into hospital to have a baby. I am guessing by this that that there is little info out there on preparing to go into hospital for surgery or I am simply looking in the wrong place.

Pain

I am having a pretty bad night tonight, I am struggling with the pain in my right shoulder.

I have had my pain killers and used my TENS machine but still it aches, that awful nagging toothache. I also generally lie on my right side, the affected side I find it hard to sleep on my left side or my back.

It doesn't help that I am already feeling very down with myself because I was I snapped at my friend because I was in pain, he was understanding but he deserves better in a friend that what I can offer him as a friend.

Oh and to top it off I think I am coming down with something.

Hopefully I will feel better in the morning.

Night all!

Blogging

I am fairly new to this blogging lark and was delighted tonight to get my first comment, thanks Suzie-there is a link for her blog on my blog titled "Suzies blog"

Although it is early days I am really enjoying it, it gives me an outlet, a place to share my thoughts, somewhere were I can vent and somewhere to share the many the many myriad of things whizzing around my brain.

Oh and thanks for popping by.

My special boys

I want to take this opportunity to introduce you to my very special boys, they live indoors and so are my constant companions. They are also give me the motivation I need on bad days, when my breathing is bad or I am in pain to get out of bed because without me they go hungry.

They greet me home from work, they are always up for a cuddle when I feel down and worn out they give their love unconditionally and without them my life would have a gap in it.

First up is Thomas, he's 9 months old and is sometimes known as ASBO pig or the "wheeking assassin"! This is because though he lives in the same cage as Sparky he has to have a cooling rack separating them as he kicks his head in at every available opportunity if he's able to get to him, yet when seperated into different cages he cries sadly and becomes very distressed. With humans he's very friendly and attaches his self like a limpet molding himself to you. He came from the local pet shop.

Next up is Sparky, he's loud, proud and in your face! He's has a number of methods of gaining your attention ranging from yelling loudly, chewing the bars to knocking his water bottle flying. He has a passion for bags and spending hours investigating their contents more than once I have spotted him dragging something that has taken his fancy out of my shopping bags along the hallway. Unfortunately it has also landed him in trouble when he has dived into rubbish bags.

He's a very loving and affectionate guinea pig both towards other piggies and humans and has a tendency to follow me all over the house. When in his cage he will stand on his hind legs for his belly to tickled and his nose scratched.
He came from a rescue, unwanted because his owners bought him as a girl and then discovered he was a bloke.

Finally Prince Harry, he's 2 years old and had a terrible start to his life. He came from a rescue his owners had neglected him he has very long fur and they had failed to groom him, subsequently his fur was was a mass of tats and had to be cut off on going into the rescue centre, he still hates being groomed as he associates it with pain, his owners in an attempt to groom him had been dragging a comb through his fur, tats and all. His owners rang the rescue saying they couldn't cope with him because of his long hair and that they wanted rid of him now, today. Interesting he also put on a lot of weight within a short while of been rescued. His fur has grown back and he now looks like a mop head on legs.

He's very quiet and was quite shy running off when cuddled he know enjoys a cuddle, he particularly loves to be tickled under his chin. He has a very odd habit of sitting with his nose stuck up in the air and loves classical music.

So this is my boys, all totally different characters but all three are so special.

The joys of volunteering

Tomorrow I am going out, I am volunteering to help on an old persons day trip.

Many may groan at the prospective, not willing to sacrifice their time off and use it for the benefit of others, particularly an old person who are so sadly written off by society and perceived as having nothing more to offer our society except than to be a burden.

The lady who I have been assigned to push in her wheelchair is great fun to be and I am really looking forward to spending the day with her however, it's nothing as much she is looking forward to going out. She's housebound and spends most of her day looking at the same 4 walls so going out for a day something to be greatly looked forward to with great anticipation.

Her carer popped by tonight and checked that she was still OK to go out. Her answer was obvious without her even speaking and was to found in the wheelchair sitting in the hallway all set up, the clothes carefully laid out and the coat sitting ready for it's wearer to put it on in the morning.

She can not wait for the morning, like a child waiting for Christmas she can not wait to go out.

And please, if you have the opportunity to carry out voluntary work, take it you will find it greatly rewarding and don't reject and write off our old people. Treasure is often found in old vessels.

Plugging an event

I going to use my blog to shamelessly plug an event, this event.

Even if you don't live nearby have a good look around the site and have a good think about it as a bloke in my church was commented "Christians aren't a bunch of weirdos that eat donuts" If you do live nearby please take the opportunity to go along.

Starting my my days off

While most people, this morning were crawling out their beds to face their second day of the week at work I was walking out of work with a smile on my face knowing that my working week is over.

The car was, yet again covered in ice despite it being the middle of April but nothing could put a downer on my morning, I was off home (eventually and thanks to Car Plan de-icer) to enjoy 4 days off.

I arrived home ten minutes later to be greeted by three boys, in possession of empty stomachs that required refilling shouting for their breakfasts, NOW! not when I had put my bag down, taken my coat off, put the kettle on and gone through the general motions of getting in the house, but now this minute.

3 minutes later the air was filled with the sound of contented munching and I was heading off to bed for few hours kip. I didn't want to sleep all day I always feel that, that is a complete waste of a day off but, I normally too knackered to anything really constructive with what remains of the day.

3 hours later I was awakened by the phone, my friend wanting some printing done and wanting to pick it up this evening.

This seemed a good point to get up, it was twelve o clock and I didn't want to waste a day off spending it in bed and I also needed to yet to the supermarket as my bread had turned to penicillin and the milk had turned to yogurt and the boys need more food.............

Oops!

I have been so busy titifating with my new blog I have lost track of time I have to leave for work in 30 minutes oops and I am still in my PJs oops!

Cold mornings, warm bed!

Crikes its cold this morning, middle of April and I am still coming out from work and having to stand in the freezing cold and de-ice my car! All I want to do after a busy night shift is go home not stand in the freezing cold, shivering and armed with an ice scraper. The Windows was so frozen they wouldn't even wind down.

After the short drive home, not even enough time to warm up it was in the house to be nagged by a man, well three men actually my gorgeous boys Thomas, Sparky and Prince Harry not that I actually live with royalty though they are treat as such the clue is in the name Sparky no self respecting human would ever be called Sparky they are in actual fact my three guinea pigs. Prince Harry is so named because of his bushy ginger hair and his strange habit of sitting with his nose in the air like some upper class toff. He also loves classical music.

Then it was into bed, my nice warm cozy bed to catch some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz................................................


In two weeks time I will be in Barcelona! Not sat here in my PJs waiting to work, I intend to put some clothes on before I go to work incidently.

I am in a lot of pain today in my shoulder, it is really realy hurting I am particularly concerned with the fact that my hand feels cold and is tingling, my suspicion is that i have caught the nerve yet again. I still have over 13 weeks to wait for my operation and right now that seems a long way off.

The strange thing is the pain seems worse now than before, I am convincved that it is purely psychological because before I thought it was something I had to live with, put up with and get on with now I know something can be be done I no longer have to cope with it and so I more concious of it. Strange that!

Finally congratualtions to all runners who completed the London Marathon, I wonder how Buster Martin did?