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0515hrs: I burst into life, bounded of off the bed and did a double somersault, catching the night bag as I landed on the floor and did fifty swift press-ups. Then ran yodelling away into the wet room and removed the night pouch. A bit of shadow boxing then…
Well, alright then...
0515hrs: I woke up in the £300 second-hand shop bought, c1966. moth-eaten, bedraggled, grotty, cringingly-beige-coloured, much-dilapidated, crumb-containing from my nocturnal nibblings, bug-ridden, itch-inspiring, not working recliner.
I had to force myself t stay awake long enough to get up and fight against Dizzy Dennis and Lost-Balance-Belinda, as I painfully got the nocturnal bag freed and emptied. I was not in good condition, mentally of
physically, this morning. Confusion Konrad had a grip on me. However, despite these things, I started the day and within 10 minutes of using the Porcelain Throne, guess who visited me? Yes, it was good old, much missed, and very welcome
!
Trotsky Terence was in charge of the evacuation. Messy, very messy!
Four-Wheeled-Walker-Wally was still in there, from my returning from the opticians. I made a mental note to empty the pod, collapse Wally, and move it back into the balcony later. It was a big job for me, and it’s complicated because I have to move things around to make space to get to the balcony. (I didn’t)
Off to get the kettle on for a brew of Typhoo. I took a snap from the kitchen. Is that the moon or a light at the back? I’ll try to get another tomorrow.
The Carer Who calls me “Bapu” arrived. She pointed out that the Warfarin Dosage note was still not there. We had another quick search, but others and I had already made them for the sheets without finding them. I said I’d ring the Warfarin-DVT Clinic later to confirm the dosages. No problem in the morning, cause
Warfarin is taken at teatime or in the evening. Nice that my “Baby-Princess” Carer had recognised it was missing. Medications were given, and she applied Phorpain gel to my knees. Oh, and my lower back.
I decided not to start the blog yet. I searched my Excel Medical file to get telephone numbers for my Doctors and the QMC Warfarin Anticoagulation-DVT Clinic. But the DVT number was not in the file. So I Googled to find it and added it to the Excel file, ready for when I can call. Then found that the number given was the same as the one for the QMC switchboard, so I amended the ones I’d put in the file.
I felt
sneaking up on me. This, I assumed, was because I’d done, well, I thought I had done a decent job in getting the contact number… but still double-checked the numbers, just in case Arithmophobia Arron had made me get it wrong.
I tried the Doctor’s surgery first. This first call was answered by a Robot-AI. Telling me I was being transferred to “Our Customer Navigator. Beep-beep. Then I was connected to another Robot-AI. Telling me I had to pick a number to press; Press 1: If you are bleeding heavily or have chest pains, ring off and dial 999. Press 2: If your call is about prescriptions. Press Three; I couldn’t make out what the AI said on this one. But as I needed to know my current Warfarin doses, surely linked to prescriptions? I pressed 2 and got through to a third Robot-AI. “We do not accept prescription requests by telephone, Email, and started to tell me the most convoluted email address I’ve ever heard. Obviously, I could not keep up with what the electroid was blurting out at a rapid pace – so I rang off, pissed-off!
I think it would be easier to get through to MI5 & MI6 than to get to my Doctor! ![]()
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I tried ringing 111 to see if they could advise me on how to avoid being ignored, and maybe even who and how to contact for my Warfarin dosages. Or, not.
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A Robot-AI kicked in. Apparently, I was 23rd in the queue. ![]()
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Then I rang the Queen’s Medical Centre Switchboard. Well, I was going to, when a Carer arrived. I told him of my difficulties, and we both had another search for the Warfarin-DVT Anticoagulation doses sheet. He couldn’t spend too long, but he did his best for me. A total failure, of course, par for the course. Only a ten-minute call at midday. I also mentioned all the photographs that I’d lost from yesterday’s visit to the opticians. Crying in front of the Carer was not an option, even though I felt like doing so. Hahaha!
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Back to phoning the QMC switchboard.
The phone was answered almost straight away. For the first time, I was greeted by a human. Not a Robot-AI. I asked to be put through to the DVT Warfarin Anticoagulation Department, and within seconds, the call was transferred. Was my luck changing? No! It was getting worse, and it was answered by a Robot-AI!
The electronic-faux-human rattled on, telling me the times they are open. I estimate exactly what he said, as best as I can. It may contain errors, or hopefully not. We are open on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays between 1100hrs & 1600hrs; and open on Fridays from 1100hrs to 1500hrs. We are closed on Thursdays and weekends. You can contact your Doctor by phone or email, or 111 at any time… Hahaha! Just what I’d failed to do! You couldn’t make this rubbish up as fiction. No one would believe it. Farcicalness & the NHS go together like cheese & onion nowadays.
It’s the young ones I fear for, well, not the Oligarchs or Eton attending youngsters. More of the proletariat ones. The NHS is not fit for purpose.
Unfortunately, the only party I see that wants to cure the faults in the NHS is the ‘Your Party’. But they cannot win an election because they don’t have enough candidates to stand for Parliament.
A sad state of affairs, politically.
Today was a feast of embarrassment, frustration and confusion. All normal here then!

