A Little Bit Of This And That! (And in some cases, 'Little' being the operative word.)

(Wednesday)I've been for my appointment with the counselling lady at Macmillan at Milton Keynes Hospital. The appointment was at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon. It's no more than a 10-15 minute walk away, which is fortunate as if you go in the car you only have the annoyance of finding a parking space. I notice that they are well on the way to completing the new cancer care unit which is being built on what was the staff carpark. It is supposed to be opening at the end of 2019. I remember when Carol was in one of the wards at the hospital we could see workmen staring work on I think what turned out to be the multi-storey carpark for the staff, so, thinking about it now, it was obvious that they would need to build that before starting work on the cancer centre, otherwise there would be nowhere for the staff to park. The structure is covered in pink, I don't know what it is, but one hopes it won't remain pink, probably a layer for insulation before the other surface is put in position over it.

Thursday. Phil and Robert came back this morning. They've done a really amazing job. The grass now looks a little more like a lawn (but not quite.) Phil managed to get the mower on it and take off the cut grass, which I think is the main problem. The little electric mower we have, a rotary job, really struggled to even touch the long grass and we never used a collection box, so the loose grass which was cut and left only added to the problems. The front looks even better, with the flower bed dug over and the grass and weeds remove and also the grass which was springing up on he parking space is gone and looks very neat and tidy.

I went to the Oaktree Centre for another session of The Church Course. This one on the history of the church. I now know who was there to help me when I collapsed when I had my heart attack in September. Just grateful for him and others who dealt with things the way they did, had First Aid experience and managed to make sure I didn't get injured when I collapsed on the floor. The lady who dealt so amazingly that morning works in the intensive care unit at Milton Keynes Hospital, so I know I was in good hands. Another good reason to support staff who work for the N.H.S. and the brilliant work they do.

Had a letter from Pension Credit. It was just reiterating what went into the application and no word about how much I'm likely to get. I have an appointment with AgeUK on Thursday regarding what other benefits I can claim and if they can help in any way to help me find alternative accommodation. As the landlord seems incapable of maintaining this house, then I'd much rather move to somewhere smaller and with lower rent, if that is at all possible. Just causing me further stress. The medication I was given by the doctor on Tuesday is going to run out on Sunday. So this means I will have to get a further appointment on Monday morning, along with all the stress that causes.

Friday. My friend Nick, who lived in the same house as me in Rutland Road in Bedford around 16 years ago, had texted me to say he could meet up with me in Milton Keynes today. He now lives in Northampton and came by bus as he has a free bus pass. We were going to meet at Starbucks, but which branch, as there are two in Milton Keynes, one in the main shopping centre and the other in Midsummer Place, the newer section. I got to the shopping centre and parked where I usually park and then  walked in and sat and waited outside Starbucks. We were scheduled to meet at 11a.m.

Saturday. Bright and sunny again this morning. Alfie and I were out walking around Eaglestone Park by around 6.10 and back before 6.30. No point lazing around in bed when it's such a lovely day. I say a group of squirrels playing around a tree as we walked along the path near the shop. Alfie didn't see them. I don't think he can see that well because he's so low to the ground. Funny this, because if he sees them in the garden he goes mad and barks, but out in the park, then he doesn't take any notice. Generally his eyesight is fine, particularly when it's seeing off pussycats!

I don't hang about. Why waste time in bed on a warm and sunny day, although as I write this at 8.45a.m, it's become a bit overcast and a bit dull, I've been to put credit on both the gas and electric meters, going to the local shop to do this. Then I drove to Aldi at Bradwall Common and was in and out of there in barely 20 minutes and then home to put everything away and now sitting here drawing breath. Alfie fussing to be given a treat out of the bag that sits on the bookshelf.

I went to the Oaktree Centre a little after 10 o'clock because there was a car-boot sale on. Fortunately it wasn't too hot. I had a bit of a wander round but nothing took my fancy. I was impressed by he vintage car that one of the church regulars had bought along, a Ford. It's in amazing condition. It must have taken ages to restore it to near-perfect condition. It reminds me of the cars that were used when I worked on the BBC television series 'Campion,' which starred Brian Glover and Peter Davidson. I was one of the villain's henchmen. Yes, I know, me as a baddie? Not brilliant casting, but good fun. I think I've described in fair detail how it went. A really hot day, if I remember rightly.

I got home and there was a pile of mail waiting on the doormat. One, a fairly thick manilla envelope, the sort that screams 'government department,' either H.M.S.O., or Dept of Work and Pensions (which is what it was from.) informing me that they had calculated how much Pension Credit I should get. Go on, shall I tell you? The princely sum of £7 per week. Hardly going to help pay my rent. They tell me that I'm being paid too much, including my pension and what I get from Carol's Teachers' pension. So, what shall I spend that on? A couple of packets of biscuits, teabags, washing-up liquid. I know I shouldn't complain, but the length of time it's taken to sort out and all he stress, it's hardly worth the effort to apply and just think of the cost in administration. Seems to me that it's one step forward and several back.

The meds the doctor gave me last Tuesday will run out tonight when I take the final one. So it means I will have to ring the surgery tomorrow to get a repeat or at least another similar medication. Just more annoyance and stress . . .

Mixed Weather

(Tues) I Went out with Alfie across Eaglestone Park. It was surprisingly foggy.  It was the first time I've actually seen someone leaving their house for work.  So, there are people out there! Perhaps it's because we went out a bit later than usual. It always seems very quiet and people-free. No word of 'good morning' or anything. Don't people speak to one another any more? Are they totally obsessed by social media. Older people tend to speak to you, but the younger generation  seem to have lost the power of speech. It's rather sad.

We walked a good deal further the we usually do this morning (Wednesday). Walking along the Redway a bicycle came up behind me and I was somewhat taken by surprise. The rider did at least stop. I could hear something behind me and managed to look round, but most just speed past and I doubt many would stop to let you get out of the way. This one had headphones on so I doubt he could hear. It's surely dangerous to ride a bicyle with those things clamped over your ears. Probably work with Bluetooth to connect to a phone or other device, but having cables connected would possibly get caught round parts of bicycle. But, in all honesty, it's crazy when you can't hear other people or vehicles. Are people mad or what, walking about with their mobiles in front of their faces and these ridiculous headphones clamped over their ears? No sense of danger at all it would seem.

Some low-lying mist hanging over the grassy areas of Eaglestone Park. Giving a somewhat mysterious look to the whole surroundings.

I had a meeting with Alison, yesterday morning(Tuesday) who is the financial caseworker from C.A.B. (Citizens Advice Bureau) who works for Macmillan. She helped me and Carol set up the benefits we received when Carol was originally diagnosed, which included Housing Benefit (which we organised ourselves) as well as the P.I.P. (personal Income Payment) as well as E.S.A. (Employment Support Allowance). The Housing Benefit stopped when Carol died so I had to go into the council office and reapply. It was set up relatively quickly but for some reason it doesn't completely cover rent on this house. Alison said that there was no reason why I shouldn't get what they call a discretionary payment to pay the whole amount, so I went into the council offices this morning. Unfortunately they don't handle housing benefit on a Wednesday, so it means I'll have to return tomorrow morning. I'll make sure that I get there early enough so I don't end up waiting two or more hours as I did last time. Just annoying, but there's not much I can do about it so will just have to be patient.

It's a good deal milder today. As I mentioned, there as a certain amount of mist and fog when I went out with Alfie earlier. I had the central heating on when I got up but by the time I got back fro town the house was really warm. The sun has been out and there was no point in keeping the heating on, so I turned it off. There seemed no sense in wasting gas by having the central heating on. Remarkably mild, considering it it early February. One might even be able to think it was spring-like.

