How can this happen!!!!

How can a hospital make such a mistake!!!! Let me explain......

Yesterday my mother was due to have laser treatment to one of her eyes, well that was what we thought when the appointment arrived in the post and it was certainly what the consultant told us when we saw him back in May.

You might remember me writing at the time that, having completed an assessment they were quite certain that my mother should NOT have her cataracts removed as she would be unable to lie still without moving for up to 45mins.

We got a taxi to the hospital and arrived in plenty of time for our 12md appointment. I was a bit surprised that we were sent up to the day theatre and not the out patient clinic but we were expected so I didn't worry. I did feel irritated when they told me that I couldn't stay with my mother as they needed to prepare her and when I asked how long 'the procedure' would take I was told the Doctors won't be starting until 1:30pm and they might be late so if you want to go away and come back we can ring you as it might be 3 or 4 hours. I thought this was ridiculous for laser treatment that is supposed to be a very quick procedure. It was pouring with rain I had no intentions of going all the way home and I didn't want to traipse around the shops so I said I was staying and I was told I could wait in the day room. I had a paper, book, and some crosswords and a bottle of water but no food!

I just get settled in the day room when a nurse came to the door and in a very loud voice asked 'is there someone here with Mrs C'. She went on to ask me if I have my mother's teeth as she couldn't find them and she wanted me to go and sort it out. My mother had her teeth when I left her and for goodness sake what is wrong with the nurses searching!. Anyway I went back to the room my mother was sharing, with another lady, and found them in the bottom her bag. I saw that she has a cup of tea so that was good. I returned to the day room and settled down and gradually everyone else left and I was alone.
After about an hour a very handsome young doctor came in and asked me to come and see my mother. As soon as I got into the room my mother blurted out 'they were going to take my cataracts out, they put eye drops in and got me all ready'. I couldn't believe my ears.
The doctor was very apologetic and said he had checked the notes and it was an administrative error that it was the fault of the hospital that they had got the wrong procedure booked. He went on to say that they couldn't do the laser treatment today and it would mean another appointment. I said I wasn't very happy as it had cost us over £20 for taxi fares. The Doc couldn't tell me when the next appointment would be except sometime in September.
I think we were both a bit shocked really as this could so easily have ended in disaster for my mother if the mistake hadn't been noticed in time. Now I've had time to think about it I'm actually wondering if I should make a formal complaint. I think the least they could do is refund the taxi money but I bet they won't. For my mother, who had geared herself up for this, it's back to waiting another few weeks.

Archives:
2007: Fun Monday-27

Friday Feelings

Why is it whenever I'm not around for a day (see yesterday's post) my mother stores up a load of little things for me to sort out. As soon as she sees me every morning she unloads everything that has been on her mind and of course she didn't see me at all yesterday so it seemed almost like a child demanding attention today.

It's taken me all morning, looking up things on the internet, finding addresses that I keep giving her and which she then promptly loses, posting letters and lots of other small things.

She tells me that she struggled to the local shop yesterday -goodness knows what she wanted, as I've done shopping for her every day this week, and she knows I only like to do a grocery shop once a week. She clearly used the opportunity of me being out of the way to go and spend some money at the small local Tesco (in sight of our house so it's not far but still really too far for her to walk comfortably). She says it exhausted her and she is suffering today, but that aside I'm sure it did her good.

When Kelly (one of her great-grandaughters) visited on Wednesday, they had apparently been talking about clothes. Since then my mother has been going on and on about being taken to the new 'shopping mall' near where Kelly lives as all the shops she needs are there. I was totally puzzled because as far as I knew, the only major project in that area had been an extension to Tesco.

I emailed Kelly to check it out only to discover that my mother had got everything wrong as usual. Kelly had been talking about 'petite' sections in some of the normal high street stores, which is exactly what I had been telling my mother. For some reason she never listens to what I say but will hang onto the things other people tell her. I find this particularly frustrating especially when I'm the one who has to take her everywhere and I'm, also, the one who understands her capabilities even better than she does herself (that probably sounds conceited but it's just the truth).

