Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Five days to B day.

I don't want to be another year older, I already feel 105.
I looked in the mirror today and I swear I saw wrinkles in my neck.
The BrickOutHouse has got some dire infection and his eyes are puffing up as though he's gone 3 rounds with Mike Tyson.
His girlfriend is back, upchuck.
Crap to online banking that has a glitch which Westpac did today but they let me put my money in without telling me. I'm glad I had 5 bags of odd silver coins that took the teller ages to put into official bank bags especially since she had the most godawful false nails in 'zombie grey' colour and couldn't pick up 5 cent pieces.
I had at least 3 great things to blog about and couldn't write a word. And I really wanted to tell you about the Great White Shark, you know those GW's that leap out of the water and this one landed in the research boat, all 16 or so feet of it, with teeth. The researchers kept it alive until another boat came and slung a rope round its tail to drag it back into the ocean. No go, so they dragged shark and boat back to harbour where they got another rope on the dorsal fin and finally dragged it off the boat. It promptly swam in the wrong direction and beached itself so another rope around the tail and it was towed out to sea (a long way) and let go. They needed a smaller shark or a bigger boat.
I have finally taken to porridge and it is good for dieting, a breakfast bowl of that and you never want to look at food all day or ever.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2, terrific, great, brilliant even watching jammed between a drink slurper and two popcorn munchers.
BooHissBoo to all the columnists who have written really rotten comments about the books and the author. Harry Potter doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is, all things to the fans and it will never win a Pulitzer or Nobel prize for literature so why the venom?
My right arm, left knee, left back muscle are healing nicely. Thanks to stupid nurse who jammed Ma's wheelchair in the door frame. I know it's heavy to push but I wasn't prepared for the feeling that I'd just shoved a Mac truck halfway to Sydney.
The little alzhiemer's bloke who likes to strangle grabbed another nurse last week. And made another escape to the wilds of Mentone.
And that brings me to what really pissed me off last week and this week and probably next week.
The lady in the bed opposite mum is dying but some members of the family will not accept this fact. They want her in hospital to have tests, they have been giving her drinks because her kidneys are shutting down, they make her sit up in bed because she might die lying down, ffs, she is dying but not peacefully. There is a time that you have to look death in the face and stand away, to stop chaining them to this earth. Yes, I know this will not sit right with a lot of people but I have had to give two "no resusitation order' for my father and three for my mother and for my son, I had to sign the papers to turn off life support. Reality is a bitch. So why is it my business, it's not but it is upsetting my mother who looks across at this every day. Even the last time Mum was ill at the home, she was firm about leaving her alone and not doing anything unnecessary except make her comfortable. Of course, Teflon Tessie made it through as always but I sat beside her quietly just for company. I just wish this family would think of others besides themselves. Okay enough mumbling and grumbling and imposing my views on the blogosphere. If you have a differing opinion, shove it where the sun don't shine.

I just loved Harry Potter, I might go again next cheap Tuesday.

15 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

I am with you about 1000% on the no resusitation thing. Signed it for my dad, ditto for my mum. Then fought with the rest of the family about why I had signed. Quality of life is a heap more important in my book than maintaining an existence. Sigh.
Hope the muscles damaged hauling the wheelchair heal soon. Or quicker than that.
Porridge is what my brain feels like at the moment - grey and stodgy. Eating it would feel like cannabilising myself.

Fen said...

I wish more people saw sense to organise DNR's before things got dire. My work in palliative care saw lots of families who pushed unnecessary medical interventions on dying patients, who were simply dying and needed nothing done. All they wanted was to be left in peace, not have to be poked and prodded.

River said...

Oh that poor woman being poked and prodded to sit up and drink, and it's sad that your mum has to see this over and over. Can the woman not speak up for herself? Is she too ill? My own parents knew they were going and we kids understood it too, there was just no point in trying to keep them alive. They both had cancer, and when they went, they were more than ready.
I hope the bruising and soreness gets better quicker than you hope, can you ease the soreness with hot water bottles?
I know I should see Harry Potter on the big screen, but I'm going to wait for the dvd instead. Then I can pause it when I have to go to the toilet. Can't do that in the cinema.
I love my porridge1 I've recently discovered rolled barley in my local health food shop and now add it to my rolled oats. Theporridge is so much creamier with them in it. And I'm definitely hungry again by lunchtime. Because I eat breakfast at 4.30-5am. Then do an aerobic walk to work, followed by 4 hours of weight lifting bags of groceries.

Helen said...

I LOVE porridge in the winter. I keep those sachets of instaporridge at work and bung one in the microwave when I get to work early and freezing. You have to be careful cooking it that way as it can explode all over the inside of the microwave if you're not careful and then you have your own mini Fukushima to clean up. A slurp of honey and then I eat it while I'm booting up the computer and responding to the first few cries for help of the day.