Carol Having Surgery . . . Or Possibly Not

Carol has been visited by a whole range of different people during Thursday whilst I was with her. She has continued to be in a great deal of pain and for me it's really difficult to see her struggle with this horrible thing and not be able to do anything to help. During the afternoon she was visited by the palliative care team who are involved in managing the pain. Then some of the doctors came and did an examination and decided that some of the pain is due to an abscess that would need surgery to drain to relieve the pain it is causing. In very quick succession, barely 20 minutes or so, a surgeon came to see her to discuss this and it was decided that a further scan would be needed to be able to see how things are shaping which should help the surgeon. We were expecting the scan to be during the time I was with her, but, having been on the ward since 10 o'clock I had to leave at around 2.15. Unfortunately I need to get some rest. Carol was concerned that the scan (not exactly sure whether it's a C.T. scan or M.R.I scan.) would mean she would be in a lot of pain because of laying on the bed they use for this procedure, although the doctor in charge of her pain said that they would give her extra medication to help relieve this, but it would be no use if they didn't know more or less exactly when the scan would be because it takes at least 20-30 minutes before the medication takes effect. 

The surgeon came back with the paperwork for consent to the surgery and this was duly signed by Carol and he discussed further the procedure that would be involved. As I write this (7.35a.m) we're not entirely sure what time the operation will be, but apparently after 8a.m. So I'm not sure exactly what time she's likely to be back from the  operating theatre and, no doubt, awake after the anaesthetic. As a result I will have to contact the ward to discover all this or to get them to telephone me when she's back on the ward.

Anyway, I still managed to take Alfie out for his usual walk (well, it's a walk for me, but more like a trot for him, whilst all of the time he's yapping excitedly.) Yesterday we didn't go, because I just didn't feel 100%. Just one of those days, unfortunately. Nothing bad, just that some mornings my medication can make me feel queasy. A surprisingly mild morning. Eaglestone Park looking more than ever autumnal. The days are beginning to draw in and it's getting dark earlier and the mornings darker, longer. If Alfie had his way he'd be going out in the dark, but it wouldn't be such a good idea, so going out at around 7.15 is a good deal more sense.

Later. 8.50a.m. Carol has now texted me and apparently she's not having the operation. No doubt they've looked at the scans and decided against operating to drain the abscess. Not sure at the moment exactly what's going on and probably won't know until I go into the ward a bit later this morning. All a bit up in the air, as you might expect.

Later still. It's now almost 3 o'clock and I'm back home from being with Carol for most of the day. She appeared to be much brighter than over the past couple of days. We can't quite understand what happened regarding the surgery which had been planned over the last 24 hours. Infact, Carol hadn't eaten since early yesterday because of the expected surgery. She had a  C.T. scan late yesterday evening and I presume the surgeons looked at the results and decided that surgery was unnecessary and wouldn't benefit Carol. They say an abscess didn't show up on the scan. So, I don't know what to make of this. What surprises me is that none of the nursing staff on Ward 19 were aware that the operation had been postponed. It seems there is a communication problem between the nurses and the doctors. Which is crazy, considering it is them who have to deliver the care to their patients on the ward. The pain doctor had prescribed stronger pain relief medication but this will take several days to arrive from the hospital pharmacy, and it is likely that Carol won't get this until probably Monday at the earliest. Which makes it seem rather pointless if they can't get it to her quicker. Just another problem that needs to be ironed out and I can now see why the N.H.S. has so many problems if these sorts of situations arise.

So, amidst all this, no nearer to having Carol discharged from hospital at the moment, unfortunately, but there's no point her coming home until they've got on top of the pain and to be hones, being in hospital is the best place at the moment.

Later still. About 8.30 this evening Carol rang. She said that Dr Saka, the Oncology consultant, arrived on the ward. It seemed quite late, but he is an incredibly busy man and no doubt found it difficult to fit in all his patients, but his office is just below Ward 19, within the Macmillan unit. He will be coming back between 11 and around 3 on Tuesday so I want to make sure I'm there when he comes.

Ward 19 seems very noisy. Not just the patients, but the staff seem to make an incredible amount of noise. There is a door immediately outside Carol's room and each time someone goes through it, it makes a slamming sound. Also, a female domestic was cleaning one of the bathrooms or toilets close by and dropping the toilet seat repeatedly, getting really annoying. Then an elderly patient was walking up and down the ward using a Zimmer frame to walk with and it was making a dragging sound as if the wheels hadn't been oiled in years or the brakes were still on (not that the wheels on a Zimmer frame have brakes, but it seemed like they were locked firmly) Anyway, you would think that a ward would be a quiet and peaceful place where you could rest and recuperate, well, that's what I imagine it would be like. If I remember correctly when I had my first heart attack in 2006 and I was on the C.C.U. (Coronary Care Unit) at Bedford Hospital, I'm almost certain they had at least an hour's quiet. Not that it's ever quiet on any hospital ward, what with staff coming and going and new patients being moved in and out.

Even later. Carol rang me on my mobile at home. She told me that Doctor Saka came to see her on the ward. at around 7 o'clock. She asked him about the new chemotherapy treatment which can't proceed until her current situation is under control, the infection, which is being treated with antibiotics as well as the intense pain. He told her the cancer can be treated successfully and that he would be back to see us both on Tuesday between 11a.m and 2p.m., so I will make sure that I am on the ward when he arrives.

The Waiting Game Continues . . .

I've just returned from taking Alfie out for his morning trot across Eaglestone Park. I wasn't going to take him, having first peered out of the window. A somewhat gloomy and over-cast sort of day on the weather-front, which was really enough to put me off going out, but he hasn't been out since Wednesday. He follows me around the house and when I get dressed in the bedroom he's got that expectant look he has when he thinks he's going out. It is a bit unfair on him, being left alone in the house when I got to the hospital to see Carol. He must have wondered where on earth I was the Sunday I had my heart attack and didn't come home. Then Carol keeps on disappearing and he must miss her. He usually sleeps on my bed, but over the past week and a bit he's been sleeping on the sofa or he goes into his bed in the kitchen. Must be totally confused, poor little dog.

Anyway, we got out of the house and into the main part of the park where I usually let him off his lead. We did the full circuit, until we came across a man walking a whippet, which was looking somewhat nervous. Alfie bounds up to the poor thing and just wants to be friends, as usual, but the poor dog wasn't interested. I had to quickly put Alfie back on his lead. I apologised to the dog's owner and walked on. 

I could feel spots of rain. It was over-cast, but the sun was making a very weak attempt to come through. It's a good deal colder than the past couple of days. If it was attempting to rain, it wasn't making much of an effort.

I'm concerned about the amount of pain Carol is experiencing. The pain management team are working on getting this under control with various strengths and concoctions of drugs at their disposal, but all this is pointless if, when Carol asks for pain relief, the nursing staff don't act quickly to administer it, or if they do, it isn't always the correct dosage. This really needs to be sorted out. I just hope that today she's feeling a little more comfortable. She now has a special air mattress which is to help relieve this discomfort. It is plugged into the mains supply and sometimes automatically adjusts itself by filling up with air. Quite intriguing how it works.

Later. The weather has held off for most of the day. Any rain didn't eventually fall and the sun has been shining, although rather weekly.

We were hoping that Carol's consultant, Dr Saka, was going to visit her on the ward. He came last Friday, but only after I'd gone home. He wanted me to be with Carol when he told us what the next stage of her treatment was going to be. Apparently he came around 4.30, but to be honest I couldn't wait much longer as I was gradually falling asleep. Carol had quite a few visits, including her manager at the Academy, Kevin, who hasn't visited before. She was quite tearful. She so misses her job. He was being really lovely, he's a good man and it's obvious that he thinks a lot of her. He should do, she's a brilliant and highly respected teacher. They talked about how things were doing at the Academy. A lot of changes, staff leaving and new science laboratories now built and opened. Then Sarah, who is one of the hospital chaplains, turned up. We've had several visits from her, and then Dr Ben came in (I'm not sure of his surname) who is part of the palliative care team and he deals with pain management. He was being shadowed by a lady who I presume is going to work in his team, finding her way around the hospital, which must be quite a challenge as it's all corridors, many of them long and it's like being in a sort of maze if you don't know where you're going.

