Soop's kitchen extension

Avons all over the place (or are they the same one?)

I don't know geography I thought the Don was Russian

Hope your DH recovering well Alea. Similar frustrating story for us on Tuesday. I've given up on 111 so I called 999 for my ill DH.They do an assessment in the home and make a decision about admission. We waited 4 hours for the ambulance which arrived just after 11 pm. They said definitely needed hospital and we were "blue lighted" to a different hospital from our nearest one, which had had to close some wards due to infection. He was admitted onto A&E and had various routine tests. It was likely he had sepsis so was started on two I.V antibiotics. I stayed with him until 4 in the cubicle with bright lights shining and lots of noise further along the corridor from a young man brought in by police. But the care and attention he received was excellent. The staff were doing their best to cope with extra admissions due to, we were told, two hospitals now not taking admissions because of infections. As he would now not go onto a ward till the morning I got a cab home.
DD2 came over the next day and we went in to see him on his ward. He was getting all the care he needed by friendly and upbeat, though very busy staff. He was very tired so we left after an hour or so. I went in on Thursday and finally got to see a doctor. DH much more cheerful now and I felt a lot happier. Yesterday he was discharged. We had to wait around for 3 hours while they did a discharge summary and for his take-out meds to be done. Those are the frustrating bits but the level of care is excellent. I know there will be worrying times ahead and we are mentally adjusting to it. I have been worried sick over these recent days and at other times too. As you know Alea, and many others, it's an emotional roller coaster. I have been forgetting things, and getting quite muddled about other things but I know it's stress. It's been good to come on here and read cheery posts for a bit of levity. DH is still asleep so I'm going to wake him with some nice "proper" coffee. My thoughts with everyone looking after and worrying about their OH.
Ps: Nice to see Pompa back!

Oh gosh, sorry. That's so long !

Heart going out to you Bellanonna - however, the FOUR HOUR wait for the ambulance could have resulted in a less happy outcome. That is out of order unless the rapid response paramedic was there sooner?
The rest of the waiting for discharge is a pure and simple buggeration and frequently down to pharmacy which seems to want people to stay in hospital. Sepsis has been much in the news recently and like stroke and cardiac arrest needs a prompt response so your 4 hour wait is frightening.
I am so glad for you that things seem to have turned out OK and I am sending you warmest possible thoughts. I hope you have had some proper coffee yourself?
PM me any time you need a rant!!

Okay! There is a Southend in Kintyre. anno I often visited Blackpool Sands near Dartmouth.

Good morning dear Kitcheners...Pompa it is a joy to have you with us in our kitchen...you've been missed. Stop faffing around and call in to see us more often - PLEASE. I love the image you've shared with us lot.

Alea You will now be very protective of the wee hedgehog camping in your garden. Lucky you. We've put the original tiny chalet (once a shelter for a certain cat) close to some thicket. I was secretly hoping that a hedgehog might move in. Possibly not, as it is still exposed.

Galen How about the Garry? There's a Glengarry somewhere in the Highlands.

<waves at Pompa> Welcome back!

Oh dear, so many more buggerating tribulations, of the NHS variety
I do hope everyone of you and yours are on the mend ??

Place names easily confuse me; there's a Chippenham in Wiltshire and Kent I believe, a Neston in Wiltshire and oop North and as for Anglesey Abbey - I had that on my list of places to visit when we plan our trip to Anglesey.... oops! ?

Several of the people I visit for my job (retiring in 1 week, yippee!) have been in hospital with sepsis yet I don't recall it ever being a diagnosis when I was nursing, most odd......

Bellanonna 4 hours is a horrendous wait for an ambulance. At least he was well cared for on arrival. He will appreciate home cooking and the peace and quiet of your own home.

Pompa where have you been lurking all of this time/ Nice to see you back home again with us lot.

Alea How is Grace? I worry about that tail of hers- does she still wear her lampshade? Please keep Grace well away from the hedgehog- that minx would take pleasure digging it out of its hidey hole and playing with it.

Bellanonna A four hour wait for an ambulance! A buggeration indeed. You must have felt utterly zapped by the time help arrived. Please do not apologise to us lot. We are here for you. You've had an awful experience to contend with. Thank goodness that your daughter is close enough to offer support. Your husband must feel relieved to be back where he belongs. Although the care he received in hospital was without question as good as it gets, he needs to be home in order to rest and recover. Good wishes winging their way from Kintyre. x

Alea Is your husband responding well to his medication. How is Grace? Is she well and truly on the mend?

Pompa. Where have you been hiding. Nice to hear from you again.

Soop you should know by now that as far as Galen is concerned there is only one Gary and she's keeping him all to herself .

