A weekend away

Well Dad has enjoyed his first weekend away since his op. He's been staying at the Woodlands Centre at Glasbury-on-Wye. He's had a great weekend, even though it was a bit nippy! I did ask if he was taking his hot water bottle with him and he said no ... as he didn't want everyone to know he used a hot water bottle !

Dad did his own walks and on the Saturday he had a wander along the river. Sunday he had a walk up one the hills ! Took it at his own pace but on both days he was out walking for a couple of hours. This is yet another milestone ticked off !
 
He's back to see the surgeon this week, so it will be good that he can report that he's been doing a few miles walking!

He's done three weeks at the gym now so he should at least be getting the hang of what he needs to do on the equipment !

It's the weekend

Well Dad had a little walk along to the Drs yesterday. Took his time but he made it there and back ! Said it was cold though. This ain't cold this is fairly mild ! I gave him a call in the afternoon and I got no reply, a bit of panic sets in but I left it 10 minutes and tried again. I'd only managed to catch him in the shower :)

Today he's had his shopping delivered with my Asda online shop so I've been and dropped that off at his this morning and put it all away. His shopping cost a fraction of my weekly shop ... I'm blaming my cat for his expensive tastes !

This morning I've been to visit my Mum in the home, so Dad tagged along for a visit, a chat and a cup of tea! He usually visits Mum once a week and he's not been since before his op so she was really pleased to see him.

Mum with her frame that Dad "customised" with her name and the fairies have put tinsel on it overnight ! 

Dad has also caught up reading this blog.

Three Weeks on from the op ...

Well it's been three weeks since Dad had his op and just over a week since he came home. Been a stressful few weeks but hopefully we are now over the difficult part. Dad is doing good, he gets tired but that's to be expected after such a big op.

We still "check-in" by phone several times a day and I call in on my way home from work.  Dad also gets regular visitors and phone calls from his friends as well.

Dad has been out for a couple of pub lunches this week. On Wednesday he went out with a friend and they headed over to a pub in Market Drayton and even though Dad had said before he'd not got much of an appetite he did manage to polish off steak pie and pint! Today he's been out to The Mainwaring Arms and managed polish off another hearty meal and a pint ! So much for not having much of an appetite !

I've been dropping him a newspaper off on my way to work and he's also been reading his books, so with that, his visitors and trips out he's been keeping himself occupied. He's hoping to go for a little walk tomorrow, just to the end of the street as he has a Drs appointment. I've told him he must carry his mobile phone and an "In Case of Emergency" note with my contact numbers on ! What's the betting he forgets both !

Up and sitting in his chair

I rang and checked on Dad earlier today and they said they'd had him up and out of bed. Hopefully that'll help convince him even more that he isn't quite ready to be knocking on those pearly gates !

Got there early tonight so I made sure I got a parking spot so was in to visit him as soon as the doors opened at 6.30. There he was up and sitting in his chair. Those hospital pyjama bottoms aren't really suitable for sitting in a chair with the gaping fly ... but his modesty was soon covered up as I dragged his blanket off the bed! That's definitely not what a daughter wants to catch an eye full of !  They are slowly removing various tubes and he has some lovely bruises appearing. They've had him up and for a small walk but Dad was a bit like bambi on ice so they got him back in bed ! Hopefully tomorrow they'll get him going a bit further.

He has had a ticking off tonight for the state of his slippers. I know he doesn't like shopping but I could have got him some new ones! I'm not having my Dad walking around in slippers that his toes are peeking through (and no they're not mules he's wearing!). So I've been get him some new ones on my way back from the hospital. I've actually got two pairs so he can try them on and see which ones he likes best! If he likes them both he'll get the other pair at Christmas!

Dad is much brighter and alert today. Been laughing and joking about his hallucinations and he's decided he ain't doing drugs if that's what it is like ! He's had quite a few visitors today and now his shelf is full with Get Well cards !  He's eating well and drinking and when I left he asked for his book to see if he could read a bit which is definitely a good sign that he's on the road to recovery.

I took him a collage of some "selfie photos" that I'd taken of me and him and the collage from his 80th Birthday cake and that cheered him up.  This is a photo from Le Tour in Yorkshire earlier this year ... I've told him his moto is now "put me back on my bike" ...

Many thanks to everyone that has sent their good wishes, folk who have phoned and emailed me. I tell Dad it all and how yesterday he had nearly 150 hits on his blog !

Sunday visiting

Well today has been a day of visiting parents ... first Mum this morning in her residential home and then Dad this afternoon. Set off for visiting Dad early as I thought I'd be better placed to get a parking space. How wrong was I. I visited every car park on the Hospital, together with another little black car that was circling round with me. I even went off and tried on the other site and that road took me back to A&E so I circled that car park again and as I was leaving a couple were walking back to the car park, so I asked them if they were going and they were. I stalked them back to their car and I'd got a space - 20 minutes after I'd arrived at the hospital ! So much for getting their early.

However the lack of parking was soon forgotten as I entered Dad's ward as he was much brighter today. He was sitting up in bed and I soon as I turned up the oxygen mask was off. I started dishing out the treats I'd got him and everyone I got a "no I'm eating that", "no I'm not drinking that" but I opened the grapes and he ate one and opened a carton of orange and he drank that ! He also had a cup of tea. His friend also turned up so between us we kept the conversation flowing. We managed to convince Dad that he wasn't knocking on those pearly gates just yet and once Dad realised he was no longer in Intensive Care he did start to believe us! Dad also realised that "he'd been away with the fairies" and all those people that he was convinced had visited him yesterday might have been in his dream !  We talked about the bike and cycling and where yesterday he'd said he was never riding again today he talked about his next "adventure" on the bike and it was me and him cycling around Westport Lake. That's definitely an improvement! I did say he needed to ask for a supply of whatever Lance Armstrong has been on for all those years for both me and Dad! 

Hopefully later this afternoon they were going to try him sitting in the chair. He'll feel better for that as the others on the ward are up and about.

I left him with his supplies and several get well cards.  So both parent visits went well today.