Well, I'm back! I spent about a week at Mum's. The day after I arrived she had a  fall and I had to call the ambulance out to get her upright. She refused further help and spent the rest of the day in a chair but in the evening we found she couldn't get out of it. She couldn't even slide onto another chair placed next to her. After two hours of trying and getting no-where, it was time to call the ambulance out again and, perhaps because she recognised there was nothing else to be done, Mum agreed.

She was admitted to hospital and they ran all kinds of tests before discovering she had had a minor stroke and this seems to be what caused the memory problems. I think the inability to stand was due to exhaustion and arthritis. She is still in there and I spent some days at her place, visiting her and sorting out some things for her. I came home a week later to find N was really quite ill: he's now off work and on antibiotics for a chest infection, as well as a flare-up of a chronic condition that hasn't bothered him much for a long time. The hospital apparently wanted to admit him while I was away but he wanted me to have the time with Mum, and had the children to look after, so he refused.

Today has been the first day he hasn't had a raised temperature, but I have had a bit of a job stopping him from being too active all along! He isn't good at doing nothing!

The upshot of this is that I can't really go back to see Mum - my sister and her family went over the other day and a neighbour is feeding the cat for her, but I have to stay out of it for now. I get terribly anxious about these two invalids and it's been an exercise in faith and discipline not to go under mentally. I did crack up and raged at H for not doing as he was told yesterday, but I've apologised to him for that. N and I spent some time this afternoon curled up on the sofa watching a recording of Time Team which was really good for us - both of us stopped and just relaxed and I feel a lot better for it. I have been so tired!

That reminds me - time for bed!

• Post A Comment! • Send to a Friend!

Posted by debdillon

Oh my! Talk about being pulled in 2 different directions. That must be so hard for you. I will pray for you, your mum and N.

• Permanent Link