Knit Your Square to Give Your Share - PART 4

chalky_75

Kathyi think that's the perfect answer. Take your time with it all as we are all quite happy to wait. Another day crossed off and so glad you slept. The best medicine. So glad your garden visitors are proving to be a distraction.
pippahope Doh is feeling better.
Love to all x x x

psso

Just a quick pop in for now.

Kathy, glad to hear the news of Sam and that yo are a bit easier in your mind now. It's good to hear of positive outcomes from other people, not all doom and gloom.

Dpixie - welcome back !! Long time no see, hope you are well.

Chalky, good idea about the blanket. You can count me in.

Pippa- hope DOH is feeling a bit better today. Some things can really knock the stuffing out of you.

Hope the weather isn't too bad for you. Blowing a hooley here the past couple of days, smoke blowing back down the chimney nearly making us into kippers !! Bit calmer today though.

Off for a cuppa, so will get the dishes in the sink washed while the kettle boils. Then I can sit and do a few rows of wooliness.

Back later.

mioliere

Thanks, Chalky and PSSO - still waiting to hear if he's been allowed home. I do hope so, even if it's only for a few days; it will make a change for the whole family and, hopefully, give them a chance to relax a little.

A really gloomy day here; it seems to have been raining for months.

KathyXX

chalky_75

I have my nurses uniform here at the moment. Doh had to have a knee op yesterday. Unfortunately it proved to be more complicated than the consultant had predicted. Because of this the long term prognosis is not so rosy. After being a very fit PE type person all his life it was quite hard to hear but the is being incredibly pragmatic at present . Perhaps the nurses uniform is helping !!!

Kathyi do hope Sam gets home this weekend.

Can I send a big hug to one and all x x x

mioliere

Hi, everyone

Chalky - hugs to DH. I do hope the prognosis is better than expected, and I also hope the uniform is helping to take his mind off his knee! I think Jean will be able to offer you expert advice on nursing a usually-active male who finds himself immobile, after what she has been through since her DH fell out of that tree! Why do these things happen to active people, and not those who sloth around all day? Please wish him well, and give him a hug.

Well, my absolutely brilliant news is that Sam was allowed home yesterday. My exhausted son let me know yesterday evening that they were all home together, and all totally knackered after what has been a terrifying week. They have to take extra care because Sam is 'neutropenic', which means that he is vulnerable to infection due to lowered immunity. They have a community nurse visiting every day, and she will be on standby whenever needed. They can also take him straight back into hospital at any time if necessary. We don't know how long he is home for; obviously, his treatment is long term but, if he is allowed home in between treatments, it will be much better for all of them. I think Sam was really looking forward to some good home cooking, too; he was not that impressed with hospital food!

Knowing that he was back at home, and that all that little family were together once again. actually made me feel that I was breathing properly for the first time in days, and I got a good night's sleep, and dozed off picturing Sam in his own bed. I know his sister, Lucy, was longing to get him back; she has been so upset, and has really missed him. I am eternally grateful to the wonderful NHS for getting Sam through this first week. It's the first of the initial five weeks of treatment that the doctors have said will be the toughest for him. At least for now they are all getting some respite until the next dose of chemo.

I have told Zippychick, the OS Board Guide, that, although I intended refreshing the group and starting Part 5 of the thread, I have had to put it on hold for a little while, but I think next week I will work on a new 'What We Do' and perhaps launch Part 5 at the end of January with a FB group running alongside it as an offshoot that people can join if they want. If anyone has anything they want to be included or changed, please let me know. Lots of things have changed since we started, and some things in our old 'What We Do' are no longer relevant.

I will do an update next week, too.

I will keep you informed as to Sam's progress, and I hope all other poorly ones (and their DH's) do as well as can be.

KathyXX

mioliere

Look at this for a lovely idea!
https://www.facebook.com/bechangeworld/photos/pcb.925583010818106/925581034151637/?type=1&theater

THIRZAH

I'm so glad to hear that Sam is home.You must be so relieved.It's good to hear that the nurse is going in every day too. The NHS can be wonderful. Hope all goes well.

dpixie

so, i will keep this short and sweet, but basically after my mum died (and that was really traumatic - i am now the owner of very "highlighted" hair and am also keeping the hair colourant people in business) i think i just went into a decline. also, we (my siblings and i) were told that we all had the same illness that my mum did, but which was further worsened by the fact that dad is a type 2 diabetic. so i decided to lose weight (2 stone, which has been very successful) and spend a year helping others the way that my mums carer did for her - just paying back a little. that was really difficult as you don't get to pick the clients you help and some have been a nightmare. the older people really appreciate any help and company the younger ones complain if you don't lie down on your tummy and clean "properly" under their beds, but ignore the fact that you had spent 4 hours ironing their families laundry the day before and they have been too lazy to pack it away, so the dog has used it as a bed! grrrrr. anyway, i am feeling better of and in myself and have been doing all sorts of exciting things. i run 4 times a week now and i love that and i have an hour off after lunch which is my me time during which i crochet. there have been some travel adventures some further afield (peru, thailand, laos and vietnam, brighton) and some closer (toulouse hospital for OH), but its all been good and each and every day makes us stronger and hopefully makes us treasure each minute that we have with our loved ones.

