How is day to day life shaping up?

It took Mark a week to get over his torture in hospital, and torture is really the only way to describe what he went through. It became clear just how much it took out of him by how long it took him to get back to normal, well as normal as he gets! I did think after the first night home he was OK but as the days went on and he could hardly stay awake day and night and didn't get out of bed for days I had to revise my view.

He's OK now but it took him a week to get over it and now to be perfectly honest there's not a lot of excitement in the Wycherley household. Some might say that after the last 18 months that's a good thing and in lots of ways it is. However, as we try and create some normality along with that comes the boredom that can be everyday life if it's severely restricted. And restricted it is.  We were watching telly last night and the advert for the new Bond movie came on. Not for the first time I said to Mark I would really like to go see that, the answer, a non committal yea. The problem is, it's such a major expedition to go anywhere and do anything, we never know if we can actually go until it comes time to leave and whether we leave depends on how Mark is feeling at the time.  The number of times we plan to do something then cancel it again because he either can't get out of bed or is in too much pain I've lost track of.

So in addition to keeping busy trying to get through the decorating, I'm also using time to help a friend who has a crazy plan. Some of you know Les Carvall and most of those who do will be familiar with his crazy plan, those of you who don't, he and three of his buddies, all in their 70's are going to drive around the world to raise money for charity. I've been dusting off my computer skills - they have been even more rusty than I thought - and have helped him put a new website together ... www.heavencanwaitimbusy.com ... a blog ... and a facebook page.  I need some LIKES on the facebook page so if you have a minute to spare click on it and click LIKE for me .... TA.  If I get some likes it will start to make all the work feel worthwhile. (Thanks for Les Waddy for pointing me in the right direction with Facebook when I had a complete brain fade).

Next installment on THE CAT .... the cat decided he would speak to me on a 'barely need to, to get fed' basis and this went on for a few weeks. He goes out at night, I've got to say I feel a bit mean putting him out when the weather is foul, but he's always done it so we've carried on. When he came in in the morning he went straight to his bowl, ate, leged it back to his sanctuary, the bedroom where first lived and stayed there till evening when he wanted to be fed again. So one day to shut him out of that bedroom and see if he would become part of our gang - why bother I hear you shout, he's a cat and doesn't care about your gang!!  Well you were all wrong ... more next week.

Marks holds the record .....

..... for needing the most 'clean you out fluid' of anyone they've dealt with so far in BRI. And even then he still wasn't completely cleared out. What a claim to fame!!

He was supposed to have a colonoscopy - camera job - but he missed his slot because they couldn't get him cleaned out in time so they decided to do a CTC instead. According to one of the nurses, it's a better and safer proceedure, and you don't have to be completely empty to do it.  The result is a 3D rendering of the intestines but they don't use it as a matter of course because it's too expensive. So a 24 hour stay turned into a 48 hour stay and NO food all that time.  The other downside of all this flushing liquid was that his drugs were also being flushed out too quickly, he was almost on withdrawal, having little or no benefit from them. Not a pleasant experience for the poor bloke.

He's home tonight and although he's worn out with having so little sleep over the last 48 hours doesn't look too much worse for the experience. You would think he should look a little thinner but sadly no.

The cat is beginning to join our gang. When he first came to live with us, about 5 months ago, he disappeared under the bed in the room Mike and Eve were in and didn't come out for about a fortnight.  Over the next couple of weeks he slowly began to sleep on the bed rather than under it and after a month had his food moved to the kitchen. He had nothing to do with anyone really other than Mike and Eve, but when they left he decided he better start talking to me as I was the only one left who would feed him .... more about him next time if there isn't anything more interesting to chat about.

Another three days in bed

I don't know where Mark picks these things up from, but I think he's had another bug. Came home from his friends on Thursday night, went straight to bed and had been there until today (Sunday). Apart from the severe pain he normally has, he's felt completely worn out and slept continually.  Oh well, he'll be rested up for his next stay in hospital, this Tuesday. Only an overnight this time. They did a blood test ages ago and he was severely anemic so they put him on iron tablets and folic acid, like he's not taking enough drugs already!!  They also booked him in for a colonoscopy to make sure he's not bleeding internally. It never ends for the poor guy. And that's why he's going into hospital this Tuesday.

Apart from that there's not much going on in our lives, I'm STILL painting, every time I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I see loads more, it's never ending!!

The cat is fine, by the way, he does have a name it's Bods, short for Boddingtons.  He still doesn't have a care in the world. He's started following me round the house in the mornings after he has come in and had his breakfast, shouting at me.  What he's got to shout about heaven only knows!!