Tuesday, February 13, 2007

progress

Uncle Phillip is making great progress, thank God.
Yesterdays visit and todays were really fabulous!
He is making much more sense now and is a lot less confused.
He does say the odd strange thing still but not as much as before.
He desperately wants to go home though,keeps saying he is so bored, but at least he realises he is in hospital now.
He can manage to get up from bed and into the chair next to the bed,which is much more than we expected at this stage. I think his natural stubborness has proved to be helpful!
He can read, tell the time and write.
I must say though that I am not impressed with the hospital, we have been told hardly anything and it is only through us trying to see if he could read and write that we know that he can. There are not enough staff and there has been an outbreak of a bug on the ward.
I have never agreed with private health care before but after seeing the state the hospitals are in now I would be very tempted to consider it in future.
The care on ICU was fabulous but just seems like this ward is a huge jump and not as caring really. Not entirely the hospitals fault, there must be a severe lack of funding, I have voted Labour all my life but don't think I will again, could never bring myself to vote Conservative though so maybe the Monster Raging Looney or whatever it is called will get my vote next!

Friday, February 09, 2007

snow

Well we have snow today,not sur if it will last till the morning though, hope so as I need those photos!

There is a bug on the hospital ward Uncle Phillip is on,hope he doesn't catch it, he really doesn't need something else to fight.

Must say that the level of care on this ward is very different to that on the ICU.
I had to ask a nurse tonight if they would make him more comfortable as he had slipped down the bed and wasn't propped up on any pillows at all and I was met with a sigh and that they had done it numerous times already. I suppose you could say it is Uncle Phillips fault as he thinks he can get out of bed and go home so as he tries to move he slips but its not as if he knows logically he can't get up.

Once we get him talking about something he is OK,I asked him about his last holiday in Las Vegas and he told us all about it but once his attention has gone he starts saying that he's going home. It's very very hard to se him like this.

I keep thinking of things we can take in for him to focus on,I think I'll get some holiday brochures of Las Vegas and see if they help and I've promised to bring him some Chocolate Orange as he likes that, I took him some biscuits tonight and he said they were junk LOL!

He does make us chuckle sometimes,he seems to have lost his tact as he says things like that nurse over there is a fat cow and look at that old codger over there.

We just want him back how he was.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

sigh

Bit down tonight after visiting.
Uncle Phillip looks normal but is confused,he can remember things from years ago but doesn't know where he is,he thinks he can get up and go to the pub.He wondered where we were going when we left when visiting finished.
He did read a get well card though and he could look at the clock and tell the time.
He is breathing unaided but his tracheotomy is capped incase they need it again so he still has to wear the big gloves,he asked my son Ali to take them off so Ali,bless him had to try to get them off but pretend he wasn't strong enough.
It's heart breaking to see him like this and I pray that he will return to how he was before in time because we just can't even think about him staying like he is now.

normal ward

Yesterday they moved Uncle Phillip out of ICU to a normal ward, that is amazing progress really.
I was shocked yesterday when it was said he will have to learn to walk again though, I hadn't thought about that side of things,I guess it's going to be a long recovery.
The visiting times are different in this ward so I will go and see him tonight.

We have snow here this morning,not lots thoughand it looks like it is going to vanish soon, hope we get some more,I need piccies of the kids in the snow!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

recovering

I was so happy tonight at visiting, Uncle Phillip has been moved from the highest dependency bit of ICU and when I walked in he was sat up in bed with his glasses on watching TV!!!

He has a valve in his tracheotomy so he can now speak to us and he sounds just the same. He recognises us but he is confused, he thought he was at work and then in the garden at one point.

I pray that it is just a case of time and that he won't remain confused, he would hate that.

Friday, February 02, 2007

realisation

After visiting Uncle Phillip tonight it hit me that he could remain as he is,we all hope and pray that he recovers to how he was before but the worst case is that this is as good as it gets.

He had big gloves on tonight because he pulled a tube out, we knew he would because since he came out of sedation he has been reaching for the tubes! He really doesn't like the gloves. My cousin and auntie spoke to the consultant today and he mentioned "diffuse" brain injury and I told my cousin not to go and look it up on the internet,of course, what do I do when I get home!

I found the Headway website and found this:


The Stages of the Family's Emotional Reaction

1. Shock, panic, denial, "Please God, let him live."
2. Relief, elation, denial, "He's going to be fine."
3. Hope, "He's still making progress, but it's slow."
4. Realisation, "He's not going to get back to his old self." Anger, depression, mourning.
5. Acceptance, recognition, "Our lives are now very different."

I just pray that we never have to get to number 4

overwhelmed

You know when you have so much to do that it all gets on to of you and you feel like dissapearing? That's how I feel right now.

I need to do stuff for the houses and thats all happenning all at the same time and it is doing my head in.

I wish I was a hedgehog and could hibernate for the winter.

Uncle Phillip is improving every day I think, he is not sedated anymore and we are told that it will take time for him to come round. I didn't cope very well when I visited him last night, he was more responsive, was moving his limbs and looking at us when we spoke to him. So that is good, but I think it ws upsetting to see him that way because he is so active,I can't explain really. We all just hope that there is no damage from the bleed on his brain caused by the fall and that he just needs time to recover.

It's just a bit mentally exhausting and everything else seems so trivial so isn't getting my full attention like it should.

If you have placed an order please bear with me if it is a little late, I'm doing my best.