2022 and all that

Just called Dad and he has had a bad night. I think his cough is starting to wear him down and he’s getting stressed by the situation. I phoned the GP surgery again and they at last scheduled a telephone appointment with him. We’ve been asking for help since Friday. The GP was able to test his breathing remotely by asking him to hold his breathe and count. She was sympathetic and has prescribed some antiobiotics that I’ll pick up when the dispensary opens.

Haven’t any news of mum yet today but last night the nurses said she’d had a good day, was eating her tea and perky. She’s in good hands and Dad is the priority today.

Mum is OK. It’s proving difficult to wean her off oxygen and she’s a bit drowsy. But she sent her love to Dad and me and gave the nurse a thumbs up when asked how she was. She isn’t quite well enough to come home.

Despite his croaky voice, Dad had a better night’s sleep and the catarrh is starting to loosen in his chest. He’s surviving on max strength Lemsip. He phoned the GP surgery and was told there was no point in him talking to the doctor, given his lack of other more alarming symptoms. The GP surgery said that all decisions about their care will be taken by the hospital as and when necessary.

The weather’s not so nice but I’ve been walking loads. I’m able to stay well away from anyone else in the countryside. I go out twice, once for my permitted “daily exercise” with the dog and again to use my “helping the vulnerable” allowance in the early evening when I walk Chloe too. I hope we don’t get locked in more severely…

Lottie’s been doing yoga to keep in shape. This is her version of Downward Dog.

Haven’t done any on-line exercises yet, but there’s an amazing round-up of things to do in lockdown, especially for kids.

I’ll be spending my day working. I’m piggybacking off next door’s broadband while waiting for a router to replace the faulty one in the holiday cottage. I’m translating (from Italian into English) a summary of product characteristics (SPC) and package leaflet for chloroquine, a long-standing antimalarial drug now being used to treat covid-related pneumonia.

The portable second monitor I ordered to work more easily from my holiday cottage is too state-of-the-art (it has a USB-C port) to work with the Thunderbolt port on my MacBook Air. So I’m going to send it back and have ordered a refurbished iPad to work as my second screen instead. Haven’t had an iPad for ages so am looking forward to getting that tomorrow

I pass some beautiful houses on my walk. This is one of them, compete with lily pond.

Mum and dad update: mum doing fine but passed on the heart-rending message that she just wanted to go home to Ron. So frustrating that she doesn’t use a mobile because everything has to be relayed through the busy nurses. It would be so great to have a chat with her.

Just phoned Dad and he’d eaten breakfast and didn’t have a temperature, aches and pains or headache. He’d had a bad night, but marginally better than the night before. He sounds very croaky and his chest and stomach are aching from coughing. I’ll see him at the door later when I pick up Chloe for her walk.

The hospital are aware of Dad’s cough and tomorrow we should be able to get the GP into gear to manage the situation. I have emailed the surgery and we’ve told 111. Dad is not an emergency at the moment so not a priority for them.

In other news, the internet’s stopped working at my holiday cottage and I have bad dermatitis on my hands from all the sanitising. Oh, and the weather’s turned cold with a few flakes of snow blowing around.

Everything else is ok. I’m healthy. Am still able to dog walk for miles a day so making the most of it. And dad and I have plenty of food. I also have loads of work, which is a good diversion.

Thanks to friends and relatives for taking the time to read this to keep up with mum and dad’s news. I’m sorry I’m not responding to calls and texts, but as the sole point of contact it would be too much for me to do on my own as well as supporting them.

I know this has been a bit of a bleak post, but thought I was entitled to at least one offload 😉