I've just been reading what I've wrote this morning, before I left it to go off for my swim and I realise this sounds as though I'm having a moan. In fact I was going to delete it and start again but then I decided against this.

In many ways I know my mother is only frustrated that she can no longer do the things she wants to do and I'm the person she relies on for all her shopping needs. However, I do have to be careful because if I allowed it my whole time would be taken up just ferrying her around and I feel this is unreasonable.

I already take her to the nurse (most weeks) the doc when necessary, I get her shopping, do laundry, cleaning, fetch her pension, take her to the hairdressers and a lot of fetching and carrying around the house, this takes up a fair amount of time each week. If I need to go shopping for myself she will always say oh just get me so and so.... and then I end up concentrating on her list instead of mine.

I know she appreciates all the things I do for her but just sometimes I would like a day when I have my own space. I used to get this some Wednesdays when her friend took her out for a few hours. This friend crashed her car into a wall a few weeks ago and the car was a write off, luckily her friend was fine, thank goodness.

So until the insurance is sorted and a new car is purchased all Weds trips are off. I will be very surprised if the insurance company will re-insure a lady of that age (she's same age as my mother). However, my mother seems to think they will from what her friend says; so it's just a matter of finding a suitable replacement.

I think we are both looking forward to Wednesdays once this happens.

Archives:
2008: Who's a lucky girl
2007: Low Fat Moist Carrot Cake

Fun Monday # 105 Mothers and daughters!

Jo over at Chocolate and Other Things is our hostess this week; she says

March 2nd is my Mom's birthday and was her mother's birthday as well. For this week's Fun Monday, tell me something fun about your mother and/or her mother. What fun, weird, laughable memories do you have of your Mom or your Grandma?

I'm not quite playing by the rules.....this is my mother as a 2 year old.Below is a picture of me (about 10 months) with my mother. Not sure I can see any resemblance! Apparently I just got up and walked across the room at 11 months- my mother says she never allowed me to crawl because the floor was stone and she worried I would hurt my knees! I then ran everywhere- no wonder I was making up for lost time. Isn't there something quite important about the crawling stage of development! I wish this photo had been in colour because my mother had wonderful deep auburn hair.
The picture below is of my mother with Taffy, a rescue dog we had back in the 50's. I have used this in a previous FM memories post so sorry if you've seen it before.
Taffy loved sitting on my mother's knee when she settled down for a nap. My mother would sit under this old eiderdown, that my father brought back from India after the war, even when temperatures were really high. We could never understand it, but she has always felt cold! The Photo below is of my mother's mother. Sadly I never really knew my granny very well. We did visit her when we were young and I remember these visits very clearly. One thing that really sticks in my mind (I was about 7 at the time) is the fact that in the outside privy (they lived in a cottage in the middle of a wood) there was no toilet paper but just neat squares of newspaper. Now that's what I call recycling!
My granny died when she was 57 and she came to live with us for her final weeks. My brother and I were never really told she was ill (Bright's Disease) and we were forbidden to go into the sitting room where she had a bed. Being curious kids we used to creep in sometimes and I think she was pleased to see us. Then suddenly we came back from school and she was gone. I don't really recall any explanations, until years later. My mother tells me she had a very hard life but she never complained. This picture is of a family outing, I won't bore you with all the details but you might manage to work out which is me, my mother, brother and my gran hiding behind her sister (who really brought her up).
Now what I suddenly noticed yesterday, when I was looking through old photos, was what is on the table in the back ground. I have looked at this photo many times over the years and never picked up that the jug on the table is the Clarice Cliff that I have sitting on top of the unit in my dining room (see below).
This jug was given to my granny by her sister, Daisy, who was really more like a mother to her. I remember this jug from my childhood and always liked it. My mother has since given this jug to Sam, which is why I am storing it for her.
So that's it.. nothing very interesting but, nevertheless, they are my memories. I'll be around to share yours later.