By 4.30 it was quite obvious that Dr Saka wasn't going to appear, so I collected my bits and pieces together, such as they were and bade Carol farewell and left for home. Let's hope we get something from the Oncology Department or Macmillan early next week or that Dr Saka does list Carol on Ward 19.

Something which sparked my sense of humour (if you can call it humorous, which some might not, but anyway, my sense of irony.). Walking about the hospital, as I do because of visiting Carol in Ward 19, I see lots of those yellow, plastic signs, usually triangular in shape, which are put down when the floor is being cleaned and is likely to become wet, or when there is a leak. They usually have wording printed on them, such as 'Beware, wet floor,' or 'Trip hazard,' or 'caution: Wet floor,' or words to that effect. Well, they are a good idea, to protect you from slipping over and damaging yourself. But then, why do they put these yellow signs up directly in the way, where you can trip over them, say, in the middle of a door-way, usually leading to a toilet, so you come through the said door and -trip over it, making the thing even more dangerous than the hazard they are supposed to be warning you about?

Not The Best News

Alfie was quite insistent that he was going to be taken out for an early-morning walk. I got up as usual and he was sitting on the sofa watching me like a hawk, following me around the house, staring  at me and it was quite clear what his game was. He wouldn't let me off the hook, so I had no real choice but to put on my jacket and shoes and then connect his lead to his harness and then go out the front door. I haven't been on a long walk since my heart attack, so I walked relatively slowly as I did have a vague feeling of an angina attack, but nothing more. I even took my mobile with me, just in case. Eaglestone Park is beginning to show real signs of autumn. I also had my G.T.N. spray in my jacket pocket.

I had to do some shopping early, so I went to Sainsbury's, going at around 8.40 and avoiding traffic as well as dawdling shoppers which you tend to get on a Saturday morning. A few items as I'm having to make myself a meal of some sort with Carol in hospital at the moment. A few odds-and-ends to stock up on, those things that having a bit of running out when you least expect it.

Once I'd returned home I put the food items away, some in the fridge, as I didn't fancy the idea of them sitting in the back of the car when I parked at the hospital. It was around 10 o'clock when I eventually drove into the hospital campus and drove around to the ground-level carpark near Cardiology. I think we're becoming extremely familiar with the layout of the hospital of the last year or so and I've discovered where exactly Ward 2 is in relation to, say, the Macmillan unit as well as Oncology and Cardiology (which is handily just opposite Oncology.) You can see the windows of the ward as you walk through the courtyard on your way through and Ward 22, where Carol was a couple of weeks ago, can be seen through the window of Ward 2.

Carol had a visit from Doctor Saka, the cancer consultant with whom she was supposed to have had an appointment yesterday morning (Friday.) Unfortunately I wasn't with her when he came to the ward. We've now learned that the tumour has increased in size unfortunately, as shown on the recent scans. The plan is for her to have 6 months of more chemotherapy, but a more intense treatment which will leave her with no hair as well as possibly making her feel quite sick. Not something we are looking forward to. We were expecting her to have radiotherapy at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, but none of this can be started until the pain she is experiencing is under control. But we know we can get through this, however difficult it turns out to be. Me having my recent heart attack hasn't exactly helped matters. I am feeling fine, apart from the occasionally twinge. I have become very aware of my heart-rate when I'm lying down and I can feel quite nauseous at times, which is as a result of the medication, also, feeling a little bit light-headed, but all in all I'm not feeling too bad, perhaps getting tired easily, but if I rest it makes things easier. Just something I have to live with, and, anyway, I went through similar things after my first heart attack in 2006.

Ward 2 is a short-stay ward. During the afternoon Carol was asked if she would like to move to a side-room? Her answer was that she would love to get away from the noise of the ward. There are a couple of elderly ladies who make a lot of noise in the night, and one was moved to a side-room because of this. So we bundled up all her belongings and a porter trended her off up the corridor. It's  Ward 20, which is opposite the first ward she was on last year, Ward 20, and just above the Macmillan unit and extremely handy for me coming in to park near the Cardiology department so that should make things easier. 

Frustrating Wait

Last Friday we had an appointment with one of the oncology consultants in the Macmillan Unit at Milton Keynes Hospital. We were given really positive news that the cancer has been shrunk considerably, due to the chemotherapy treatment that Carol has been receiving for the past few months. In fact we've reached the ninth cycle of twelve. We were told that an operation would be performed to remove a considerable amount of the cancer at Milton Keynes Hospital and that Carol would then have radiotherapy on her liver to remove the remaining bits left and that would be carried out in Oxford. We would get a telephone call on Thursday of this week to give us details after the surgeons had met to discuss the case. But we waited all yesterday (Thursday) for the expected call, but nothing came. As you can imagine, this has caused a certain amount of frustration, as Carol is keen to get things moving, so that, hopefully, by September at least, she can think about returning to work, even if it's for a few hours a week to begin with. We had to return to the oncology suite at 4.30 this afternoon (Friday) so that Carol could have the pump removed. She mentioned this to the nurse who removed the pump, and as a result she rang the colorectal department to find out what was going on, and why she hadn't had the promised telephone call. It turns out that the hospital has had nothing from the Oxford hospital and are consequently waiting to get some sort of go-ahead as regards the continuing treatment. So, we will have to telephone on Monday to get some sort of answer. Also, we heard that Carol will need a further P.E.T. scan at Churchill Hospital in Oxford in the next week or two, which she's had before.

A rather wet and depressing sort of day today (Friday). Having had really warm weather last week, it's a sort of backwards step, weather-wise.

Blood Test and Consultant's Appointment

We had to go to the oncology department at the hospital for 9.20 this morning as Carol is about to start the 7th chemotherapy cycle on Monday. Fortunately there wasn't a problem parking although the barrier was raised so we had to take a parking ticket. Those barriers seem to be effected by cold weather. A considerably warmer day, though. It was a good thing we got to oncology early because Carol was called in for the usual blood test and weighing as well as all the obs they do before the chemotherapy begins.  Arriving early does have an advantage. We walked down to the Friends shop for something to drink and eat, as Carol was saying she had a nasty taste in her mouth (part of the side-effects of chemo.) We got a Fry's chocolate mint and orange drink and then walked back to the Macmillan unit. Carol was due to have a consultant's appointment at 10 o'clock but we had quite a considerable wait. It was full of other patients. She was eventually called into the office at about 10.20. The scan she had about two weeks ago shows the cancer is shrinking considerably. A very positive response. The chemotherapy will continue (as we've reached half way. Meaning there are six more cycles to go.) The surgeons will meet next Thursday and then decide what options are open as regards surgery. We walked back to tell one of the nurses in oncology the news. They are so lovely and helpful in there. Generally, everyone we meet in the hospital, from nurses, doctors, surgeons and so on, so friendly and positive. You really can't fault them. They do a really amazing job, considering the work-load they have to endure.

We left the carpark and intended going to Waitrose for a coffee and cake as a sort of celebration. On arrival, we saw a long queue in the café, so didn't bother with the coffee and cake. We did some shopping and then came home.

Later in the evening we got a phone call from the oncology department. Apparently the blood test has shown something (which I don't understand properly) which shows up that Carol isn't producing something which will mean Monday's chemotherapy session will need to be cancelled and shifted to the following week, no doubt once whatever it is has been detected in her blood. A bit of a disappointment, but it's not a problem. It would mean that if the chemotherapy went ahead, any bacteria or whatever wouldn't be destroyed if she was to become ill. Which, at this half-way stage of the treatment would be quite dangerous.

