31st January, 2011 ...... MUM'S 96TH BIRTHDAY

31^ST JANUARY – MONDAY … Mum’s 96^th Birthday

Today was another scorcher, and a shame that we were unable to arrange a proper party for Mum’s 96^th Birthday.   Pauline organized some beautiful colour balloons (mum’s fave colours), and chocky cakes, and I mixed three big bunches of all different coloured carnations for her.

Mum had visitors all day long, and countless phone calls.  My brother and one of my nephews, Tod, were there when Michael, Pauline, Midge and I arrived.

I got ticked off by an officious 12yr old nurse (being facetious here), because I checked out mum’s sugar levels on her chart to make sure if it would be ok for her to have a little bit of her cake.  She snatched the file off me, snapping ‘’You have no right to touch this file!!’’,  and I said ‘’it’s ok, I can see her levels are 6.6’’  She retorted ‘’They were 6.1!!!’’….. I felt like snapping ‘’well enter the correct reading then!!!!’’, but I didn’t want to cause a fuss…… the bitch took the whole folder away with her.  I made a point of going out to ask for a COMPLETE UPDATE on Mum’s obs, and condition, and I refused to leave the nurse station until I got the update.

I had rung earlier about taking balloons in for Mum, and told that would be perfectly ok, but then got told ‘’NO BALLOONS’’ because they are latex (could cause allergic reaction)…… yet  right beside Mum’s bedside is a box of LATEX rubber gloves used on her all the time  !!!???!!! …… and needless to say, we were not allowed to light even one tiny candle, so we had to pretend.

One good thing is -  Clots are dissolving, and blood pressure is good and they are happy with the blood sugar readings now, so it’s a matter of the legs going down a bit more and another report on the clots, then they may send her to rehab to see if they can get her up on her own feet again (but she doesn’t have any confidence in that …….  No balance or strength at all).

Called in to Mt.Eliza to see my nephew and wife, then back to Pauline’s for dinner.  We held a special ‘’toast’’ for Mum, and here are a couple of the shots

from today –

Mum and Michael

Mum and Me

Mum and her balloons before we had to take them out.

Our own celebration for Mum's dinner.

Tomorrow morning, we will repack our Van, then spend rest of our time until we have to leave for ‘Spirit of Tasmania’ with Mum.

We are hoping to goodness that the cyclone across from W.A. will not still be heading our way, but just in case, we have sleeping tabs, and seasick pills to zonk ourselves out if it’s a rough crossing of Bass Strait.  Rain and squalls are predicted !!!!!

Bye for now, keep safe all, hopefully will get short message away before we land in Tassie

x x x x and hugs