The world of medicine

Raymond came back from the chemist’s with Vick’s First Defence which my cousin had recommended for colds.  I took a dose straightaway and then stayed awake long enough to be able to take a second dose.  I had a strange cold sweat throughout the night but Raymond suggested that this might have been the body’s reactions in trying to combat the infection.  I certainly feel a lot better this morning and started on the first dose of my tablet chemotherapy.

I feel I need a degree in chemistry to balance all these tablets.  Some have to be taken an hour before food, some with food, some after, some not in conjunction with milk, you name it there’s a caveat somewhere.  However, like all cancer sufferers, we learn to juggle the pill-taking and find a way of remembering what to take and when. 

Raymond has been preparing for the course which starts tomorrow.  We have a good variety of models this weekend and the weather is promising.  It will give Raymond a chance to be with new people and he enjoys teaching the students and seeing them make progress.

We have had very warm and sunny weather for the past few days and Raymond was actually out watering the plants in the front garden which is almost unheard of normally at this time of year.  The back garden is now looking less like a neglected wilderness and three trees which were dead have been taken down.  More trees grow which means the garden is constantly changing but also shrubs have been cut back and some of the holly removed to give those trees and shrubs we do want, a chance to flourish.  I am finding it a lot less stressful than when I had to look at the garden becoming seriously overgrown and knowing I could do nothing to improve things.

I shall ring up the hospital in a minute to find out how my mother is, what they have done and what they plan to do.  No doubt it will be a different story from yesterday but we may be able to see a pattern emerging.  Fortunately, she is not a nervous patient but it must be difficult for her as she is so deaf and not everyone takes the trouble to communicate with her properly.

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I have just had a phone call from the hospital.  They have decided not to do the endoscopy after all as my mother is not experiencing any pain.  They think it might be riskier to remove the stent at this time.  This decision has been arrived at after she has spent nearly a week in hospital!