Seventh Chemotherapy Cycle

It's almost springlike this morning. The sun is out and it's a good deal warmer. The bulbs which Carol planted in the large round planter, and given her by her mum, seem to have survived the snow and are looking fresh and healthy. Even the Christmas tree, which was put out in the garden after the festive season, looks as if it's put on some growth. Whether it services until next Christmas is another matter. We can only hope. I think it might need repotting into a larger pot. We have an almost constant flow of birds to the bird-feeding station, so that seems a success. We must keep it topped up with food.

Carol had to be at the oncology department by 9.20 this morning. We were there well before that time and as a result we spent at least 40 minutes waiting. Carol had to have a bloodiest before the actual chemotherapy starts on Monday morning. She had another appointment at 4.30 in the Macmillan unit this afternoon but she decided to cancel as it would mean us coming out again, so I walked down the corridor and spoke to their receptionist but couldn't reschedule the appointment. We will have to ring the doctor's secretary to arrange a new appointment.

Very quiet in the oncology department. Few patients. But we weren't in there long.

We went to Waitrose for coffee and cake. You can generally rely on Waitrose for good quality coffee and cake. Well, one reason for going there is because we can have the coffee free as we each have My Waitrose cards. A good enough reason. Then we did some shopping, for Sunday lunch, as there's an offer on related to Mothering Sunday this weekend.

Alfie really is a fussy little dog. He has virtually the same food which we feed him every evening. Usually dry mixer with some meat in it. He eats the meat and the dry biscuit is left so he has something to eat if he's hungry during the day. He does pick at it on occasion. If we're having a meal, at lunchtime or whenever, he occasionally gets scraps. Not too much, as it's not good to over-indulge a dog with scraps. I broke up a biscuit which was left on the shelf in the lounge, which Carol left there. He poked it with his nose, but wouldn't eat it. If we give him some scraps he often asks for permission, leaving it and then looking at one or other of us for approval and may eat whatever it is.

There's a tin on the footstool in the lounge which has pens and pencils in it. It used to have Marks and Spencer shortbread in it for Christmas. Alfie has learned the trick that, if he stands with his back paws on the floor and his front paws on the stool and pokes the tin with his paw he will get our attention. He's got wise to the fact that, by sitting in our eye-line, in front of the television when we're watching something, we will get his attention.

I'm trying desperately to find stuff to write about in this post. I have to say that the last few posts I've written have been a bit repetitive. Going backwards and forwards to Milton Keynes hospital as we have over the past couple of months have become very similar so these blogs are similarly written. Just a thought before I hit the 'publish' button.

Fifth Chemotherapy Cycle

It's a bright and sunny morning, but cold. There's been ice on the car's windscreen and I've been out with the defrosting spray to clear it. Not too difficult to get rid of the ice so we can drive out with a clear view.

We drove to the hospital and found the carpark had plenty of spaces, fortunately. The barrier was raised, so we could drive straight in, but the ticket machine would not work, so I couldn't take a ticket. This may cause a slight problem when we come to leave, as we will have to get a ticket if the barrier is down when we want to get out. Also meaning I will have to walk back to the Macmillan unit to get the ticket stamped in order to get free parking. Oh, how complicated life gets, which it doesn't have to. Another good reason to have free parking in all N.H.S. hospital carparks, but I don't see this happening any day soon.

we've arrived in the oncology suite, too early for the chemotherapy cycle to begin because Carol has to take some tablets which she was supposed to have been given on Friday when she came in for the blood test. The nurses were extremely busy, so I can understand why she wasn't given the medication, which are meant to be taken an hour before the chemotherapy started.  We had to go away and waste that hour so we went to the restaurant which is a relatively short walk along the corridor and had coffee and then went into the shop which is next door to buy rolls and drink so we had something for lunch. We then walked back to the oncology suite and had to find somewhere to sit and were moved several times until we found a corner which was away from the general hubbub of the unit. Well before the time allocated, Carol was hooked up to her drips for the chemotherapy to begin and I settled down to write this blog post. As I write Carol is busily crocheting and there is a television on which is showing the Winter Olympics, men laying on their backs on tin trays and sliding down an icy sort of chute (can think of no better way to describe whatever this event is, but certainly looking very odd. The luge or something. Looks very odd, and I can imagine this being sold to a committe who have no idea what it entails. I think you would be told it's not going to work, just not safe, apart from anything else. How would you get it past Health and Safety? Can you imagine the Risk Assessment? How many pages of paperwork would it entail? I dread to think. send some of the committee to try it out. Imagine them going down the track (or whatever it's called.) For a start, there's no clear sort of braking system (thinks: how do they stop?)

Just intrigued by various things about the oncology suite. In the toilet there's a couple of stickers near the sink, with barcodes on which have printed on them 'do not remove.' Why would I want to remove them? I don't go around taking stickers of things. Apart from anything, can you believe how difficult it is to actually remove such stickers? I bought a new pair of slippers from Marks and Spencers recently and on the soles were annoying stickers which also had barcodes, which are presumably so they can be scanned when you come to buy them. But they are incredibly difficult to remove and when they are eventually picked off they leave a nasty sticky residue on the sole of the slipper which means that, when you walk about, particularly on the type of flooring our house has, vinyl or laminate, and it tends to stick and make annoying clicking noises as you walk about. Why can they not just put labels on such products which can be cut off with scissors instead of these adhesive labels?

The chemotherapy went without any hitches. Each session seems to go relatively quickly, thankfully. The oncology unit wasn't particularly busy, well, not as busy as it has been in the past. We walked back to the car and thankfully the barriers were raised. I was wondering if they had been lowered I was going to have to take a ticket out of the machine and then walk all the way back to the Macmillan unit to get the thing stamped so that we didn't have to pay, but this wasn't obviously the case.

It's been a relatively mild day, considering there was frost on the windscreen of the car early this morning. It seems that spring might possibly be on the way.

I'm intrigued by the car that is situated on the grass near the roundabout near where the carpark entrance comes out onto Marlborough Street. It has been there for the past couple of months, in all the time we've been going to the oncology unit we've seen it there. It has a 'Police Aware' sign stuck to it's windscreen. It makes me wonder how it got into such an odd place. Perhaps it was someone who couldn't find a parking space and thought it was a good place to leave their car when they'd come to the hospital for an appointment. Just being sarcastic I'm afraid. More likely it was left there by some crazed person in the middle of the night after a joy-riding trip by teenagers or something. In the middle of the night, when I wake up, I often hear what might be cars being raced along the grid-roads of Milton Keynes, so the possibility that this car was left there after such a late-night adventure seems a possibility. Whether it's owner has been traced and the perpetrators found and charged is another matter.

Hospital Appointments and Alfie Does A Runner

We had to go to the hospital for three appointments this morning.  Once we had ourselves organised, we had to put Alfie in the kitchen, but he determinedly refused to move off the sofa. He went into pathetic mode, so we decided to leave him where he was, with the television on.

Fortunately there was no problem finding a parking space in the carpark. 

The first  appointment was in ward 20 as Carol was seeing the stoma nurse. It was interesting to go back after all this length of time as this was the ward Carol was on before she had her operation. We then went to Oncology as Carol had to have a blood-test before her fourth oncology cycle began on Monday morning as well as having the line in her arm flushed out. The next appointment was with one of the cancer doctors in the Macmillan unit about 45-minutes later, so we went into the restaurant to have coffee. Not having been in there before, we'll have to try it again if we are in need of food or drinks. We then walked back towards the Macmillan unit and waited in the lounge-area before the appointment-time.

Carol was then called in by one of the doctors. He wasn't a doctor we've seen before. He came out and looked around the lounge-area where we were waiting. He then said Carol's name and we followed him into one of he offices. It seems that Carol was supposed to be seen by one or other of he cancer doctors after each of her chemotherapy cycles. So how has she managed to get missed 'off the radar' in this respect, and who has been prescribing the chemotherapy material she's been having in the oncology department? All appears to be going well. Carol will need to have a scan after the sixth cycle. The doctor has put in a request for this and it should be at the beginning of March. She also does not have to take the steroid medication she has been on for a while.

