Bad news for me.
Annelie will have her 4'th surgery tomorrow:(
That's on a Sunday and that means it's very acute:(

This has left me partially deaf and with a ringing noise in my head.

:/

As developments go - that is an unfortunate one, Bernie, and probably quite unexpected. Sorry to hear learn of it. Getting stuck in a lift with some Morris dancers for hours almost sounds preferable.

Things went rapidly downhill from there and it took one of the nurses about 10 minutes to calm him down enough to get him back to his chair.

Extremely worrying development, he has never exhibited behaviour like that before. The nurse said she sees this a lot in dementia patients as they don't seem to be able to cope with the change of location.

I am hoping that if he is at home he will settle down. Time will tell.

He is still too weak to walk unaided so he will be in a while longer.

Contradicting my mum is often extremely perilous to her mood, especially with anything fact-based. Sometimes there is no choice though. I was shocked at how quickly she adopted "institutionalised" behaviour during her last stay in a care home. Hospital stays do give off a different vibe though. Hopefully, once he is discharged, everything at home will fall back into its proper place in his head, and sudden mood swings won't occur too often. It's bound to worry you though :(

For many reasons (some I won't be able to mention till I get advice) this is a weird day.

I had a little accident with something I found in one of my dads bedside drawers (whilst looking for things that needed washing).

This has left me partially deaf and with a ringing noise in my head.

Then when I went to see my dad, things started out OK, when I told him the next door neighbours were coming to visit him about 4pm, he said that he had better get changed.

I asked him what he was going to change into he said a shirt and trousers of course, when I then reminded him he didn't have any clothes here he got a bit upset and said "of course I have clothes here". When I pointed out he was in hospital he got a bit more upset and pointed out quite loudly that he was at home and was going to the bedroom to change. At this point he pulled out the nasal oxygen tubes and pushed my hand away when I tried to put them back, and was attempting to stand.

Things went rapidly downhill from there and it took one of the nurses about 10 minutes to calm him down enough to get him back to his chair.

Extremely worrying development, he has never exhibited behaviour like that before. The nurse said she sees this a lot in dementia patients as they don't seem to be able to cope with the change of location.

I am hoping that if he is at home he will settle down. Time will tell.

He is still too weak to walk unaided so he will be in a while longer.

I prefer you`d spam the boards.

Oh, okay :) I do have to go and separate some food from a shop and then fling it about my kitchen or we won't be eating this evening. I'd planned to do it yesterday but never got round to it in the end. A request for sausages and mash has been tabled which WILL please the cats because they'll be able to drive me crazy whilst they attempt to worship the grill god.

Usually i`m a rather quiet person but i had to learn that sometimes its better to express your feelings.
Makes things a little bit easier.

Aww... :) One of the strategies that helped my son cope with the anxieties being at school plagued him with, was having what we called his "worry box". It was where he could write down what was troubling him and post it to me if he felt unable to speak about it in person. Sometimes it would just be a picture. I had a "this might help box" to respond in. Sometimes all it had in it was an invitation to come and get a hug from me, and that would provide him with an opportunity to find the words for us to talk things through properly.

It's a bit like this thread really :)

Usually i`m a rather quiet person but i had to learn that sometimes its better to express your feelings.
Makes things a little bit easier.

Yes.
That's why we have this thread thanks to Annie.

I prefer you`d spam the boards.
Usually i`m a rather quiet person but i had to learn that sometimes its better to express your feelings.
Makes things a little bit easier.

---

With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

My other half was also admitted to hospital last night, just in time for father's day tomorrow too :/ I've managed to speak to him briefly today and he said not to worry about visiting him tomorrow. He knows how difficult it is with my mum in tow, but I'm hoping to find someone who can pop in and keep an eye on her so my son and I can. They've still not managed to dialyse him, which means Wednesday's only partial dialysis is the last time he was, and his blood potassium levels are now heading for 8.8 after reaching 8.5 yesterday. It can mean one of two things people - I'll either be spamming the boards in an effort to distract myself :) for which please accept my advance apologies, or withdrawing into a self-absorbed funk.

That breakfast sounds so nice, Bernie, I might go sip a coffee and hallucinate on our pond - there is a yucca beside it, and it COULD be a tropical beach... ;)

edit for something I forgot yesterday: @
https://setiathome.berkeley.edu/forum_thread.php?id=80282&postid=1873409 That is so so sad :( My heartfelt condolences to the family. To find the strength to keep going when faced with tragedy after tragedy must be so hard.

Help has already been offered and I have declined at this time.

Until dad is home again I have no idea if or what sort of help I might require.

I am quite aware that help is available but will keep my options open.

Because he has been having problems answering questions from the medical staff I have taken the opportunity to remind him on several occasions that his brain no longer works properly and that as I am his carer he needs to listen to me a bit more.

I would never force outside help on my father.

Yes I am trying to relax, I have just finished breakfast at the cafe in Yarmouth, looking out across the Solent on a beautiful sunny Saturday. I will go fo a longer walk now to make up for not going yesterday.

And it has been confirmed as far as possible that he has dementia (I was sure but it is nice to know) everyone who treated him that I spoke to recognised it straight away and one of the doctors asked him several simple questions, like what date is your birthday, what year is it, who is the Queen, etc, they only one he got right was when the doctor pointed to me an asked who I was.

