Here we are, past Epiphany, and Dot still hasn’t recovered. This morning I persuaded her to go to the doctor’s. She managed to get an appointment with a nurse, who said she had a particular virus that was prevalent this winter and which was extremely persistent. Hopefully she will soon expel it from her system. She is better, but still has some quite alarming coughing fits. She is having blood tests.
This is not to say she has been confined to bed, or even to the house, though she hasn’t been out very much. Last Wednesday she fulfilled an appointment at a school (North Elmham) and survived, but it took a lot out of her.
The next day I drove to Coventry to visit Andrew and take him his Christmas presents. It was quite a pleasant day, and the drive was fairly straightforward, with the new A14/M6 junction cutting a few more minutes off the time. Andrew seemed down but improved as I spoke to him, and eventually we went out for a short drive and even shorter walk in Memorial Park, starting from Coat of Arms Bridge Road.
However I learned from the staff that he had been quite bad recently, doing a lot of screaming and swearing, and being verbally aggressive. Strangely they seemed to take this in their stride and seemed quite positive towards him. He is on antibiotics (possible UTI) and is having his medication adjusted, which can’t help. He didn’t seem as well physically, either, being short of breath and easily tired.
On the same day Phil was seeing a consultant about his back problem, which it seems may have been exacerbated by the operation. They are now having a meeting of all the doctors involved (spinal and Parkinsons) to try to sort out what the real problem is, and what they can do about it. This should happen within a fortnight. Phil is in a lot of pain and has been put on morphine.
Meanwhile, I have three friends being treated for breast cancer, another with a degenerative disease and yet another in a wheelchair with continuing back and leg problems that could prove fatal. At the other extreme I myself saw a doctor on Saturday because of my continuing problems with a spot above my upper lip, which had become torn and was full of blood. Oddly it vanished overnight on Thursday, but I went to the doctor anyway and am having an array of blood tests later this week.
Later on Saturday wise were visited by Fred and four members of his family: his son John and grandson Tom; his son-in-law Mark and his son Freddie. I think that’s right. Mark’s wife Katie has had a very hard time over Christmas, with meningitis and other infections, but seems to be recovering OK. The Fredmobile was parked in our drive while they went to watch Norwich City draw 2-2 with Southampton in the Cup, thanks to a last-minute header. They called in for tea and cakes afterwards, which was nice, then drove back to Banbury.
Yesterday more faces from the past: Nicholas and Heather Vesey called into church after the service with their children, Sam and Jessica. Dot wasn’t there because of her cough and tiredness, and Nicholas said he was sorry to have missed her. I had quite a long talk with Heather. Howard took the service, and because Eleanor had forgotten she was preaching, he did a meditation on Little Gidding, which I enjoyed very much.
This morning I went to Rob’s for a Paston Footprints meeting, which I found it hard to work up much enthusiasm for, partly because I was tired and arrived late following a long phone call with Carrie about the (unsatisfactory) work being done on the church hall. Still, Naomi is taking over as project manager, so things may be looking up.