Having finished the appointments we walked back to the car. As we were about to drive out of the carpark, we saw a car in the way so we couldn't just drive away through the barrier. A woman was at the barrier, looking as if she was speaking to the machine where you put your ticket which raised the barrier. It was clear she was the driver of the car and it was her car which was stopped in our way and that the barrier would not raise when she attempted to put her ticket in the machine. I'm not sure whether she was speaking through the machine to someone who was able to tell her how to raise the barrier and so drive out of the carpark. Suddenly the barrier raised and she was able to drive out in her car and we could then leave ourselves, but we had to use the ticket machine as the barrier then lowered after the woman left in her car. As I've mentioned in many of my previous blog posts, there have been quite  few instances of the carpark barriers failing, or being raised so you don't need to use your ticket.

On arriving home we couldn't decide on what to have for lunch, but we then thought of having soup but there was no bread to have with it. So it was up to me to drive somewhere or other to purchase such a loaf of bread. As I opened the front door, Alfie shot past me and into the road outside. I was taken completely by surprise by this, and my immediate reaction was to shout at him. As he has absolutely no road sense, it would be so easy for him to get run over by a passing car, but he soon came back to me, looking totally frightened. I picked him up, and he was shaking like a leaf. He isn't very brave, or else not when he chooses. He doesn't like being out in the big, bad world on his own so it was clear that he wouldn't go far and always comes back when I call for him. He's fine when he is with us whenever we take him out for a walk, but he gets upset if he's own his own.  He's not a brave little dog, especially when he's outside on his own. Perhaps he was thinking I was going to take him out for a walk when I left the house, but he would never have gone out without having his lead well and truly connected to his collar. Perhaps all this was as a result of us leaving him on his own when we went out this morning.

Clearing Bookshelves and Two Hospital Appointments

As I've mentioned in an earlier blog post, we've decided to replace the bookshelves in the lounge. They have been leaning precariously at a rather dangerous angle for quite a long time and there was a serious possibility of one or other, or both, collapsing. We have a new shelving unit on order from IKEA which was ordered on-line on Wednesday afternoon and will be delivered next Thursday, so we have to have the old shelving units cleared and dismantled before then. So lots of boxes and bags all over the floor as we take off all the clutter which has accumulated. It seems that we have used the bookshelves as a sort of dumping ground for goodness knows what sort of stuff. Daniel's mail is still coming here and really it's about time he had it re-directed. We seem to get his bank statements and a lot of other stuff. Then there's a lot of our important mail, insurance stuff and other bits and pieces which come through the mail which needs to be 'on hand' for immediate use so it's stuck in between one of the books and the side panels. It's surprising (although, thinking about it, perhaps it's not) how clearing something like bookshelves reveals items which you lost and haven't laid eyes on for ages, suddenly appear. We ought to do this sort of thing more often. Anyway, we managed to clear of the clutter from one half of the 'leaning tower of books,' and will continue slowly in the days leading up until Thursday, We will sort out those books we want to keep and those we will take to a charity shop, most likely paperbacks which we're not likely to read again.

Carol had two appointments at the hospital during the day. Unfortunately they were several hours apart. The first was at 11.20 a.m. at the Out Patients' Department near the main entrance of Milton Keynes Hospital. We got there well in time for the appointment and parked in the multi-storey carpark. This meant we couldn't get the ticket stamped to we would get free parking, but the walk to the Macmillan Unit was too far so I didn't make the effort. We were seen by one of the doctors from the colorectal department, one of the team we saw regularly when the doctors did their rounds when Carol was on Ward 22 before Christmas. He seemed very pleased with Carol's progress and as a result has signed her off. One more box to 'tick.' A very positive reaction and we left to go home and bought sandwiches in the Friends' shop at the hospital entrance. When we ate them at home later I was not over-impressed with the quality, but never mind. They seem, like every other food outlet these days, so obsessed with not putting too much salt or sugar in things, that they forget that the flavour and texture is taken away. Just bland sliced bread and the filling is mush.

So, we went home to have a break and recuperate before we returned to go back to the Macmillan Unit for an appointment with the doctor in the pain clinic. The doctor seems very pleased to see how Carol is getting on and commented on how much better she is looking. Still an issue with pain but not as intense as it has been. Carol able to sit for longer and we're more than ever convinced that the chemotherapy is doing it's job. So, at the end of the day, we're both feeling a good deal more positive about things, thank goodness.

We left the hospital, having first booked an appointment for several weeks hence.

The carpark barrier was raised when we drove out, so all the effort to get the wretched ticket stamped was somewhat a waste of time. The machinery which lifts the barrier was making a noise, no doubt an alarm for it to be attended to by a mechanic. We drove out and then saw someone putting cash in the nearby ticket machine. It makes me annoyed to see someone putting money in the machine when they could so easily drive out of the carpark without needing to pay. Never mind. The fact that you have to pay to park at a hospital is still a hot potato with myself and quite a few other people.

Macmillan Unit Appointment

On Wednesday morning we had an appointment at the Macmillan Unit at Milton Keynes Hospital with a lady from Citizens' Advice about benefits. Very positive and helpful. We have to ring a telephone number to start the process, and once that is done and the D.W.P. (Department of Work and Pensions) sends a completed application form we will have another appointment with the lady from C.A.B. to complete the application. It wasn't as bad as it might have been, having myself been through this process when I lived on my own in my flat in Bedford after my heart attack in 2006. Fortunately we managed to park the car in the regular car park. Just as well the appointment was early in the morning because, from experience, this can become very full later in the day.

When we arrived, a good deal earlier than we needed, we made use of the time by going into the Oncology Suite as Carol needed to have the P.I.C.C. line changed. Fortunately they weren't busy and a nurse did this in time before we went to the Macmillan Unit. The line has to be checked and changed to prevent any blood clots.

We picked up the stoma bags which had been left behind the reception desk and then left. As we walked out of the hospital it was bright sunshine, but earlier, when we got in the car at home, there was a smattering of what looked like snow on the car. Also, it was quite chilly and very likely there would be snow later.

Carol was determined to go out for a coffee somewhere, anywhere, so we drove to Waitrose at Oakgrove and had latte and a snack in their café. You get the coffee or tea free if you have a My Waitrose card, and we both have our own so we both get the coffee free, but you have to have something to eat it you use the café, which is reasonable enough. I had a Danish pastry and Carol had a custard tart. We then browsed the store and bought quite a bit, together with a free copy of The Guardian, as you also get a free newspaper if you spend over a certain amount, I think it's £10. They've redesigned The Guardian and changed the size from Berliner to Tabloid. I quite like the new size but I'm not sure of the new masthead. I don't think it suits a newspaper of the calibre of The Guardian somehow, but I suppose I will get to like it, with time.

Well, I think Carol enjoyed her morning out, even if it began at the hospital. We haven't been out for quite a while due to her illness. Being stuck indoors for such a long time is beginning to pall, as you can imagine, and the fact that it was bright and sunny, although cold, made all the difference.

Yet Another Trip To Hospital

Tuesday. It's a very dull, grey and over-cast day. Somewhat depressing. We had to go to the Oncology Suite at 11.30 this morning as Carol had a blood test. Fortunately we managed to get the one and only parking space in the carpark. Always a problem when we have an appointment at the hospital so much later in the day.

