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2008 - August 17th - Sunday

JH received an email from Kathy entitled ‘A Big Thankyou for being YOU’ - so JH replied by ‘return of post’!  JH was really pleased that Kathy was ‘Now managing time up and trying to get through my email’,  and ‘shall endevour (sic) to do a little walk or a little visit every day, to get my body moving.’ But ‘Still in dream world.’.  Anyway . . . JH replied – saying that she had, yesterday, worked in the Oxfam Book Shop with Mary; that she was off to Ford Park Cemetery’s Arts and Crafts Fair; and that she had taken delivery of a large wooden hippo which took three men to lift into her conservatory!


 

2008 - August 29th - Friday

JH received a copy of the delightful photo of Kathy and Ralph which had been printed in the Echo.  JH sent an email thanking the Skinners, and hoping that life was not too fraught, and that K was DRINKING THE WATER!  On 31st August, Kathy sent a reply saying that she was ‘. . . still very weak.  They are now doing tests on my stools as my bowel has not settled down yet. . . . Love Kathy and Nurse Ralph.’!

2008 - September 4th - Thursday

Kathy rang JH and we had a long chat:  Kathy explained that she was taking metronidazole [which JH explained is the pharmaceutical name for flagyl] for a month because she had Clostridium difficile in her stools, which would account for her having had diarrhoea since her last operation!  Kathy had already been told that she should lay-off the alcohol because it was so full of Calories, but JH said very loudly to K that she should on no account drink alcohol when taking flagyl, as she would feel very ill, but K had been warned by the Pharmacist.  [JH had already learnt by experience that one must take note of what the Pharmacist says; furthermore, labels on bottles of tablets which say ‘do not drink alcohol’ should be read!]

The main message JH received from Kathy’s phone call was about the Skinners’ plans to come down for the yearly stay in their apartment in Croyde bay – where JH had visited them in September 2006: they would be travelling down to North Devon on Saturday 13th September, and returning home on Saturday 20th September; they planned to relax after their journey the day after arriving, and to relax on the day before returning home; the would be ‘doing their own thing’ on Tuesday 16th September to celebrate their Wedding Anniversary; however, they planned to come down to Plymouth to visit JH on one of the other days; they would phone JH sometime on Sunday 14th September to finalise arrangements to meet.

Kathy was still feeling terrible, and so was out-of-sorts with everybody and everything.  She could not speak to her sister, because she found that, whatever sort of conversation she and Margaret had together, caused her to be upset – so she left Ralph to act as go-between.  As JH was still very sad to recollect that Kathy and Michelle had had their major disagreement at Christmas, it was JH who asked if K and M had been in touch with each other: they had not.  furthermore, Kathy said that Michelle and her family had moved, so Kathy had no idea were they were – how sad.  And then Kathy ‘went on’ about really hating the idea of having to go to the RLH ever again – insomuch as she said that she would never stay in again, but would travel to and fro each day: JH expressed concern about the responsibility for providing the services of a taxi driver resolving onto Ralph’s shoulders, but K said that she was driving herself on occasions; however, JH wondered if K would be well enough to drive – should she be required to be up at the RLH on a daily basis.  [JH is aware, herself, that sleeping in a bed in an acute surgical ward, has to be accepted as all ‘par to the course’ and not very relaxing!  But, on the other hand, whatever relaxing sleep might be had in one’s own bed might be disturbed by the anxieties of getting home late in the evening and having to get up and rush back in the morning.]

Kathy also reported, sadly, that Karen was not doing well following donating a kidney to her partner, Paul {in the Transplant Unit in Derriford – as explained by Paul’s Aunt when JH went to the Gathering at the Rock Hotel}.  However, on a more positive note Kathy did say that she had phoned JH’s Doctor’s Practice and given them all the information about herself: JH hopes that Kathy now has a record of her NHS number in her handbag.

As JH was most concerned at the thought that Kathy and Ralph would even think of coming all the way to Plymouth to met JH, JH phoned Hazel Barwise to see if some arrangement could be made with the Barwises to meet at Chez Barwise: JH spoke to Tom as Hazel was out; having explained ‘the whole story’ to Tom JH said she would follow-up her phone call with an explanatory email.  Throughout the ensuing week the Barwises and JH exchanged emails but, as Hazel is now working full time teaching to relieve an absent colleague, no arrangements were made for everyone to meet each other: in fact, JH had misunderstood Tom when he said that Hazel was doing a ‘relief shift’ at the School, and assumed that Hazel was doing a one-off session, whereas the colleague has actually had an operation on her foot, and will be away for 6/52.



 
 
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