Bleugh!

[LadyA]

Tuesday morning William complained of a "rough" throat, and sounded a bit hoarse - so having been advised by the GP to bring him in if I even suspected anything, I brought him to the emergency clinic at the GP's practise. "Acute" throat & chest infection. So he has antibiotics since Tuesday morning. Tuesday night & Wednesday I honestly thought he was going to need hospital - every time he lay down, he started to choke he was bring up so much phlegm, coughing & spluttering! So I put a back-rest behind him and he sort of slept, sitting up leaning against the rest. He's gradually getting better, thankfully. This morning, I woke up with a sore throat which got more and more painful as the day wore on! This evening, we were back at the GP's for a pre-arranged appointment, so he could check William's feet & legs which are swelling over the course of the day - he's retaining fluid. I've had to get those non-constricting socks and extra wide shoes for him. Anyway, having checked William and prescribed diuretics for a trial period to see how they go with him, his GP turned to me and said "you sound like that throat hurts - let's have a look." And said that it is infected, and added a prescription for antibiotics for me to William's prescription. Nice man! Throat hurts like it has been scraped with razor blades though and I can hardly talk - which isn't great as William is very hard of hearing!!

To add to the joys of illness, yesterday I noticed our sewer pipe to the septic tank was blocked, so I spent time with drain rods clearing that. Then as I passed the septic tank and scum-trap to lock in my chickens for the night, I noticed that the scum-trap was overflowing!! I did manage to lift the concrete lid from that and emptied it out and cleared as much as I could (thinking happy thoughts of typhoid & cholera!) and thought that was that - and it was my own fault because with Wm steadily deteriorating the last 18 months or so, and I'd had a damaged shoulder (which never regained full use or power) - I hadn't cleaned out the scum trap for a couple of years at least, supposed to be done every six months or so!). However, tonight I found the darn thing is overflowing again, so it needs professionals called in! And of course, I did hurt my bad shoulder lifting the concrete cover yesterday, and now it seems I could've saved myself the trouble!

Moaning over, I'm off to bed, and I'm not going to worry about it until tomorrow! Night, all!

[creativesarah]

Oh bless what a **** day!

[LadyA]

Could've been worse I suppose! And it was very nice of William's GP to check my throat and give me a prescription. My own GP is in the same practise, but I wouldn't get a chance to get in to her, and Wm's doc knows that.

I'm just hoping the septic system doesn't need very expensive work! I'm telling myself that it surely couldn't - the tank was emptied in November, and it was fine then!

[chucky]

Hi Lady A maybe this will give you a laugh and lift your spirits. My friend stayed in a row of houses 5 in total, 3 doors down from me. It was hogmanay, a huge celebration in Glasgow and she had a party organised. The drain in her house was blocked and she was fretting over it being hogmanay and how would she be able to unblock it. Phoning round she found because of the time of year drain unblockers were going to cost a small fortune to come out right away. They eventually offered to come and have a look. When they arrived they said to unblock the drain would cost around £500. Once she picked herself of the floor she asked was there a cheaper way to do it, she was having a party and lots of people were due. Yes the man said, instead of unblocking from her drain, theyd blow air in the comunal drain in the car park and maybe that would shift the blockage at a cheaper £200. Hands shook, job agreed, blast away. I almost died laughing when she came tearing into my house shouting come and see this. Her house was COVERED, walls, windows etc with all manner of objects, sanitory towels, toilet paper of every colour and all manner of unmentionables. It was the funniest thing i'd ever seen. The men were gracious enough to waive the fee and drove off at high speed before she could catch them.

[Butter]

I remember exactly the same thing happening in our carpark at work - sewer exploded over all the cars. A Certain Drainage Company paid for all to take their cars to the car wash - and provided paper towels to open car doors with before we could drive off. At least noone had their windows open.

But - more seriously - it is very odd how, when you are struggling with difficult circumstances, something else difficult happens - often trivial in itself but a bit of a straw to the old camel's back

[LadyA]

A friend had said he would come and "have a look" this morning although he didn't know anything about septic systems - but he said at least he would be able to lift the cover off, and I might know what was wrong then! However, this morning as Wm was in the shower (and had trouble again getting out! And didn't call me, again! He couldn't find anything to hold on to while stepping out, and it didn't occur to him to fold back the screen which would have made it easier.) - anyway,as the water was running in the shower, it was merrily bubbling up through the trap outside! So I decided it was a job for the professionals, as they have the equipment needed to clean it out properly. So I'm here now waiting on a firm to come and do the job, and relieve me of €240 or thereabouts! I suspect the firm that cleaned out the tank in November didn't clean the scum trap - I was out there with them most of the time they were working, and I certainly don't remember them doing it. So the guy I spoke to this morning said that coming at short notice, and using the equipment to do the scum trap, the charge would have to be the same as doing the whole system, including the septic tank - so they will do the tank as well even though it was just done in November. May as well, he said, seeing as they are there, and charging me!

Am sitting here calmly waiting with a nice mug of Jasmine tea - proper, loose-leaf jasmine tea. Had a nice bit of a potter in town with Wm this morning in the sunshine. And my sore throat is much better. Phooey to problems - what will be will be.