We arrived in the Oncology Suite and it was extremely busy. The nurses work incredibly hard in this department. They never seem to stop. Probably dealing with more than one patient at a time. We sat and waited around a table as we usually do when we arrive. There was a lady in a wheelchair who went off to be set up with her chemotherapy session and I was left with Carol and an elderly man who was being very chatty. Carol went off with one of the nurses to a different area of the suite. The elderly man was telling me about the lady in the wheelchair. Apparently she was 94 and had been asked what was the secret of keeping so young and active. She responded with 'a glass of whisky every day!' We began to discuss the car parking at the hospital, and had the same thoughts about the morality of having to pay to park your car at  hospital and how much it cost. I was shocked to learn that a private company ran these carparks and kept the profits for itself, which is appalling when you think of the financial difficulties the N.H.S. finds itself in.

I went to join Carol the other side of the suite. She had to have a blood test, which is how the chemotherapy treatment begins each time, so we have got used to the procedure. The nurses are extremely efficient and everything is done quickly, so we were out of the unit within about 45 minutes. Well, it has to be run like this, as there are so many people in the unit, arriving and leaving all the time during the day. It couldn't be run any other way as there isn't space for all the patients to sit and have their treatment at the same time otherwise.

Having had the parking ticket clipped in the Macmillan unit after we arrived, we then found, when we got back to the carpark and were about to leave, that the barrier was raised so we didn't need the ticket to raise the barrier. It must be very annoying to those patients who can't have free car parking to then find the barrier raised when they've already paid at the machine. I trust they get a refund. I don't expect they would, unfortunately.

Wednesday. It's a very wet morning. Had to put the pink recycling bags out along with the black bin bags. Probably not such a good idea to go out in night-wear, but it has to be done. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the bin-men didn't come until late last week, basically because of the Bank Holiday. Are we allowed to call them 'bin-men'? Do we have to call them 'bin-persons' or 'refuse operatives or something, just to keep things politically correct? I've no idea, but there are one or two person's of the opposite persuasion on board the Council-run wagons. Not probably on our collection, but no doubt elsewhere within Milton Keynes. Perhaps we can't say 'black bin-bags' to keep things PC and maybe even 'pink bin-bags' is going to upset someone or other. But let's be realistic, do people get their tights in a tangle over such things, or is it some bureaucrat somewhere who has to come up with such stupidity? No racial slur or homophobic suggestion in the slightest. They are just bin-bags, after all.

After all the fuss when Woughton Community Council left those notices as regarding fly-tipping when people put their bin bags out too early (me included), I notice that there is a lot of broken furniture, such as bits of what look like broken kitchen units, doors and drawers, as well as a rolled-up mattress and odd bits and pieces of furniture, including a worn out sofa, left around the estate. No doubt most is there for someone to collect, such as the Council (you have to organise this in advance, and pay to have it removed.) But who gets fined for 'fly-tipping'? Just a thought, 'Woughton' is actually pronounced 'Woof-ton.' If that's the case, why is Loughton (another village within the Milton Keynes area.) is pronounced 'Low-ton,' so why not 'Luff-ton,'? Weird or what? Just shows how strange our language is.

Later. We went to the hospital for 11.30 but couldn't find a space where we usually park. We had to drive around the hospital campus and park in Car park A and then walk round to Oncology, quite a long walk.  Unfortunately we got things wrong. When we arrived in the Oncology Suite, the staff on reception couldn't find Carol on the system. It would appear we were 24 hours too early as Carol wasn't booked in until tomorrow morning. They could have fitted her in but on checking, they didn't have the prescribed material necessary for her chemotherapy treatment. So we left to go home and will return tomorrow at the same time.

Alfie Has A Bath and Other Matters

I'm stuck for something to write in my blog post. Goodness, you say, how come? You always manage to come up with something, even if it's a load of gibberish. But here goes, a blank screen and I am at least typing something. 

As soon as I lay finger to keyboard, the letterbox rattles and the sound of something heavy lands on the doormat. I rush to see what it is. A photography magazine which I thought I'd cancelled arrives. Carol has a letter and I get two envelopes which look inviting. One from Radio Times trying to tempt me to buy several copies for £26 and the other about PPI. The fact is, I have never had PPI. These people are trying every avenue they can think of to get you to sign up. Not content with bludgeoning you to death (almost) with radio and television advertising as well as keeping on telephoning to tell you to 'check whether you've ever had a loan' or whatever (I haven't so why bother?). They just won't let go of this. I even had someone ring on my mobile while I was waiting at the hospital when Carol went to have her Pic line put in at the beginning of her chemotherapy treatment. This young man (well, I assume he was young) just would not let go. Quite aggressive, in fact. I don't know how they got hold of my mobile number. I rarely give it out, basically because I can never remember it. I know our landline number. It really is an infringement of my privacy to have these phone calls which are totally uninvited. Then you get those crazy telephone calls which, when you pick up the receiver, are nothing. No voice comes on the line. Just a sort of burrrrrrrrrrrr sound. Empty space. Silence. What on earth is the point of them? Is someone on the other end? It's, frankly, quite scary. A machine, a computer, ringing people, using a sort of database of telephone numbers, on the off-chance that someone will answer and give over some more information, get you to sign up to whatever it is they're offering or claiming to offer.  Could be an alien from outer space. Fanciful, but who knows.?What percentage of the cash you are promised will they make out of this? Makes you wonder.

A good deal less windy today. A few intervals of sunshine, but now, as I write this, it's gone over-cast and I reckon quite chilly outside.

I'll write this by adding something as I think of what to write as the day progresses. Then I'll post it when there's sufficient to make it worth finishing.

Carol had a bath and I helped her have a hair wash. We didn't let the bath water out, so we plonked Alfie in as he has been in need of a good wash for some time. Not when it was cold when the weather was bad, with snow and ice. He was a good boy and let me put shampoo on and give him a good lathering-up. He must have rolled in something exceptionally smelly because he's niffed quite considerably since well before Christmas. Getting him out of the bath, after I'd rinsed him well, was quite a problems as I get myself wet when he shakes, but after some while I managed to brush his coat and then he began charging around the house. He now looks a bit like one of those bottle brushes, with is coast all fluffed up, but it should dry completely as the afternoon progresses. I'm glad we managed the operation without too much trouble. He still has a nasty knotted bit underneath which can only be removed with a pair of scissors, but the worst has been removed. The bath-water turned a dark and dingy colour as I washed him, so it must have removed most of the dirt from his coat.

Alfie doesn't like being brushed. But he will sit on my knee and let me do it. He makes a real fuss, growling and making a silly noise. He's a real contradiction, because he still stays on my knee. If he didn't like it, why doesn't he jump off? It's some time since he had his bath and he's virtually dry, and certainly smelling sweeter.

Carol had an appointment at the pain clinic within the Macmillan Unit at Milton Keynes Hospital at 2.30 this afternoon (Friday.) The doctor had prescribed a patch which has replaced two of her pain management medications. She has to change it every three days. It is taking some time for it to kick in. If necessary the strength can be increased and the doctor has managed (!) to get our surgery to add it to Carol's repeat prescription list so these patches should be easier to re-order (fingers crossed, some hope etc etc. Let's just wait and see what happens when I have to do a repeat order.

Unfortunately Carol missed an appointment yesterday to have her PICC line checked. The oncology department rang yesterday afternoon to tell her that she had missed this, but they managed to re-arrange it to coincide with this afternoon's appointment. It was written in the book she has which has all her appointments written but this  was shown in some sort of secret code (I'm being a little bit ironic here, of course.) so I wouldn't have known what the appointment was for so we would neither of us have been any the wiser, so couldn't remind Carol that it was coming up. But things were checked when we got to the Macmillan Unit and there were no problems. 

