Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Head hurts

Everything hurts especially when I cough which I've been doing since last week.
Sinus dripping like a tap, joint pain, headache and this is only a cold virus. I'll be getting the flu jab as soon as possible. Two nights of not sleeping didn't help. If I sat up, I coughed, If I tried lying down, I coughed and whistled. It sounded like rats had set up a nest in the lung.

It's been made worse by not being able to go anywhere near the Home and having to rely on other people to give me news. We nearly lost mother on Saturday night but once again she came through. I'd had  cancelled the little party on Saturday but a couple of friends went in. She was very hot, not the weather, and wet cloths for her head and a fan helped. Night nurse rang me about eight and her blood sugar was through the roof and Doc Marvin had ordered Insulin for her to stop it going to coma level.

Next morning she tells me it was 136, in which case I was talking to a corpse or she heard wrong. She then tells me she shouldn't have had a glass of lemonade but I find out from friends she'd had several glasses because she was so thirsty. Bingo! If I'd been there I would have realized she was having so much lemonade because water wasn't quenching her thirst, diabetes was acting up when it's been stable since she went to live there. That episode was due to infection and is still not settling down and Insulin is still in the mix. Doc Marvin arrived yesterday to check on her. They are always so surprised that he turns up, you'd think by now they should know and have all the paperwork up to date instead of getting a lecture and I wouldn't want a lecture from him.

So no pavlova for mother but joy, the lazy bitch in the kitchen had put her down for frankfurts for tea. Mother always has toasted sandwiches for tea, always. fortunately the tea lady came in and questioned the choice. It looks like I'm going to have to start going in at lunchtime to see that she's having at least one meal that's edible. Yesterday they served up curry, she never eats curry, ever, so she didn't eat and the BGL went up to 27.9 just before the Doc arrived. Today it was lovely chicken with potato and green vegetables because the part time chef was cooking.

I am barred from going in until Thursday when this damn virus should be almost gone. I would go tomorrow but I can't take the chance of her catching anything and I would be totally out of it by the time I made it back home. I haven't bothered taking my BGL either. The only thing that stopped the cough, momentarily, and the glass coated throat was taking water with honey dissolved in it. Sips of that while I talked on the phone was the only way I could talk. And I agree with Miss O'Dyne that one can live on toast very comfortably.
Computer is still powering down to dead stop but I'll keep going while I can.

7 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

Aaaargh.
And thank goodness for Doc Marvin. And your mother's incredible resilience.
Which she doesn't seem to have passed on to you. I do hope that you start to feel better soon.

Anonymous said...

Before her mother died, our neighbour's daughter put her mother's good health down to her excellent vegetarian diet and not being a tea and toast type person. Yet many survive on tea and toast to much older ages than when she died.

JahTeh said...

EC, this time she thought she was a goner but it was okay, she'd reached 84 but as usual she's still here, slightly nuttier.

Andrew, I still say it's attitude that keeps us going. I was strict vego but now you might call me flexitarian because I eat free range chicken, fish and eggs. It's hard work being a good vegetarian let alone a vegan. I'll go back to it when I have a less stressful life.

River said...

I hope you feel much better soon. What's wrong with that kitchen there? Serving meals they know your mum can't have? Surely they can read a scheduled menu. You shouldn't have to be keeping an eye on that all the time.
I hear on the news there is a new strain of flu going around.

Ann ODyne said...

Yes, what River said. Does this place have one of those framed Mission Statement things in the foyer eg "Our mission is to CARE"

There should be a sheet hanging in the Chuckwagon that says Bed 54 hates curry and always has toasties for tea. FFS.
God I wish I was full of drugs though. When my darling Nana was 86 (tall and slim) I used to plead with her to eat something better than toast! Now I do it too and look 86 so I wait for the 'slim'.
Hope Friday is benign for you both. x x

Davoh said...

mmm, hello, remain alive. no comment. Luv ya.

JahTeh said...

River, the flu season has started early this year but all I had was a cold and that was bad enough. I tell you I was quick off the mark with the knees together when a sneeze came.

Annie O, the lazy bitch in the kitchen doesn't care at all and for four years I have been telling them what mum can and can't and mustn't eat.
You're right about the toast, I have lived on it for the last fortnight with orange and cinnamon tea. And lemonade icy poles.

Davoh, my advice is stick to the outback, no germs unless the crap government is going to frack your backyard.