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2008 - June 19th - Thursday

KATHY’S AND JH’S FIRST ANNIVERSARY!

JH WENT TO THE MEDICAL PHYSICS DEPARTMENT FOR HER BONE DENSITY SCAN.  JH had been very pleased to receive a phone call from the Derriford Hospital earlier in the week offering her an appointment for 1.30pm today – and she subsequently received an appointment letter through the post, together with a leaflet, compiled by the Osteoporosis Society, about bone density scans: the leaflet had a very amusing drawing of a dancing skeleton on the front! - www.nos.org.uk


 

JH was recognised by one of the Radiographers, who had worked in the X-ray Department at Freedom Fields Hospital when JH was working in the Special Care Baby Unit.  Gerry and JH had a nostalgic chat about all the people we knew, which included JH’s recollection of selling draw tickets on behalf of Fran Doel, the Enrolled Nurse in the Maternity Department who had been an activist in the campaign to raise cash to obtain a bone density scanner for the Hospital. 


 

2008 - June 20th - Friday

JH received a telecom from Kathy.  JH had actually rung up on Wednesday 19th June and left a message on the Skinners answerphone, as she assumed that they had travelled back from Cyprus on Monday 16th June.  JH was pleased to hear from Kathy: things had not gone entirely smoothly on their trip; Kathy had ended up in the hospital in Cyprus with a urinary infection; she had been scanned, and was told that there was a cyst by HER kidney, which was probably the ‘reservoir’ (JH) of her repeated infections.  She was actually given a strong talking-to about the necessity for her to lose weight – and so she plans to join Slimming World again; furthermore . . . she has been told not to drink any alcohol at all – in particular because of all the calories alcohol contains!  She had only been swimming once in the sea, and twice in the indoor pool, and still always felt so exhausted.  She and Ralph got back home in the early hours of Tuesday 17th.
 
Kathy already had an appointment at the RLH on Wednesday June 18th: she had another scan to reconfirm the findings in Cyprus, and was admitted to Paulin Ward overnight with a view to having the cyst aspirated on the following day.  She was prepped and starved, but when the Registrar, Zia Choudry, came round with all the entourage, it was decided – after all – to NOT aspirate the cyst which, in actual fact, the Clinicians in the RLH had already seen on scans in November 2007.  At that time, and now, the feeling was that a needle aspiration should not be carried out, as it would increase the risk of infection [presumably over and above Kathy’s present level of repeated UTIs].  Kathy admitted to getting very fed-up with it all, and when she spoke to JH said that she was just writing a letter of apology to Mr Choudry – because she just walked out of the Ward!  In the meanwhile, of course, Ralph was getting all het-up because of all the trips to and fro the RLH, and his anxiety about Kathy.

Anyway . . . K and JH then had positive talks about the Skinners’ trip to Chez JH commencing on Sunday 29th June.  Kathy said that they hoped to set out as early as possible – say about 10.00am; she thought the journey would take about 7 hours which would, of course, include a stop in a leisurely fashion for something to eat – so they would anticipate arriving at Chez JH at about 5.00pm.  They had arranged to meet Ann and Bill (NB friends from Cyprus) on Wednesday 2nd July at the Rock Hotel in Yelverton, and would decide, during their visit, as to whether they would return home on the Thursday or Friday following.

JH told Kathy that she had:- ordered the Daily Mail to be delivered to Chez JH for the whole week commencing Monday 30th June; found out the telephone numbers to ring about booking the use of a mobility scooter in Plymouth City Centre; and had been told that Kathy could get into Tinside Lido FREE - provided she brought along some sort of evidence that she is registered disabled with her own Local Authority.  JH asked Kathy to give JH’s love to Ralph – and a big hug; JH had observed how wound-up he could get, which is hardly surprising, but he will always be there for Kathy!

Kathy and JH also recapped about Thursday, June 19th – the year’s anniversary to the day of our trips to the Operating Theatre.  JH added that she had thought of this, when she was in the Medical Physics Department on Thursday, having her bone density scan.  JH received a confirmatory email from Kathy and, shortly afterwards, another email telling JH that they had been asked to call into a garden party on their way down to Plymouth so would probably take more than 7 hours for the journey. 




 
 
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