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The end is nigh. No need to say why!
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Carer helped with the Health Checks
Early morning shot from the kitchen.
Carers & nurses table.
The catheter leak marks.
Erm… er… erm…
Dropped the toothpaste, bent down & clouted my head on the sink.
the tiredness and weariness brought on by all the hassles that had got to me like never before. But, there were a lot of them, and with me fretting over getting ready to go out, the hobbling, etc… Although for part of the trip, good old
I started thinking of making something to eat, and the landline chirruped up.
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hours.
fridge. No Butter Butter, Polish Sokalow sausages, Extra Strong blue Stilton cheese (Can’t recall ordering this). And some Coffee for the nurses.
Close up of the sausages that I’ve taken a fancy to. It used to be women, but old age dictates fancies now. I rushed this job, because the mess made and bowl, etc,
needed cleaning and freshening post haste.
from the leaking Catheter Pouch.
leaving after telling me they thought I was fine. The ablulance men left this note on the left. For me this note, report, in advice. The usual stuff:
I told him I didn’t need any medications and about the ambulance visit.
I took this sad effort of a photograph while doing the washing and cleaning up. Then, as I turned back to get my four-pronged Fifi walking stick, I lost my balance and went full tilt to my right – thank heavens it was to the right; the wall was there and saved me from another tumble. Phhhew!
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My plans for today were well scuppered, delayed, and, at one point, deactivated. Why? Good question, which’ll be answered.
water tap (faucet) was running, and the water was frigid. Made a brew and got the computer on to check the calendar and change it. And found snaps dated
30.11.25, so must have taken them. They were not very good. I also noticed some fresh-looking spillage on the floor near the fridge.
I also spotted that I had already changed the date on the battery calendar clock.
I got the computer on to check the Google Calendar and see if any critical emails had arrived. I went to take photos of the view.
taken last night with Kodak Tim 2. I was struggling to get it together again. View from the kitchenette window on the right. At least I think it was.
On the left, a shot from the balcony of the end car park, through the window. Where have all the vehicles gone? Mystery!
Kitchen window shot. Catching the sun popping out after the rain clausa dissipated. I just missed getting a seagull in this snap. So I waited around for
them to fly past again.
A little later, when I was taking this shot,
Here is what the box contained. Bombay potatoes! That’ll do me for tomorrow’s nosh. Beet stew & chips for tonight. I’ll need to ask Carer for help in reading the instructions on these Bombay potatoes.
Vegetable curry with added mixed pickle.
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Another day of gaffes, mishaps, & Accifauxpas. I suppose that these were the cause, reason, for the non-appearance of my beloved and much missed
Assisted by Dastardly Dementia Doreen, letting me down so often, and causing irritations, frustrations, making the day seem to go as fast as a month would. One thing after another.
I hobbled into the kitchen to check on the taps, cupboards and fridge doors, nothing amiss. (Honestly)
As you see, they didn’t exactly come out very well. In fact, they were atrocious.
I got the Health Checks done and recorded on the board, then made a brew of Typhoo Extra Strong tea. Updated the calendar.
she felt that. Gave me a body check. Barrier cream, Phorpain Gelled the lower back and both knees. Medications issued. And said she wanted to call me ‘Bapu’. That is “Dad” or “Grandad” in Pakistani-English; I looked it up later. Bless her. She also checked that the HC figures were written correctly – I’d made one cock-up with the temperature. Tsk!
through the glass… the rain was pouring in through the front windows. The wheeled walkers and two wheelchairs were soaked… I
got a bit wet taking the photographs. (Haha!) I had to take off the dressing gown & kaghoule & put them on the airers to dry.
Back on the balcony to take some more photographs of the rain.
tried to get some to the left side of the balcony.
This one was taken straight ahead to the left of the balcony. Back on the computer, and I got a call on the landline phone, it was from the Doctor’s surgery. Informing me that the hospital had changed the Ramipril Capsules from 15g to 10g, I think he said. Two years ago, I was on 30g. They did the same with the Phorpain Gel: started at 30%, then 15%, and now 10%.
An hour into it, and I smelt the burning chips! No idea why I didn’t hear the mobile alarm go off… (I likely set it wrong, it’s the first time I’ve tried to use it… and the last
time, too!) I salvaged most of the chips, another bad decision that was… they were so hard I had to soak them with vinegar to eat them, and started the gums bleeding. I got them eaten, well, no, not all of them.
Suddenly, as I was standing up to take and wash the dishes…
I stopped for a few minutes of quietism: another mistake! All I achieved from it was feeling more deeply depressed at how life is going. The best Carers have had their calls on me reduced; one does not call at all nowadays. Can anyone tell me if CDB helps with depression?