other than that i did a truly horrid thing a couple of weeks ago, i found a yarn supplier who would sell yarn to me at bulk prices if i bought a minimum of 120 balls of yarn .... well i was given a very generous christmas present by my MIL, so i donated it to the wool company in exchange for the yarn - my study now looks like a waterfall of balls of yarn, but i am happier than larry and am working like mad on a couple of blankets for the niece and nephew and cardigans for the african orphans in-between. however, it was not my fault as yarn is soon expensive here - about 3.50€ for a 50g ball?!?!

so ladies, what is happening with you? Kathy you still seem to be in france, (yippee, i love this place), but you seem to have a sick grandson, i am sure that he will be just fine, keep your thoughts positive and when you speak to your son and grandson, be positive, it does rub off and does not end of good.

chalky - where are you right now? your poor OH, it must be hell. my OH now suffers from sciatica and some sort of shoulder problem and its hell, he was so active and love running and football and now all he can do is cycling on an indoor reclining bike and walking - he can be as grumpy as heck, but what can you do? we have tried to make it as good as possible by offering to walk the neighbours dog (which gives the walks purpose) and put in an old telly/dvd player in the garage with the bike so the OH can watch old chelsea games, it keeps him occupied.

PSSO - what have you been up to? it sounds like you are having fun up in the north - do you want to please send some of that weather down here - around the middle of feb would be just perfect please. i need to feel that we have some sort of winter this year.

pippa - how are you??? having worked in the nhs (when we were in the uk) i can tell you that the food is .... not to my taste, and is great if you are to go on a diet - i managed to shed a stone in a week, perhaps thats because i am fussy, but heck, new hospitals should just bite the bullet and build in kitchens not just put up with the reheated hash. funny enough when mum was in hospital in south africa, i experienced deja vu when i smelt that lunch trolly coming up the ward ... don't think thats a good thing. and the food was comparable too! it sounds like you have had your share of dealings with the nhs - you poor thing, i do hope that your OH is on the mend.

jean - how are you getting on? are you living the lovely rural life that we are - unfortunately i don't get to help with the lambing and calving yet, and the local farmer who had an op the other day decided to get his son back from uni to cover his recovery time rather than giving me free rein on his farm and with his tractors - not sure why, i am sure they can be that difficult to drive ....

are any of the other "old" regulars still here and posting, would love a quick update if anyone wouldn't mind.

right, off to do some french homework then call my dear dad to see how he is getting on in sunny/hot/balmy cape town.


dpixie

ginnyknit

Kathy, what a relief that Sam is home, everything will feel better for all having him there. Its a long road but sounds like a wonderful family who will love and support each other. Now you can get some rest.

Dpixie, boy have you had a tough time but wool is a well known cure for all ills and looking at all that wooly wonderfulness and colours will definately give you a lift.

Chalky you will recieve a medal very soon for looking after Hubby as we all know pinning down a previously active hubby is sooo sooo difficult and if you didnt swear you will soon!

The robin has spent all day pottering round the bird feeder which cheered me no end - simple gifts, maybe he knew I needed him

We have had a very difficult 2 weeks and more to come, just too many stressful things going on and I wont bore you all. but as I have often said as long as I am still standing the family will get through. One big bonus is my mammogram was clear and I am eternally grateful for that - and for all your support after it when I was bruised and battered.

Hubs has just treated me to a pack of card off create and craft as I cannot find good white card for stamping on and this was a bargain (lots of extra's thrown in) so will be waiting for the postie.

nursemaggie

So glad Sam is home for the weekend Kathy. It will make the weeks go faster for him. He will get a good feed up at home.

About 35 years ago I bought a big bag of what I thought were white buttons in a charity shop. I also bought a big bag of coloured ones too. I have used all the coloured ones over the years I have used lots of the white ones on baby clothes. A lot of the buttons are pearlised buttons from before the war. They look lovely on baby garments.

Tonight I have been sitting sewing buttons on the baby jackets I have knitted. Only managed three this week. If you want to know why go read my long post for today on the toughies thread. This week has been a bit ouch!! but I have lost some weight.

Lets hope everything will start to improve for all the poorly men soon.