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2008 - February 6th - Wednesday

JH first rang Renal Outpatients at the RLH to arrange her yearly follow up a few weeks early.  JH spoke to Staff Nurse Caroline Rolfe, who said that she would give the message to Ray.  On 7th February, JH received an email from Ray – to the effect that JH could certainly have an appointment for Thursday 1 May 2008, but that he did not know what time of day he (or his ‘stand in’) would be around but it would either be before lunch or after lunch: in any event, JH still assumes that she will see one of the surgical team at the afternoon clinic.  JH sent a reply to Ray which went into detail about Kathy’s postoperative tetany: JH had looked up postoperative tetany on her Athens Account, ie, a facility accessible by NHS Staff (or retired Staff) to search clinical databases, but only found information about postoperative tetany after thyroidectomy.  On 8th February, JH phoned JHH and spoke to Ruth who will book JH in to JHH for one night on Wednesday, 30 April 2008.

 
 
2008 - February 8th - Friday

JH and Mary went to see Hippo World Guest Book in the Drum Theatre: - www.theatreroyal.com - this one-man performance was a dramatised exposé of the entries in this website into which visitors were encouraged to leave comments but . . . no-one was moderating the Guest Book!  Needless to say – the fantastic performance, written and acted by Chris Goode - thoroughly entertained JH but not other members of the audience, judging from overheard remarks!

2008 - February 12th - Tuesday

Kathy phoned JH: the dates for the 2009 Millennium Reunion would not be in July, as in previous years, but in late August in order to coincide with her brother Bill’s 80th birthday on 24th August 2009.  Kathy also explained that they could not be accommodated at the Huntsman and Hounds in Althorne because the Landlord was possibly going to be out of business by then because of the drop in custom: the Law now prohibits smoking (since 1 October 2007) in public places.  Kathy hoped to find accommodation, with adequate parking/camping facilities, in Steeple Village {near Hipsey’s Cottage!}.  Kathy also asked JH if they could stay at Hippo Haven from 29 June 2009 for a few days; their friends from Cyprus, Bill and Ann, would be visiting Plymouth at that time.  [JH had already let Kathy know that JH’s follow up, and accommodation at JHH was all arranged.] 

JH also received a letter from Kathy together with a newspaper cutting about a new extension to the Kidney Unit being opened at Southend Hospital.  In the letter Kathy mentioned:- that she was feeling much better, her legs were not so big, and she was able to go for a swim; she had taken her internet mock exams; Ralph and she are concentrating on using their digital cameras – she won the cameras(!); she achieved her chaperone test with the County Council; the Co-ordinators for Rethink Good Companions visited her and she is now to be found the ‘right person’ whom she can befriend and take out for coffee – or the like; she had written to Edwin in Canada; that Ralph was ‘doing well’ with his appointments and hoping to have his knee operation in April. - www.rethink.org 
 
The Skinners have managed to get insurance for their trip to Cyprus in May.  Also JH received lots of reports about the well-being of all the members of the family.  Kathy finished her letter with ‘. . . must make myself beautiful for my public, as Ralph says, that will take a long time!’.  JH smiled cheerfully throughout reading this letter, and considered that this letter was a morale-booster for JH, herself!  Kathy also sent a leaflet about Good Companions Rethink, the befriending group for which she is now working.



 
 
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