Four hours is unacceptable waiting time for an ambulance! Dh is a voluntary Community First Responder for Whitchurch, so he gets called if there's a 999 call in the local area. He's trained to do basic medical measurements, assessments and oxygen. But at the moment he's not even allowed to give gas and air pain relief - although that may change soon. He looks on part of his job as just providing a calming presence and giving any extra help that the paramedic or ambulance crew need. His advice for any situation you're worried about is basically don't bother with 111, phone 999 straight away.

Bellanonna, what a disgraceful performance by the ambulance service. And what a relief that your husband is now on the mend, no thanks to them. I know I'd have been pacing the floor and chewing the carpet (OK, I know that's an impossible contortion) in your circumstances. All the best to OH for his recovery and to you for your shattered nerves.

Thank you so much to all for your kind comments. No Alea, rapid response only come if you are on their system. We no longer were, and it has to be reinstated by the GP. And thank you, too, for offer of PM rant, which I'll bear in mind. Mutual commiseration! Re the long wait for ambulance I felt almost guilty calling them so probably underplayed the symptoms. In fairness he was still breathing ! But he is 82 and this is about the 5th episode of UTI/sepsis since October. Anyway yes home now, we both enjoyed our coffee, and I will relax again !

Bellanonna don't for goodness sake feel guilty or play down symptoms!!! Believe me, they would much rather you called than run the risk of a real emergency developing.

Badenkate, I'm sure you're right. I think another time I won't hesitate, fortified also by the hospital doctor telling me to do just that. DH does have other medical problems, both renal and cardiac, so if I have to do it again I shall drop the guilt thing. Fingers crossed though that it won't be for a long time.

My heart goes out to you * Bellanonna. A 4 hour wait when a loved one is ill seems like a lifetime.

My husband fell off a ladder last summer , flat onto his back in the garden, I don't know how but he crawled indoors and called for me. I had to help him up despite knowing it wasn't the best thing as mobility issues meant I couldn't get down onto the floor to help.

I called 999 and they took over 2 hours to respond, although someone kept ringing me every 30 mins to see if ...and I quote 'He was still breathing '!!

It wasn't that long ago dialling 999 would have an ambulance with you in a heart beat. I cant help but wonder if they didn't have to deal with all the drunk youngsters and people who really dont need an ambulance if response times would be quicker.

I hope you husband enjoys his proper coffee, he sounds like a man after my own heart!!

pompa what a lovely photo !!

Bellanonna Feet up. You both need and deserve a restful afternoon.

Crafting Galen's Garry must be a special young man. I don't blame her for keeping his services all to herself.

Scotland v Italy rugby match looms. I'm girding my loins and preparing to yell my support. Oh...they really do deserve a win. Just don't get involved in any tackles that give the opposing team the advantage of a penalty.

Just popping in to say hi. Not doing anything special, but weather is nice. Any cake spare?

We had "rapid response" on more than one occasion (suspected stroke, within 10 minutes and also temperature spikes /rigours indicating probable sepsis both from 999 and 111 calls) and it seems such a good idea not to tie up a entire ambulance crew but be able to diagnose and act on that diagnosis.
I must have been lucky so far, or our ambulance service is very well staffed, but it is once you get to hospital that it can all slow down.
However, your DH and mine live to fight another day even if we are left like the proverbial limp rag!

I just don't know how you both do it although I do know of course there is no alternative. My own H just frustrates me with his questions all day long but we have no traumas either major or minor. Best wishes to you both and to your OH's.

I think the antibiotics are beginning to help, but the fact that he cannot use his left hand for balance or support is putting an extra strain on his back and I have heard him exclaim with pain on more than one occasion! However, the inflammation does not seem to be spreading which is the main thing as that would show that he was unable to fight the infection.
Tiggywinkle has a sachet of cat food in a little plastic pot close by his/her nest and I have put an upturned shallow plastic planter held up on empty flower pots to let air in (and access out of) on top of the grasses. I hope this will keep Grace off and Tiggy warm at night but still ventilated.

Do you see what I don't see? The lampshade is still on at night but I am trying leaving it off today. ?

Scotland 36, Italy 20. At times I hardly dared to watch but they finished it off brilliantly. time.

anno WHAT A GAME! I was almost delirious by the time the whistle blew. I am thrilled for the team. A very well deserved win.

Alea Well done. I truly admire your ability to keep positive. I'm hoping that you and your husband enjoy a peaceful evening.
Grace appears to be in the best place in the house. She is a beautiful girl.

For the second time this week, I've nasty stabbing pains in my tummy. I cannot venture too far from the bathroom. There was no chance of a walk this morning, 'though the weather here in bonnie Kintyre is tip-top.