[Butter]

I'd be drinking something a bit stronger ......

[LadyA]

I'd be drinking something a bit stronger ......

I don't drink anything stronger! Well, unless Oolong tea is counted - I drink that sometimes, and I think it has marginally more caffeine than green tea. It's sort of a halfway step between green tea and our regular black tea. Not what you would call a caffeine kick, but supposed to be very good for you.

Anyway - job done. The guy did a fantastic job - and found when he opened the septic tank the last guy had only half done it! He said the guy hadn't removed the, er, "solids" which is what really needs to be removed - well he had removed some (I know because when he was taking the pipes out, he had disgorged a pile of sludge all over my lawn and driveway!). Anyway, today's man removed everything, and jet-washed all the pipes & drains and the inside of the tank - you could have had a picnic inside the septic tank when he was done! And he didn't spill a single drop of yuk anywhere. And he said I shouldn't have any trouble with it until it needs emptying again - but it should be ideally emptied about every 3 to 4 years.

On the downside, I don't know if it's the diuretic William was put on yesterday or what, but he hasn't been doing so good this evening. Quite agitated and getting upset about innocent remarks that a couple of people made to him today. Of course, he is mis-hearing a lot and mis-interpreting, and his paranoid tendencies mean he always takes the worst possible interpretation from what he thinks he hears! Possibly, the hot weather is getting to him too, and the antibiotics for the infection we both have - I know I am exhausted with it all! Still, I'm keeping a firm eye on him!

[Butter]

I hope he is better this morning. But the heat changes everything and adapting is so much harder if we are ill or old.

At least you can keep flushing without anxiety now.

[LadyA]

We're not better - but we've actually had a lovely day! Wm was a church minister for 60 years, but the church he was with has changed, and it stresses him out now -but he has to go every Sunday! We only go for the Sermon now as he isn't able for the whole service anymore, and he had to give up preaching about two or three years ago. Anyway, this morning I woke with sneezes, sniffles etc. and he was coughing a lot in the night, so we decided to stay home. After relaxing about showers, leisurely breakfast etc. we decided to go buy a newspaper on the outskirts of town, about 8 miles away - and we found a tiny market going on! Wm loved it! We browsed the few stalls and he bought cake, organic apple juice and geraniums for the big pots flanking the front door, and I bought some venison sausage. He was so delighted with it - and it was lovely to stroll in the sunshine. Then we had a relaxed lunch (with the cake!) and he "helped" (i.e. watched me) me change the sheets on the bed, and then we went to the garden where he "helped" me use the hose to water the polytunnel, greenhouse, flowerbed and veg garden - again, he stood beside me and made encouraging noises. He's well pleased with himself and says it's the nicest Sunday we've had in ages. Nap time now. He's still coughing a lot though, a real wheezy cough. It might just be his asthma, which he gets every Summer, although his inhaler isn't relieving it much. Still, I'll see how he is when he's finished the antibiotic and if he's still coughing like this I'll bring him back to the Doc.

[Butter]

This gives us a picture of companionship which I hope is as sweet as it reads. Of course I also hope you are both on the mend .....

[LadyA]

This gives us a picture of companionship which I hope is as sweet as it reads. Of course I also hope you are both on the mend .....

In your dreams! Actually, these days, William is much nicer - horrible to say, when he is so far along in dementia! But for most of our marriage, he was such a controlling bully. He lived in so much fear of the "authorities" in his church, and his family always had to appear as the "perfect" church family with never a hint of a problem showing - dressed perfectly according to what his church would approve, etc. etc. And I would be instructed on what I could and couldn't talk to people about, and told that I laughed too much, and these people would think I was "frivolous" etc. etc. They are very sincere and mean well, but just try so terribly hard at the wrong things - things that are not important. They don't come visit him now, which I find rather bizarre, particularly as they have it scheduled in on their calendar of events each month that they go as a group to visit all the old folks in a local Care Home! I suppose that's part of their christian work, whereas with us, they are waiting for me to issue an invitation, rather than just popping in for ten minutes.

But anyway - as William's dementia progressed, he lost all his fear and hang-ups. He's much more relaxed about those things which don't matter, which has made for a much better relationship between us. Which is good, because tbh, if he had died suddenly anytime up to the last two years or so, all I would have felt was relief. Now, he will be honestly missed and grieved, because now his dementia has freed the real person inside all his hang-ups and we've realised that he actually is a very sweet and nice man.

[Butter]

well .... I am very sorry to hear you were laughing. I mean all proper people think twice before they laugh. I wonder if you have grown out of it or if your husband has grown into it.

Have you ever read 'Cranford'?

[LadyA]

well .... I am very sorry to hear you were laughing. I mean all proper people think twice before they laugh. I wonder if you have grown out of it or if your husband has grown into it.

Have you ever read 'Cranford'?

No - but I want to get the dvd for my "some day I will have time" collection! I have quite the collection - including the old tv series of Roots and several old Danny Kaye films and the original series of Upstairs Downstairs - none of which I've been able to watch! Maybe meanwhile I should get the book on my Kindle - it's free.