Doc and vet

 Got my friend coming this afternoon to take me to the doctor's, and to the vets with Betty.  My hip pain has worsened significantly over the past 10 days or so since I've been dog walking....Pain doesn't usually bother me much, I can ride it out, but not now, it's just got so bad.  The GP is giving me stronger painkillers (the dreaded codeine, plus the stuff to combat the resultant constipation), and referring me for x-ray.

Betty has a 2 cm long raw wound on her cheek....I noticed it yesterday after we came back from the walk, I saw she was scratching and rubbing her face so had a look.  The wound is buried in her cheek wrinkles so was hard to spot initially, I first noticed several small puncture wounds on her face.  She's a right bloodhound when out, her nose is to the ground sniffing all the time, and she frequently shoves her entire face into the hedges or undergrowth if she's following a scent.  So I think she's caught her face on brambles or most likely barbed wire, as friend suggested.  I've been bathing it with cooled boiled salty water, but its a bit weepy and red looking this morning.  I'm concerned that if it was barbed wire, it may have been rusty and so cause infection, and of course she was scratching and probably has dirt under her claws.  So it's off to the vets as a precaution.  She is a bit subdued and hasn't eaten breakfast, although that in itself isn't totally unusual.

There's always something.

Husband is still struggling trying to use the crutches, he's still not quite got the hang of it.

Birthday

 Thank you for all the birthday wishes.  For lunch I made a Stilton spread (just crumbled stilton mashed and mixed with butter, Philadelphia cream cheese and smoked paprika), we had it on some bought crackers.   I cooked a simple but nice meal for dinner - a small gammon ham with honey and mustard poured over, spicy wedges and I made coleslaw to go with it.  I also made a pudding - a dish of our home grown blueberries topped with chocolate sponge made with cocoa and dark choc chips, I had cream with it, husband had custard.

When walking Betty yesterday afternoon on the extendable lead in the field (it's really muddy, waterlogged and squelchy right now), she saw something in the distance, I know not what, pheasant or rabbit probably.  She took off like a rocket, nearly yanking me over in the process, consequently my hip, back, side and right shoulder are agony now.  I've decided that if (when) she does it again, I'm going to drop the lead and let her go, hoping she doesn't catch whatever it is.  She does come back to me when I call her, with a bit of encouragement.  She gets so caked in mud though, which is why I'm not keen on letting her off the lead right now - bending down to clean her off when we get home is a problem for me.  

I've just had some of that chocolate pudding, with some Greek yogurt, for breakfast - and you know what?  It was bloody lovely!  Sod the diet.

I have no idea what I'll cook for dinner tonight, something out of the freezer I expect.

Once this is all over and husband is back on his feet and able to drive, walk the dog and take care of himself (some weeks away yet), I'm going to go away for a week, I need a break on my own to do - well, nothing.  Oh, and provided there isn't another lockdown by then!

Bless ya

 Bless you all, you are kind.  It was just a blip, feeling much better today.  Husband's crutches came yesterday, but he's struggling to use them, he can't seem to get the hang of keeping his bad foot off the ground, he's using them more like walking sticks.  Perhaps I need to demonstrate....! 😒

It's my birthday today, an odd one that's for sure.  We sometimes go out for a meal on my birthday, or else husband cooks something of my choice (something easy!), or we have a takeaway.  I'll be cooking today, obviously.  I've had some nice cards and flowers, and the sun's shining.  I might commandeer the tv later on (for a change) and watch one of my favourite musicals, Phantom of the Opera or My Fair Lady.

Mrs Grump

 It's been one of those days today, things going wrong and loads of minor irritations, I've been weepy and irritable all day.  Being so tired doesn't help.  Nor does husband when he keeps saying how much his foot hurts still...well of course it does.  And the bloody crutches I ordered and paid extra for next day delivery still haven't arrived, when they should have come yesterday.  Covid delays, apparently (yes blame everything on Covid!).  And new lockdown starts tomorrow.....not that we'll notice much, seeing as husband can't drive or go outside....oh and no working car even if he could drive.  Got a right case of the grumps today, one of those days when I felt like staying in bed with the quilt pulled over my head.

