The Lishman Journal – Day 26

I refuse to be gloomy, I refuse to made to feel angry and upset, I refuse to eat chicken 12 times in one week…………………!!!!!!!  Sorry Lishman unit, but this is just NOT good enough.  I am now officially on the warpath and will be taking up where Francis leaves off when he is discharged and goes home Friday.  Yes, after a marathon here (well, 1.5 miles around Ruskin Park), Francis is finally ready to depart the unit and venture into the bright new world awaiting him.  The next few days will no doubt be a blur for him and us, but I’m sure he will pop back occasionally, triumphant and a new man!

Friday night was a bit of a nightmare for me.  I just did not feel “right”; you all know that feeling………something definitely not quite sitting right inside of you, but cannot really pinpoint the source.  Well, after waking myself up many times shouting unintelligible mumbo jumbo, I gave up at 4am, got up and went into the dining room where a kind nurse made me a cuppa.  5 minutes later I’m in full-on seizure mode and only came out of them after about 15 minutes.  I know it’s not long for some of you, but for me that’s a longish series.  Head was all over, throbbing, tinnitus, breathing hard to do and no balance………………. so once again, nurses brought my wheelchair and I crawled up the mountain into it and seized my way onto the bed with a pillow one side of me and the cot-side up on the other.  Finally fell asleep and had a couple of hours before breakfast and felt better by then, although even now the vertigo is bothersome and the tinnitus has really settled into high definition stereo.

It was a quiet Saturday after that, with only 9 patients (or service clients……?????), so one of the nurses was kind enough to put my washing into the machine and another tumbled it.  All in all, only took about 9 hours as I kept forgetting it and so did they! J

Today was another quiet one, although Francis happened to be looking out his window just before 8am and spied bacon and sausages being delivered…………….to the ward above us so his heightened sense of anticipation was swiftly dashed!!!!!  Not happy bunnies at our breakfast of soggy toast when he revealed all! J

My head is still revolving slowly but better by the hour.  My eldest sister brought my mother in to visit this afternoon and we had a pleasant 90 minutes before their long trek back to the car park before a £5 charge came into effect!  Hope they made it in time!

I’m sure Francis is hidden away in his room now plotting some evil deed, maybe writing to Jamie Oliver to set him onto the case of the Maudsley Chicken Farm (Aramark, the catering company, obviously own one!).  Or no, on second thoughts, I remember he thinks Jamie is too soft and reckons Gordon Ramsay would be the ideal! 

And so, this evening draws on blustery, cold and dark, but drier than the massive hailstorm, thunder and lightning of yesterday!  Supper approaches about 9:30pm………..more toast……….but good company and we can sit there venting and moaning to each other J. The ladies return tomorrow, Leoni sporting a new “ink” of a dream-catcher on her shoulder……(my favourite artefact(?)!).  Should look even better than the photo, but I’m hoping she’ll bring in some felt-tip pens so I can do some colouring in for my occupational therapy…………
I’m sure Annie and David will have tales to tell of times with their children; so sad to be away from them, but an investment in their future also!

Be good, be happy, no pain and less symptoms dear friends…….until the next time.  XX