h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I wish there was something I could do or say to help but I've got nothing except

Likewise, Ann. I'm so sorry

What others have said... It must be terrible, beign so helpless to help

I got a call last night 12.30am from Carrie's husband to say that she had gone to Ian's as he had rung her and said he couldn't breathe. She rang Rapid Response and they stabilised him before taking him to hospital, blue lights & siren going. Carrie followed in her car. Since then, nothing. I have tried ringing Carrie - her mobile goes straight to answermachine.

I know how Schrödinger must have felt

Right now I have to go to Tesco's to do Mum's shopping then go do her housework. I'll be free from post-lunch so I hope I'll have heard from Carrie by then. TTFN, I'll post back here as soon as I can

Your stomach must be in knots I hope you've heard from Carrie by now and Ian has been made comfortable.



Deb

Prayers for you.

Thanks everyone

Ian is in hospital and on a drip of anti-sickness, and they're feeding him intravenously as well. I visited him this afternoon and he has stopped being sick I'm going back tonight, just waiting for my lift

I'll tell him you were all asking after him

GB

Good news! Tell him we're all thinking about him.

We are indeed.

from my P/S

If a single could take your pains away - I would STILL send you a million 's.

Thank you everyoneI don't know what I'd do without your support and all the thoughts, prayers and good wishes are much appreciated

My sister went to visit Ian straight after work, she took him a bottle of Jersey milk (that Ian has been having his Scandishakes made with) and a Sudoko book. He was thrilled to have 3 nice ladies around his bed (the other chaps in the ward must've been so jealous). While we were there, a nurse came to change his whiteboard from "sips" to "free fluids" as he had kept the Coca-Cola down which I got him earlier. The Jersey milk was cold from Yvonne's work fridge and he immediately asked for a beakerfull, he said it went down very well indeed. The nurses kept it in the fridge for him and we topped up his beaker before he left. I'll take him another bottle today, and this morning I'm going shopping for adult beakers.

Last night Ian was much like his old self, not in pain, not being sick, the old Ian surfaced and he had us laughing about his antics. He had had an accident coming back to bed from the loo, sat on his intravenous line, moved and tore out his cannula but he turned that into a joke, 2 nurses had to come and change the bedcovers, they called a cleaner to mop the blood off the floor, he said it was like a horror version of Carry On Nurse... it took about 4 goes to get a fresh cannula in, on his other arm, he said he used to have very co-operative super-veins but the chemo has turned them all into shrunken floppy spaghetti (oh, the visions) but he had us in stitches regaling it all. Yvonne got to hear the gunge-hitting-the-floor gag, she had her face in her hands while Carrie merrily stuck her fingers in her ears and sang "La La La!". He's also happy because kissing is back on the menu, and last night he got kisses from 3 different ladies

My sister goes on holiday on Wednesday for a week and I have explicit instructions from her that she doesn't want to know if anything happens while she's away.

On the way home Carrie said when he was admitted to the ward that the admitting doctor was really annoyed that Ian had been discharged on Friday when he had aspiration pneumonia and a chest infection. She is thinking of putting in a complaint, but the hospital is already in special measures and I am grateful for the care and treatment he is getting

Glad the Jersey milk is going down well Good stuff that

So glad to hear Ian's rallying.

It sounds like you all had a wonderful time, building more treasured memories I'm sure I wasn't the only one with a massive grin on my face reading your post

Deb

Looking back at yesterday's 2 visits, I am going to file that day away in my memory as a "good day" (they have been few and far between in the whole of this year)...

I have had a good morning, although dodging driving wind and rain I managed to see our friend Denise at the Parkway Cinema and have a lovely catch-up chat and cuppa with her (she owns the place so kept the bar open until I left). Then I went to the factory shop for an adult beaker... no luck, so went to Tickety Boo then Trotters Traders. I have got 3 different types and noted where bought so he can choose the preferable ones, they were only £1 each (they're kiddie ones) but the specialist adult beakers are £5.99 each in the chemist. He would faint. I have got him a see-through one with a tortoise pattern (I'll call that the Victor Meldrew one), a blue one with a purple lid which has a flip-top cover over a bendy straw (should be perfect for his milkshakes), and a purple and red spill-proof beaker with a handles on each side. I'll remove the baby/toddler cardboard containers before I take them to the hospital

You know what? I'll bet he'd get a charge out of the kiddie stuff. He's a genius, anyway.

We have a question: what's Jersey milk? Elektra says, is it just milk from Jersey cows?

It is milk from Jersey cows, it's the highest fat content milk available in the UK. He loved all three beakers and was very happy to have his hair washed by Carrie

But today was not so good as yesterday, I was a bit poleaxed to discover that the nurse who changed "sips" to "free fluids" yesterday had made a mistake and it should have stayed at sips until his next x-ray to check the stents.

Also, a caterer gave him a menu this morning, asked him to fill it in for lunch - he rang Carrie in a panic as he didn't know what to do. She told him to ask a nurse for help, he did, and she said he shouldn't have been given a menu () as he is being fed intravenously.

Three different doctors visited Ian while we were there, two of them thought he'd had his x-ray, and the other said he would chase it up but he didn't return. We left at 6pm feeling very despondent. No sign of the other daughter. She had rung his mobile phone that morning, to visit him at home. Ian told her he was in hospital. <quote> "Oh, ok. Let me know when you're home."