Second Chemotherapy Cycle Completed

On Friday afternoon I had to go into the Macmillan Unit at the hospital to meet one of the oncology doctors in the pain clinic who is attempting to make our life easier by giving Carol some new medication. One is a patch which she has to wear on her arm and will replace tramadol and co-codomol. All this to deal with the pain Carol is experiencing. The doctor gave me a prescription to take to the hospital's own pharmacy and fortunately they made it up relatively speedily so I wasn't kept waiting too long.  I've explained in blog posts the difficulty we have communicating with our surgery, Ashfield Medical Centre. We put in a repeat prescription and then, when we come to collect it, we ring the surgery to check where in the system the order is, to sometimes be told 'it's been sent electronically to Lloyd's at Sainsbury's,' and the next time you ring, 'we have it here, printed-out.' So, you can't rely on them to be more clear what is going on.  Also, not very clear whether we're actually going to get the meds we order. Then, when you pick up the medication, they only give Carol enough tablets for no more than 10 days. Which means you are forever ringing and checking and re-ordering medication. The doctor at the hospital was trying to get through to the doctor at the surgery to try to get them to make any medication repeat order be for a larger quantity. My question is, why can't the oncology department order the medications for Carol? Why do we have to go through Ashfield Medical Centre? It seems a rather unnecessary process. Surely it would cut down on N.H.S. bureaucracy. Wasting resources, or is that being simplistic? Why can't they simplify things for all concerned? They seem to have rules and regulations just for the sake of it.  I realise the N.H.S. has to watch what is used and that medication shouldn't be over-prescribed and has to prevent waste and particularly keep an eye of spending. But if you have a long-term health issue, such as cancer, why can't you be treated as an urgent case, have a dedicated phone line to cut down on all the waiting when you telephone? Or is that expecting too much?

 I went on my own as there was no point Carol going with me. But once I got home from being at the hospital I had to drive Carol back for 4.45 as she had to have the pump she's had for the past few days removed. Fortunately it was a quick job, as one of the nurses in the oncology department dealt with it quickly and efficiently. Things are also easier now we know where to go as well as being able to park in the carpark immediately behind the oncology department and it's not too far for Carol to walk. Why on earth I was never told you could use this carpark when Carol was in ward 21 for three weeks I can't think. I had this idea that this particular carpark was for staff only. Simplifying these things makes our lives so much easier.

This morning I've been out to top up our gas and electricity (we have pre-payment meters for electricity and gas which are topped up using a card for gas and a key for electricity.)  I went to the One-Stop shop in Garraway's. The round to the Shell petrol station in Grafton Street to put diesel in the car. I'm just making sure that we're fully fuelled as we might need the car in an emergency.

Peculiarly Problematic Prescription Pandemonium

The weather is continuing very unseasonal. Quite amazing considering how cold it was a little over a week ago when we were snowed in for the weekend. I know I make quite a lot out of the weather in my blog posts. To some people, particularly those who read this overseas, must think we British have an obsession with the subject. Perhaps we do, but the weather definitely makes us what we are. If anything, it's what makes our landscape, keeping the countryside green and pleasant. It may me mild, but it's over-cast. Not a particularly bright and sunny day.

Carol needed to have some of her meds repeated. She had written a letter to take to the surgery to get one or the other of the doctors to sign off a prescription for several of her meds. I took this on Wednesday morning and handed it in at reception. I was told that it was going to be ready for collection late on Thursday morning. Some hope. I never believe anything they tell me as we've been let down so many times. On Thursday morning I telephoned, having been to do some remaining Christmas shopping in Sainsbury's. I was under the impression that the surgery would send the prescription electronically to Lloyd's pharmacy within Sainsbury's and so asked at the counter to be told that if the prescription had been sent it would be ready for collection after 4 o'clock that afternoon. (Is this getting confusing? If you aren't, I most definitely am.) One of the drugs was oramorph, to help Carol control her pain. I rang again this morning (Friday) and was told (by Ashfield Medical Centre) that the prescription had been sent to Lloyd's electronically. I again rang Lloyd's to be told it hadn't got there. Once again I rang Ashfield (getting through miraculously without a long wait.) to then be told they had a PRINT copy. I decided to DRIVE to Ashfield and as I got there I saw one one the ladies from Lloyd's in front of me, at the reception desk. She was collection Carol's prescription and said she had to collect several more prescriptions from several other surgeries and would be back in Sainsbury's within and hour and a half. So- I returned home and , after 12 noon, went to Sainsbury's to collect the made-up prescription. Mercifully, ready to collect.

Sainsbury's was extremely busy. I don't think I've seen it so chock-full of shoppers. None of the manned checkouts (in this politically correct world we live in, are we allowed to say 'manned'?) But you know what I mean. I had to use a self-service checkout. I put my 'bag for life' on the bagging area and got the 'unknown item in the bagging area' voice from the machine. I think it's the fact that it's unknown which bothers me. It was just a bag and certainly not unknown. As a result, a member of staff moved into view and sorted the thing out and I managed to pay with my debit card and got out of the store a good deal quicker than I had anticipated. I had purchased a bottle of Bailey's which was one item we couldn't do without over Christmas.  By which time I wasn't sure exactly where I was, I had made so many calls and driven so far, back and forth across Milton Keynes, but by the time I arrived home I was ready for a well-earned rest.

Carol had an appointment at the pain clinic within the Macmillan unit at the hospital at 4.30 this afternoon. We were there well before the appointed time and luckily we were in and out before the allotted time. The doctor is hopefully going to contact Ashfield and manage to get Carol's meds set up so she gets a larger quantity each time as, at the moment, some only last no more than 10 days, which means we have to go through the rigmarole of ringing Ashfield to get a repeat and then dealing with the reception and getting so many conflicting responses, such as, them saying it's been sent electronically when it hasn't so I have to go and collect a print version and so on and so forth. It's no wonder the N.H.S. is in such a mess if this is how the administration is organised. Muddled and very confused and very stress-inducing for both of us, which isn't helping matters.

On the way back home we drove round the Grid Roads and met a traffic jam along Chaffron Way, just before the entrance into Eaglestone. Police cars and ambulances all over the place and the centre of the road taken up by a car which looked as if it had been run into. We assumed that someone hadn't been careful coming out of the road leading into Fishermead. No doubt Christmas revellers after an office party. Too many people with no patience, to eager to get home and not paying attention, and no doubt unfit to drive, with too much alcohol in their blood streams and likely to get breathalizrd by the police. 

Snowy Conditions

I had to clear snow off the car this morning (Monday). I'm glad I went out early, as we had to go to the hospital as Carol had a blood test booked for 8.15 in the oncology department. The snow was a good eight inches deep all over the roof and bonnet. It was easily cleared with the ice scraper. Then I shovelled a path out as I didn't want Carol slipping over on the way out to the car. Fortunately the road out of Eaglestone was relatively clear, but some baffoon thought it absolutely necessary to park immediately opposite our driveway which was somewhat difficult to manoeuvre around and there was the possibility of sliding into it as we reversed out. There are several cars parked in the road and they're simply asking to be run into because of the snow and ice. Do they not have driveways to live on? Do their owners care? It would appear not.

Fortunately Saxon Street was relatively clear of snow as we drove towards the hospital, although you had to be careful as there were patches of ice and snow in the road. Deceptive, as there was the possibility of sliding if you were to brake suddenly and I wasn't prepared to risk such a thing. A queue of cars entering the hospital campus from Standing Way, but we were able to negotiate the inner ring road and got to the carpark behind the oncology department. The carpark barrier was raised so we could drive straight in and park. Very few other cars at the time, but the walk across the carpark to the hospital building was somewhat precarious as the ice and snow made walking difficult. We walked in to the building through the cardiology department. I remember visiting there some while ago when I had to have various tests done after my heart attack, one being a stress test (described in more detail in an earlier blog post.)

On entering the oncology department we found the place totally deserted. Strange to find an N.H.S. department without patients waiting. Carol confirmed her appointment with one of the nurses and I went to the Macmillan unit to get our car parking ticket stamped so we would have free parking. Several people wandered into the department as we waited. Carol was in having her blood taken when I returned from the Macmillan unit. It would seem that Monday morning is blood-testing time in this department. It was all over very rapidly and we left, waking gingerly back over the snow-covered road and into the carpark and home.