From the descriptions you have been giving it was fairly clear that was the case, But it would have been very wrong to have suggested that to you increasing your already heavy burden. But now it has been officially diagnosed, that should mean that when he does come home you will be getting extra help with him. In the meantime try to make the most of the "break" and let the hospital take over for a while.

Thank you all.

Dad has been stabilised and was looking a lot better when I visited him this evening.

He just wants to come home! I have explained that as his carer I want to make sure he is well enough as I do not want to go through that again.

They think that rather than a full blown heart attack, the valve damaged in his attack in November 2015, had a problem and rather than the pain normally associated, it caused dads breathing difficulties.

I am pretty sure that having the "First Responders" helped a lot as he came from the local fire station, 5 minutes away, whereas the ambulance came form Newport 20 minutes away.

Also technology allows much speedier diagnosis and treatment, he connected the BP cuff and "finger sensor" and the displays told him enough to start the treatment, which the ambulance crew took over.

So now they just want dad to be strong enough to walk unaided (but with his stick). Not sure how long he will be in.

And it has been confirmed as far as possible that he has dementia (I was sure but it is nice to know) everyone who treated him that I spoke to recognised it straight away and one of the doctors asked him several simple questions, like what date is your birthday, what year is it, who is the Queen, etc, they only one he got right was when the doctor pointed to me an asked who I was.

Hopefully I will sleep tonight.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your father, Bernie.

+1

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your father, Bernie.

---

I don't have any hints or tips. In my case both my parents died very shortly after the first indications of problems.

But I do wonder why some families seem to get all the bad luck.
On Monday I will be attending the funeral of the 30 year old son of my one time next door neighbours and friends. They have also had the experience of having a daughter who had Downs Syndrome and Leukemia who died at 14 in the early hours of Christmas day 1990.
Their surviving daughter was a classmate of my youngest son.

---

A draining morning!!

...is I'm sure, an understatement.

Glad he's more comfortable, Bernie :) I hope you get a good night's rest tonight. It's not always easy to switch off a full-time carer's brain and senses. They don't always let you relax, when meeting someone else's needs has temporarily shifted to other shoulders elsewhere. Add to that the worry of knowing they've taken a knock back in their health, doesn't help either.

Best wishes to both of you, and a big hug especially for you, just in case you need one.

999 was chosen as the emergency number in the UK because it could be dialled 'blind' (in dark or smoky conditions) in the days of rotary-dial telephones. Having a single number for all emergency services also made it easy to remember in the days when few people had even a landline at home. It's free to use on all phones and all lines.

I remember those rotary-dial telephones.
It's only about 5 years ago I had to let that phone go.
And I think the distress calls here in Sweden was 999 as well about 30 years ago.
999 is very hard to dial if you are old and perhaps very distressed on such phones.

Come on Janne. Don't tell me you have forgotten that we had 90000 as the emergency number, before we went to 112?
We never had 999.
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/90_000

LOL:)
I forgot.
That's even worse.
Getting old...

But I remember 594886 that was my parents phone number when I was young still living with them:)

999 was chosen as the emergency number in the UK because it could be dialled 'blind' (in dark or smoky conditions) in the days of rotary-dial telephones. Having a single number for all emergency services also made it easy to remember in the days when few people had even a landline at home. It's free to use on all phones and all lines.

I remember those rotary-dial telephones.
It's only about 5 years ago I had to let that phone go.
And I think the distress calls here in Sweden was 999 as well about 30 years ago.
999 is very hard to dial if you are old and perhaps very distressed on such phones.

Come on Janne. Don't tell me you have forgotten that we had 90000 as the emergency number, before we went to 112?
We never had 999.

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/90_000

999 was chosen as the emergency number in the UK because it could be dialled 'blind' (in dark or smoky conditions) in the days of rotary-dial telephones. Having a single number for all emergency services also made it easy to remember in the days when few people had even a landline at home. It's free to use on all phones and all lines.

I remember those rotary-dial telephones.
It's only about 5 years ago I had to let that phone go.
And I think the distress calls here in Sweden was 999 as well about 30 years ago.
999 is very hard to dial if you are old and perhaps very distressed on such phones.

999 was chosen as the emergency number in the UK because it could be dialled 'blind' (in dark or smoky conditions) in the days of rotary-dial telephones. Having a single number for all emergency services also made it easy to remember in the days when few people had even a landline at home. It's free to use on all phones and all lines.

Thank you for the confirmation.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your father, Bernie.

---

The mind is a weird and mysterious place

999 was chosen as the emergency number in the UK because it could be dialled 'blind' (in dark or smoky conditions) in the days of rotary-dial telephones. Having a single number for all emergency services also made it easy to remember in the days when few people had even a landline at home. It's free to use on all phones and all lines.

No doubt every country chose their own individual numbers in those days, but now 112 has been chosen as the European standard. Both 112 and 999 work as emergency numbers in the UK.

The other three-figure numbers Chris mentioned have been added gradually and inconsistently, leading - IMHO - to added and unnecessary confusion. I certainly can't remember them all.