Anonymous said...

No neck wrinkles. You smudged something onto your glasses and they distorted the image. Porridge is so good for you, sustaining, and helps to lower cholesterol. Maybe I should try it.

What sane person wants to prolong someone's miserable existence. I read a while ago about the difference between the US private health system and the UK's public system. In the US, assuming you have private health insurance, they will prolong your miserable life with every effort they can make. In the UK, a quality of life judgement is made and at some point, you are left on your comforted own to let nature take its course. I hope Australia is like that too.

Mindy said...

Hope you and BOH are feeling better soon. Just did the rounds of swollen sore itchy eye myself. Turns out it was an allergic reaction - itch gave it away. Phenergen (antihistamine) did the job but it makes you sleepy. Or if it is something more like conjunctivitis tell him to get Clorsig from the chemist. Sorry I don't have any useless advice about the family of your Mum's roomate. I hope she manages to slip away quietly when they aren't there.

Jayne said...

Get BOH to turn up and leer through puffy eyes at the family of the dying old dear...they might flee for fear of catching his dreaded lurgy.
That's if he does drags the g/f along with him.

I love my porridge - don't boil it, plonk 1/3 of a cup of oats in a bowl, sprinkle with poison of choice (fruit,nuts,seeds) pour a cup of boiling hot water on top, place a plate over it for 10 mins, then drizzle honey and ginger and enjoy.

JahTeh said...

You're all on the payroll of the porridge companies.

Jayne, can't take the BOH anywhere near that poor woman's family, he's been wanting to have a go at them for ages.

Mindy, the Blackmores cold and flu tablets seem to be working. After working with chemicals for so long he has to be careful what chemicals he eats but I've been out and picked oranges and limes to squeeze. The GF is vegan and tries to convert him but it's a bit hard when he hates vegetables.

Andrew, I'm really trying to get used to it but it isn't growing on me. My French heritage predisposes me to croissants and baguettes with fruit spread, butter and lovely black coffee.
From what I've read about England, you're likely to be put in a broom cupboard and forgotten.

Helen, you need the energy for work, I'm sitting on my bum contemplating the universe. All I need are slabs of lovely thick wholegrain bread, no vegemite because of the salt but peanut butter is lo GI.
I've just read a new report that says obese people are impulsive and thin people plan and stick to diets. In other words, stick an icepick in my brain and re-wire my entire personality.

River, she is not able to speak coherently now, doesn't recognize mum anymore and is in pain. They're the type of family that will blame the nursing home when she does go. Twice I put in a report about her being left with mum where mum didn't have a bell to ring in case of trouble.
You have to see HP on the big screen and it's not a long movie. Besides it goes so fast you won't breathe let alone pee yourself.

Fen, my sister sees this all the time at Kingston and usually it's the family in guilty mode. But some of the doctors are just as bad, wanting them shipped over to Monash, tested then shipped back. The only thing she agrees with are antibiotics if it's the lungs, not to cure but to make breathing a little easier so they're not struggling.

EC, fortunately there's only the three of us as next of kin so we know what to do. Her twin sister and younger sister have learnt not to interfere.
Thank you for equating porridge with brains,something else I couldn't bear to eat.

R.H. said...

I'm witnessed for a while how the grey-haired school boys of medical science use people for training and experimentation. Lab rats. Presentations. You and the whole world would be shocked.
Porridge was the great turning point in my life. I ate it regularly in the Big House. It's funny how I feel an ownership of that place, terribly upset at it being knocked about. There goes my youth.

Well I'll tell you something and I'm not kidding, getting the plug pulled on you by people who don't want you to go is hard on them, but with me it'll never get that far, I've got a gun.

Frances said...

I was thinking "guilt", Jah Teh, before I read your sister's comment.
And the anti HP thing is just jealousy, isn't it?
It's good to see you back.

JahTeh said...

Frances, it's a bit like the rage about Dan Brown's book, "The Da Vinci Code' so I think it is a jealosy thing. The tall poppy syndrome, grow too much and get chopped down.

Robbert, for Heaven's sake if you shoot yourself, don't make it the head or the bullet will ricochet for a week without hitting anything.

R.H. said...

That's the thanks I get for being on topic.

JahTeh said...

I was just trying to be helpful and I hope you're an organ donor. Your intellect could be shared between several politicians. Just don't bequeath your musical talents to gangsta rap.

Elephant's Child said...

Happy Birthday for today or tomorrow. Wishing a great year for you.

Helen said...

Witchy, you are absolutely not sitting on your bum contemplating the universe. Ever since I've been reading this blog you've been constantly on the move with only public transport looking after your mum. I believe, or suspect, that you do a lot of chores that the BOH ought to share. That's work, yo.