Archives:
2008: Manresa Los Gatos
2007: Fun Monday-6

Happy Birthday to my mother on Fun Monday # 94

I haven't really got time to participate properly in Fun Monday today even though Marmalang is really urging us to get into the Christmas spirit. This is what she wants to know

It's the Christmas season, and I want you to tell us what are your three favorite Christmas Carols and a picture of your favorite Christmas "thing". It could be a Christmas tree, or your mantle, or a church, you in a Santa hat.

I can very quickly tell you three of my favourite Christmas Carols

1 O Little Town of Bethlehem

2 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks (this was favourite at school because we changed the words-did anyone else do that {while Shepherds washed their dirty socks}!

3 Away in a Manger

I haven't put up any decorations or got my tree up so sorry no photos instead I share a picture of the Birthday girl!


Today my mother is 85 years young. This is a photo I took last week after I had taken her to the hairdressers as a birthday treat.

I'm about to leave for the airport to collect Beccy who is coming to surprise her granny.
However, I think we might well be taking a trip to the doctors because yesterday my mother tripped in the hall and scraped a large area of skin from her shin. I put a dressing on it but she wants the nurse to check it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM

Archives:
2007: My Mother is Celebrating her Birthday
2006: Birthday Girl

Thought for Today

My mother wanted me to share this and it does seem quite apt as it is Sunday:

TODAY
(Author Unknown)

LORD, for tomorrow and its needs
I do not pray,
Keep me,my God, from stain of sin
Just for today.
Let me both diligently work and duly pray;
Let me be kind in word and deed
Just for today.
Let me be slow to do my will
Swift to obey;
Keep me in Thy loving care
Just for today.
Let me do no wrong or idle word
Unthinkingly say;
Set Thou a seal upon my lips
Just for today.
Let me in season, Lord, be grave,
In season gay:
Let me faithful to Thy grace,
And if today, my tide of life
Shall ebb away
Grant me dear Lord,
Thy sacrament Divine.
So, for tomorrow and its needs
I do not pray
O, keep me, guide me, love me Lord
...Just for today.

You may not believe in God but there are still some wise sentiment expressed in these words.


Archives:
2007: What does your eye see

This and That!

I haven't written a proper post today as I didn't have enough time to prepare my photos. This is because I spent quite a lot of today catching up reading the rest of the Fun Monday posts I couldn't get to yesterday. I'm still not sure I actually made it to everyone, but I did my best.

Rather than reply individually to all the entertaining answers you gave to the question I posed, I would just like to say thank you for your brilliant efforts. If you had been here you would have heard me laughing; I just knew there would be a lot of inspired responses to my little bit of nonsense!

Anyone who reads my blog regularly might remember my mother is being investigated for a problem with her lung. So far they haven't found the cause and early this evening we had to take her for a scan. It was an odd time 5:25pm but it did mean Embee was home to drive us and drop us off as close as possible to the Radiology department. It was not easy for my mother lying in the position necessary for the scan but she managed it and survived the ordeal, by concentrating on saying her prayers throughout.
Thanks to the helpful cleaner (I'm sure they have some fancy name these days), I found out where the wheelchairs are kept and borrowed one to save my mother the long walk through the building to the exit door. She could hardly breath and the injections had made her feel a bit dizzy (I wonder why they didn't warn us!). She is now safely tucked up in bed, because we go back tomorrow afternoon to see the consultant and hopefully he will have the scan results and will give us a diagnosis.
If you could keep her in your thoughts tomorrow afternoon I would appreciate it.

Archives:
2007: John's Challenge

Sunday Sunshine

I don't know what the temperature is today but it is very hot for the time of the year and we are trying to make the most of it. I have spent the morning chasing up more forms (see yesterday's post) and when I came home for lunch, my mother whom I haven't mention lately decided she would sit in the sun for half an hour. Always looking for a photo opportunity I naturally got the camera. You will see the tortoises are also making the most of the late sunshine. I wish I could join them but as soon as I've posted this I'm back out to knock on doors for another couple of hours.

I hope it's sunny where you are and that you are enjoying your 'Sun'day.

Archives:
October 21st 2006: No archive