Twas the week before Xmas and Mark is in bed poorly again, this time with a chest infection. They take chest infections of tetraplegics very seriously because they don't have the use of abdominal or chest muscles to enable them to cough or blow their nose, so it was a week of antibiotics for Mark and a week in bed again.
He managed to get up on the 23rd for a couple of hours, then again on the 24th, looking a bit better and we managed to get out to the movies, then back to bed for him again a couple hours after we get home. Up for a few hours on Xmas day but back to bed just as xmas dinner was ready to dish up ....... turn xmas dinner down and hope he can get back up in a while to eat. Up again in about 30 mins and we eat, he's back in bed by about 9ish. Boxing day and the next day he's still in bed with pain, up for a few hours on the 28th but not for long and not looking at all well, even though he was looking forward to friends staying overnight. Not up at all on the 29th apart to go to the bathroom and have a shower in the evening. Yesterday, 30th, he was up long enough to have lunch with friends then back to bed. So that 10 days is a glimpse of what the past month has been like, when you add them up, the days in bed seriously outnumber the days up it seems and it's slowly getting worse.
Looking back over the last year, and to be honest, it seems to have flown, but I guess that's because I for one, have been so busy and haven't stopped working on the house and trying to get it a nice place to live. I think I've achieved that now, it hasn't been easy but when friends come now and see that it's nearly finished and what a transformation we've achieved, I feel quite proud of what I've managed ..... however, it's constantly overshadowed by Mark's slow decline as the year has moved on. We try to keep positive and looking forward to after he has his next operation hoping life will improve for him then. It can't come quickly enough for both of us. Although it's New Year Eve, I can't see that the early part of the New Year is going to be any better for him. It's heartbreaking. We were told it takes 2 years before you really move on with your life after such a trauma but when is that 2 years going to start?? Seems like it won't be until after his next operation whenever that might be. Constantly we feel like life, whatever shape that might take, is on hold, it has to get better soon surely.
We had to go through the process of filling in his benefit forms AGAIN and this time I posted them registered, costing nearly £7!! Our benefits rights officer has written a long letter of complaint about the way we've been treated.... do you think that will have ANY affect at all??? Can't see it myself.
I want to say a great big thanks for everyone's support over the last year, believe me I wouldn't make it through without you ...... so we're wishing you all a very Happy New Year and hope the coming year brings you all everything you wish for x.
He managed to get up on the 23rd for a couple of hours, then again on the 24th, looking a bit better and we managed to get out to the movies, then back to bed for him again a couple hours after we get home. Up for a few hours on Xmas day but back to bed just as xmas dinner was ready to dish up ....... turn xmas dinner down and hope he can get back up in a while to eat. Up again in about 30 mins and we eat, he's back in bed by about 9ish. Boxing day and the next day he's still in bed with pain, up for a few hours on the 28th but not for long and not looking at all well, even though he was looking forward to friends staying overnight. Not up at all on the 29th apart to go to the bathroom and have a shower in the evening. Yesterday, 30th, he was up long enough to have lunch with friends then back to bed. So that 10 days is a glimpse of what the past month has been like, when you add them up, the days in bed seriously outnumber the days up it seems and it's slowly getting worse.
Looking back over the last year, and to be honest, it seems to have flown, but I guess that's because I for one, have been so busy and haven't stopped working on the house and trying to get it a nice place to live. I think I've achieved that now, it hasn't been easy but when friends come now and see that it's nearly finished and what a transformation we've achieved, I feel quite proud of what I've managed ..... however, it's constantly overshadowed by Mark's slow decline as the year has moved on. We try to keep positive and looking forward to after he has his next operation hoping life will improve for him then. It can't come quickly enough for both of us. Although it's New Year Eve, I can't see that the early part of the New Year is going to be any better for him. It's heartbreaking. We were told it takes 2 years before you really move on with your life after such a trauma but when is that 2 years going to start?? Seems like it won't be until after his next operation whenever that might be. Constantly we feel like life, whatever shape that might take, is on hold, it has to get better soon surely.
We had to go through the process of filling in his benefit forms AGAIN and this time I posted them registered, costing nearly £7!! Our benefits rights officer has written a long letter of complaint about the way we've been treated.... do you think that will have ANY affect at all??? Can't see it myself.
I want to say a great big thanks for everyone's support over the last year, believe me I wouldn't make it through without you ...... so we're wishing you all a very Happy New Year and hope the coming year brings you all everything you wish for x.
No comments:
Post a Comment