The carpark barrier was in the 'up' position as we left, which makes me laugh when there is so much fuss over parking at N.H.S. hospitals. It's quite obvious that the mechanism of these things can't cope when the temperature drops below a certain level. Oh well, not our loss as we don't have to pay once the ticket is stamped. Fortunately not a lot of traffic as we drove onto Marlborough Street and back into Eaglestone.

The snow would appear to be melting. I do hope so, as we have quite a few trips out and snow only makes life more difficult. Just hope it doesn't freeze as this would make things far more treacherous. 

Cold and Frosty Morning

It's been a cold and frosty but bright and sunny Saturday morning. I had to defrost the car before driving out mid-morning on my way to Garraway's for a few items for lunch. I'm glad I bought some spray defrost as otherwise it would have been a difficult job. Also using the scraper and the car's heated windows to melt the ice.

So glad Carol has no appointments until Monday. I went with her to the pain clinic within the Macmillan unit on Friday afternoon at the hospital and the doctor has increased the dosage of some of her medications. I had to go to the hospital pharmacy to collect the meds as the doctor wrote a prescription. A relatively long walk back towards the main entrance and then a 30-minute wait until the drugs were prepared and then one wasn't available and will have to be collected on Tuesday or at least when the pharmacy has a delivery.

We bought the Christmas tree in from the garden and Carol has been decorating it. It is the first time we've managed to have a live tree survive from one festive season until the next. I think it has grown considerably since last year, although a few of the lower branches needed cutting off as they hadn't gown and were brown and dead. 

Sunny But Chilly Black Friday

It's Black Friday. It maybe Friday, but it's definitely not black, and as far I can see it's been running for well over a week and probably into next week. We did buy a new HD television from Argos to replace the Toshiba one which I recorded on here which broke down a couple of weeks ago, but we didn't intend to buy it anymore than it being on offer and not really as part of the 'Black' promotion.

Yesterday afternoon I went with Carol for her first appointment at the Macmillan Unit within Milton Keynes Hospital with Dr Saka, who is in charge of the chemotherapy which Carol will have over the next few months.

From the Hospital we drove to Argos near the railway station to purchase the television. A good deal bigger screen size than the old Toshiba set (hardly old, unfortunately, at a little over four years of age.) Took it home and we spent the evening setting it up and got it going successfully.

A relatively sunny but chilly November morning as I drove into Milton Keynes Shopping Centre. I had to go to Marks and Spencer to exchange some pyjama bottoms which Carol's mum had bought when she came up with her dad for a visit on Wednesday.  I had to go to the Exchange and Return department on the second floor and without any fuss I was given a gift card with the full amount and I then went to the floor below to find the replacement item. I was helped by an extremely helpful member of staff who managed to find the particular item in the store. I have to say the lady was extremely helpful, so I told her she'd made the return/exchange easier. There's plenty of people who will complain about service, but it's always a good thing to say when service is excellent, especially when staff go the extra mile like she did. It might be Black Friday, but you wouldn't know it in the shopping centre. There weren't a particularly large number of shoppers scrambling of items. A bit of a damp squib as far as I can tell, but no doubt people are buying on line instead of in store.

After all the visits to various N.H.S. departments over the last few months, I have now got a cold. I haven't had a cold in quite a long time, but I expect if you sit in waiting rooms you're very likely to catch something off someone who's sniffling and sneezing, not that I remember anyone doing such a thing. It's not heavy. Just annoying. I hope it will be gone in a few day's time.

Incidentally, this blog is now earning me cash! You will no doubt notice that there are advertisments carried by this blog, so if you feel so inclined,  and you were to click on the occasional advert that catches your eye, it means I earn a certain amount. So, thanks in advance.

This is a good deal shorter than my usual posts. Nothing much else to say at the moment, but no doubt there will be as the weekend advances.

A Few More of Life's Irritations

Come on, you say, how on earth can there be any MORE irritations? What's wrong with you man? Get a grip. But it's true, I can find a few more annoyances and irritations, and more that drive me stark-staring nuts.

What is it with the layout of carparks? Why do the idiots who decide how you drive around them have to make it so illogical. I'll give you an instance. I am driving to Milton Keynes Hospital every day to visit Carol on Ward 20. I park in the multi-storey carpark I could use the ground level one, but it's a long walk around the hospital site to the new entrance. (I'll come back to the irritation of having to walk around to where the new entrance is when it used to be dead opposite the carpark, but I'll skip it for now.) Driving in to the carpark they have got two barriers, where you have to stop to take a ticket out of the machine. So, if there are two cars side by side at the barrier and one driver gets their ticket from their machine first, it's like the start of a Grand Prix as you put your foot down on the accelerator so you can get a parking place before the other cars gets there first. But it's really the layout of the carpark which causes the annoyances with me. You have to drive round and then find some areas, for no good reason known to man, that are out of bounds. You have to make a complete circuit of the carpark in order to drive out when you leave, and at the exit have to be extremely dextrous with your driving in order to avoid hitting any of the barriers and low bits of concrete edging, a really crazy way to design an exit. No doubt some bureaucrat in an office in Whitehall, doodling on the back of an envelope, with absolutely no idea of the frustration and havoc caused by his ignorant carpark design. 

I had to park in the carpark again at the weekend. I can get free parking as Carol is a cancer patient, by going into Macmillan's unit, which is on the floor below Ward 20, and get my parking ticket stamped which allows me to exit the carpark without further payment. But on Sunday, when I left (unfortunately you have to pay, even as the relation of a cancer patient, because Macmillan isn't open over the weekend.) But on leaving, even though I'd payed at the machine, where you have to put your ticket in the machine and it shows on the digital screen how much you have to pay, which was £4.50, by the time I got in the car and drove out of the multi-storey carpark, for whatever reason, the barrier was raised, which meant I could leave without putting the ticket into the slot in the machine which raises the barrier (if after all this you are still with me, as it's far to complicated to describe. Sorry if I lost you throughout all that.) So, you can imagine how annoyed I was about the fact that I had spent £4.50 on parking and then being able to be released from the carpark with the barrier raised (I'm not sure why this is. Perhaps the system was out of order. Which was all very well and good, but if that was the case, why was there no notice on the ticket machine to say you didn't have to pay? I bet there were a lot of other people using the carpark who were as annoyed as I was regarding this matter. 

Anyway, the following day I decided, once I'd parked in the multi storey carpark, to take my ticket to the little office which is within the carpark and demand a refund of my £4.50. When I asked the man who was in the office, he politely refused to refund me. WHY I wanted to know, curtly, but I must add, politely (as I try to be polite, even when I'm annoyed, which can be very difficult at times, particularly when faced with such bare-faced jobsworthishness (now THERE'S a new word!) But he was. He could easily have said 'I'm so sorry, sir. Here's your refund. I'm sorry you've been inconvenienced!' But no! Perhaps he'd got out of the wrong side of his bed, or some such disagreeable matter to make him so uncharitable to me. But in all this, you will agree that it was yet another of life's irritations. I think, if Victor Meldrew had been involved in this incident, that grumpy git character played by Richard Wilson in the BBC sitcom 'One Foot In The Grave,' he would be bound to utter his famous catchphrase 'I don't believe it!!!'

Later.

Continuing on from what I've written regarding the parking at Milton Keynes hospital, and my experiences with the ticket I paid for on Sunday and the fact that once I'd payed the £4.50 to be able to get the barrier to raise to let me out and then finding it raised, the same thing happened today. I walked past a queue of people as I went into the carpark, as they were paying their money to also become released. As I walked into the carpark I saw that the barriers were raised. I did attempt to tell people they were wasting there hard-earned cash by putting it into the wretched machine, regardless of the fact that the barriers were raised. Will someone tell me why nobody had the sense to put a notice on this machine to the effect that this was unnecessary? This whole thing is a scandal and a good way to make money.