Mum still around, but now her swallow reflex has totally gone. She cannot form words, and even taking in liquids which have been thickened to a gel make her cough and choke. But she is still totally alert. I have no idea what we can do next.

It has been brought to my attention that I've not updated for ages. So I will very briefly now ( Read more... )

Oh my god the bloody Family Support Officer has just come back. She has just, I am not kidding, crouched down on the floor in front of me to 'come down to my level.' Where the hell does she get her training from? Wisely this time my mum remained asleep during her visit, and I was incredibly cheerful giving her no excuse to launch into full caring ( Read more... )

Having just ordered a jacket potato for mum's lunch, the doctor has taken me aside to tell me that they think my mum's swallowing reflex is too weak for any normal food and drink. So this means a) all food will need to be pureed b) she can't even drink normal things like water. The problem being that anything with bits in it, if she doesn't swallow ( Read more... )

The family support officer has just come around to ask how I am which has of course now made me sit here crying my eyes out in front of mum, which in turn upsets her. She then spoke in a very patronising way to my mum, saying things like 'oh, I bet you were full of life before this ( Read more... )

Yesterday, the nurses at the hospice refused to give my mum her medicine because she was sleeping, saying that it was not worth the risk in case she wasn't fully awake and choked. This despite the fact that one of her meds is vital antibiotics to combat a chest infection. Which also happens to taste rank ( Read more... )

So where have I got to now? Quite a bit has happened since my last post ( Read more... )

It's a Friday, so it must be bad news. That's the way it seems to be going at the moment ( Read more... )

Tabby was put to sleep this morning. It turned out, would you believe it, he had cancer. This had caused blood clots which is why his leg had stopped working, he wasn't hit by a car at all. He had more clots overnight which had entered other parts of the body, so nothing could be done. I was with him ( Read more... )

At 3pm I received a call from a Stevenage vets - Tabby had been brought in having been in some kind of accident (probably hit by a car). As I was on the phone his condition deteriorated. He's been taken to a hospital overnight, and it's very serious ( Read more... )