Frazzled :-)

Firstly an update:  an MRI scan has shown that Dave has three hairline fractures in his sacrum which also indicates onset of osteoporosis, which is not uncommon in MS patients who are no longer fully mobile.

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My brain has turned to mush and there are moments in the day when I just cannot think straight.  However I have got to grips with the online banking, excel spread sheet and have made a revised budget, so go me!

As the days drag on the kids are struggling and yet despite that they are trying their best and sometimes we even manage to laugh at something funny.

I am not convinced that Dave is in the best place for his care.  It has taken the nursing staff virtually all week to time his morphine dose half an hour before the physios arrive and today they got it right but the physios did not turn up!  As a result he had been given a double dose of morphine that was not necessary :-( He will have no physio visits over the weekend so the next time he is given the opportunity to stand will be Monday, two weeks after the accident.  He managed to stand with a special frame yesterday for two minutes.

 I am really grateful for our NHS and appreciate that folk are working under extremely difficult circumstances but even so the lines of communication are poor. With this in mind it might mean the best place for him is in fact the Neuro rehab facility in Preston which is the same travel time from here to the current hospital, Lancaster. 

I'm really grateful for mum being here and as I type she is enjoying herself pottering in the garden, thank goodness someone is keeping the plants alive!  I'd hate for Dave to come home to a desert!!

Well I shall sign off, I have some friends popping over for a socially distanced chat and cup of tea in the garden.  Thanks to Dave's organising skills mum and I have Gardener's World to look forward to once the kids are in bed.

Thanks for reading and caring xx 

Sunday Ramblings

First of all an update regarding Dave - the CT scan detected a small fracture in the spine and his report was sent to the neurological surgical team for advice; there was a concern that there was compression on the nerves in the spinal cord.  Orthopaedics also checked the images and both teams were satisfied that the injury was not likely to cause any further damage to his spine.  As a result the physio team have been given the go ahead to get him moving but this is easier said than done, given the fact that there has been a slight worsening of the MS spasticity and spasms in his legs, so one problem is fighting against the other.  Despite this he is in good spirits and his sense of humour is very much intact!

Dave's mum returned home today, poor gal needs the rest but she will return on Tuesday evening.  Her presence here was much appreciated and  as a result we were able to sort out plants that needed potting on in the garden, we couldn't let all of Dave's hard earned effort go to waste.  We have also kept ourselves busy with the usual household tasks as well reading, crafting and playing card games.  When mum left this afternoon we attempted a jaunt to the seaside but it was heaving with people and ultimately not safe, despite this we enjoyed our Sunday drive and it was good to escape the four walls of home.  When we returned Pip set too and made a yummy batch of muffins, Ben finished sorting the tea and I had a much needed lie down on the sofa.  All things considered we are doing quite well in these strange times :-)

  Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers x

 Dave took this photo the day before his accident, the plants are now out of their pots and in the raised bed.

 The calm before the storm, a mug of tea, a to-do list and a bit o' quiet!  I treated Mum and I to a new mug, I love puffins hence this one and Mum chose a really lovely peacock - I reckon we have drunk gallons of tea this week!!

 Sharing a breakfast joke with Nanna and Wilbur :-)

 I let Pip loose with my camera!

Sunday Baking

We will drop off a muffin along with some other goodies to the hospital tomorrow.  We are not allowed to visit so I will leave a named bag at reception and the ward will collect the items when they have time.

Hospital Again

Only this time it is Dave's turn!  He fell really badly on Monday morning and by Tuesday evening was transferred to hospital.  It looks like he has damaged his coccyx and is currently unable to stand  - there are times when even the liquid morphine doesn't touch the pain.  In addition the damage has also exacerbated the MS spasms in his legs so the consultant has prescribed Baclofen which is an anti spasmodic to counteract this.  The physios are going to try and get him moving today but working passed a horrendous pain barrier is going to be tricky.  In short he won't be home until he can stand safely and that is anybody's guess at this stage.

Dave's Mum returned home on Monday after having spent the weekend with us and then promptly returned on Tuesday evening when everything went pear shaped!!  Her presence is much appreciated as both kids are finding it really difficult right now.  I too have a steep learning curve dealing with all the online banking and even working out how to download photos from my camera, edit in Picasa and then transfer onto the blog, but I did it and so here is a photo from the weekend when all was relatively serene at this end:

All Good

MaryGrace has made a really good recovery and has been discharged from the burns unit for the time being.  Kath has all the necessary items to maintain the healing process and apart from an upcoming Physio session on Monday, there are no further visits to Manchester for the time being.

As with the end of every home school year we have limped along to the finish line but have managed to keep things going despite the craziness of a pandemic and the usual life hassles at this end.  In between the desk work both kids have been involved in practical projects and have gained a lot of new knowledge and extra skills in the process.

Making a clay pot from the Stone Age history book

The clay dried quicker than expected and the end result was not as good as hoped for!

Earthworks Mad Science Zoom Session

  

Ben enlarging the letter box in preparation for the new one

 It was hard work cutting through the pvc door.

 Not too bad end result!

Filling the raised bed