Crap morning, lovely afternoon

 Husband's still really struggling to get around, the crutches haven't arrived yet, hopefully they'll come tomorrow.  He's very constipated because of all the codeine he's taking, fortunately we have plenty of those laxative orange sachets.  Being so immobile doesn't help much either, and his appetite isn't yet back to normal.  He'll get there in due course.

I got drenched taking Betty out first thing...feels like it's been raining forever, although luckily it's mostly showers.  She caught sight of 2 other dogs and nearly yanked my arm off straining on the lead to get to them, and then a van raced past, no attempt to slow down or move over, splashing us and almost whacking me with his wing mirror.  It was the first and last time I shall be walking down the lane with the dog....I only went that way as the field is so waterlogged and muddy.  It'll be wellies and sloshing about in the field from now on, it's the safer option....not that it does my hip much good.  Oh and the car was collected by the garage and taken off for the MOT - it failed.  Hey ho - just as well husband's foot and the impending lockdown mean we don't need it imminently.

Later on though, my best friend came and picked me and Betty up and took us to my favourite beach, Dunster, for an hour's walk - oh it was wonderful.  My happy place, Betty having a ball charging around the beach, and spending time catching up with my lovely friend, pretty much a perfect afternoon.  Thank you M 😘

I need to do some serious housework tomorrow, not that I want to but it does need doing.  I'll sit husband at the kitchen table and get him prepping the veg for dinner, to save me a job, it'll just be roasted veggies and chicken legs so easy to do.  After lunch - easy again, cheese, crackers and an apple - I'm going to sit up in my craft room, I have several cards I need to make.

And its only day 3

Husband's foot hasn't been put in plaster as we'd thought it would be, it's heavily bandaged and padded, he's been given a big shoe thing with Velcro straps for when he has to stand up.  But no crutches....Yet he was told not to put any pressure on the foot for 2 weeks.  So how is he supposed to go to the bathroom or move around from room to room, go up and down stairs, have a shower (it's an over the bath one, not a cubicle) without putting any weight on that foot?  We don't have a downstairs loo, only upstairs.  He can't move around without holding onto something - he's almost 70, unsteady on his feet at the best of times, and not skinny!  So I've ordered him some crutches, they'll be delivered tomorrow.  In the meantime, I was going to borrow a Zimmer frame for him from a neighbour whose husband used it before he died....unfortunately, she's gone to stay with her son for a few days so I can't.  Ridiculous not to give him crutches, how on earth did they think he/we would manage?

I've been up and down stairs so many times (he stayed in bed yesterday) - what with that, walking the dog 2x daily, doing all the housework (minimal I have to say!), cooking, washing up, washing, taking rubbish out, sorting his bedroom out which looks like a bomb's hit it, he's so untidy, I will lose stones without even trying.  And I am totally knackered.  Just trying to keep up with giving him pain meds 4x daily, along with the 8 or 10 normal heart etc meds he takes every day, wears me out...He's so forgetful, I have to do everything for him, it's like having a demanding child.  Not that he demands anything, he doesn't, he is aware how helpless he is without me.  I'm just so tired.

He's got to go back to hospital in a fortnight to have the bandages taken off and renewed, the consultant will check his foot then and decide on the next steps....whether/when to start physiotherapy.  Although now we're back in lockdown I can't see how he will be going for the weekly physio sessions for 6 weeks that was originally mentioned.

He says if he knew how painful his foot would be and how difficult it would make everything, he wouldn't have had the op.  Well, I'd guessed it would be, I don't know why he thought it would be a breeze.  At least he won't be in daily pain like he was before the op, once he's recovered.

He's a very difficult patient and I'm not cut out to be a nurse.  Sorry to moan, but I'm so totally knackered, physically and emotionally.

All done

 Husband was first on the list for his op yesterday, as his was the most complicated procedure.  It all went well, he was done and dusted and home early afternoon yesterday.  He's spent today in bed.  And that's all I have to say for today.