Recent events seem to have increased her suffering in a way that is plainly visible.
A couple of days before new years eve I noticed Beryl making a sigh like sound every time she breathed out and a 'rattling' sound that appeared to come from her chest. The rattling sound was her breath blowing through phlegm which made her more lethargic than usual, she was finding it difficult to get up or walk. On the Friday before new years eve I called the doctor out and he pronounced that she had a chest infection and left a prescription for an antibiotic which was in fluid form. I had only given her two doses that night which was not enough time to do anything to relieve her symptoms but I panicked.
Around midnight that Friday I was going to bed but could not lay down listening to her obvious discomfort which, it appeared to me, was getting worse. That's when I went into panic mode.
I first looked up the NHS Direct website for a phone number to call but could not find one so resorted to dialling 999, a call I didn't want to make to this overworked service but felt compelled to do so. I was put through to the ambulance service and after a long chat about Beryl's condition the lady on the other end thought it was not a bad enough situation to warrant an ambulance call to take her to hospital and she said she would alert a locum doctor to come and see her, they would arrive in twenty minutes or so. I waited for nearly an hour and no locum. I phoned 999 again and this time an ambulance was dispatched and Beryl and I were taken to James Cook University Hospital's A&E department, we arrived just after 1am on New Years Eve. That morning was an experience that I would never want to repeat nor have it repeated on my lovely wife, it was horrendous.
By five thirty in the morning of New Years Eve they eventually admitted her to a ward and Beryl was immediately put on a drip of antibiotics and saline to rehydrate her. I still wonder if she was given the saline because I had not given her enough to drink in the days beforehand. I got home that morning around 10am and just had to have a couple of hours sleep as I had not slept for around 36 hours.
Beryl was released from hospital on Tuesday the 3rd of January this year, the same day as her beloved brother was cremated, thankfully she was blissfully unaware of this.
Now that she is back home her 'rattling' has gone and the antibiotics had done their job. She had a mass of bruises on the back of her hand, arm and stomach which was testament to how this confused woman was prodded and pulled, not that any blame lies here, she had to have blood tests and a cannula inserted for the drip, which she constantly fiddled with so they put one in her stomach instead. A stressful time for most of us who are fit of mind but for an Alzheimer's patient it is intolerable.
Since Beryl has come out of hospital things have changed. Before she went in she could get up and walk, meddle in the kitchen thinking she was helping me and generally get in my way when working about the flat. Now she has great difficulty in standing and her walking is laboured. Her speech is more slurred at times and she speaks less. Before I was worried about her eating and now I am more worried as she would only take one small fork full of food before leaving it to go cold. I now have to spoon feed her, an act that has tears running down my cheeks sometimes. How it has come to this I do not know.
There are more worries and stresses on the horizon for both of us. Work is about to take place in the flat and arrangements have been made for Beryl to go into respite care at a local care home for one week. And to top it all she has developed a bad back! Both of us could do without this intrusion that must take it's toll on both of us. I fear for the future.
The top pic is of Beryl and I when I had an ear infection and was confined to bed. The photo was taken by Beryl's just deceased brother Colin. God knows why he came so early and ended up catching Beryl with her dressing gown on. The bottom pic is from god know when and I was such a handsome and young chap.
To be continued...