I do try to be amenable and amiable,
I’d got in six hours of kip! Grrreat!
I took this snap through the glass on the balcony, with rain leaking in through the gaps in the window. Do you notice any changes in parking habits?
As I was taking this view of the uphill gravel path… Oh, no! It’s the newly tarmacked path now, isn’t it?
Aha, got the TV going! A positive Smug-Mode was adopted. Then, when I took the SD card out to put this one on WordPress, I found another one that is a
complete mystery to me. A lot of things are, mind you. 
Nice!


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Morrison order.
Moved them into the kitchen.
Treats!
Favourites.
Fridge loaded.
Morning shot, I think.
Evening shot, I think.
Just a guess at this rating.
Cheesey cobs. cheesey wriggles, and some iced bread rolls. I tried to gain access to my vacant memory void, to work out when and why.
Come to think of it, I may have got the delivery days wrong, sort of back to way, on the wrong days. They may have been the other way around. Or, not.
Topped up with waters of various types. It’s costly having to keep swigging a minimum of three litres every day to keep the bladder working.
Meat pies with shortcrust and puff pastry tops. Polish cooked smoked ham, Nurses drinkies, and some bacon bits, erm… lardons they are called.
Blimus, I’ve got the fridge and freezer crammed full again. But of course, the social lady promised me help with this problem. Also, with the finances, when I get home from the hospital. Assured me of help with the ‘spent a fortune’ on wheelchairs… getting them appropriately fitted and safe to use. 

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I visited the Porcelan Throne.
I finally got out of the wetroom after an awful lot of cleaning up was carried out, Haha!
Not very good, I’m afraid. I’ve been struggling lately to take any worthwhile morning shots
I made a brew of tea and got the morning HC checks done next. Then had a think about how I could work things out, to get a shower with my ablutions.
I took this shot from the kitchenette window as the morning brightened up a little. But the rain started to come down. Another bad photo. I managed to capture, top left, a patch of turquoise sky that was not visible to the naked eye when I snapped it.
I got things cleaned up, dried and ointmentated various areas of my magnificent, noned, staut, 
healthy body, where it was required.
Terry were unreachable. 


The rain, although heavy at times, was start-stop at the same time. Does that make sense? I nipped into the balcony to take a snap of the end car park.
Later, I took snaps of the view from the kitchen again, hoping to get a decent one for once. The first one, to the left, was not too bad.
The second one was taken to the right of the window.
Oh, Flipping ‘eck!
Something people don’t eat often nowadays. Faggots in gravy with mashed potatoes. A ready-made microwave meal from Parsley Box. I made extra pork gravy, added it to the mix, and dunked two large cheesy-topped bread rolls in it. Do folks do this now? Well, I love them. Especially the faggots, they taste good to me, and no bother about what few rotting, hurting teeth I have left.
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Mug of tea.
Another strange one.
Health Checks recorded.
One pad on – one won’t go.
CorelDraw work.
Bikkie Barrels Reloaded!
Gotten Himmel.
More hand washing.
Getting dark.
Caught it!
Sweet & sour vegetables.

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Morning shot from the kitchen
Carer Ejaz did the first two calls. 
Oh, I nearly missed this one.
Faggots in gravy, & mashed potatoes.
Soaked up the tasty liquid with two large cheesy-topped bread rolls, Mmm!
