Time to relax

A slightly blurry photo of a recent walk (up by the lake).

Well, having been told every hour or two hours to phone back in an hour or two hours, we finally had a phone call just after 8 p.m. to say Keith was fine and to come and pick him up.  By then Tam was nearly here from Aberystwyth.  I had put fuel in our car to get to Hereford, but Tam said she had psyched herself up for the trip and knew I didn't enjoy driving at night (I don't but would do anything for Keith) and her car was easier for Keith to get in and out of.  So she drove, and we picked him up and he was blardy glad to see us having been sat in a wheelchair (which kills his neck, and that was already sore and very painful) for 8 hours.  Despite my telling the nurse at reception that he had Parkinsons and HAS to be kept hydrated, he only had some water when he waved his pills at a passing nurse and said he needed a drink to get them down.  I also told another nurse he had no-one to get him any food - oh he would be given food.  Really?  Why lie to me - if I knew he'd been so totally abandoned, I'd have gone there hours earlier.  I will know another time and be beside him as his advocate.  Mind you, Keith is going to refuse point blank if this scenario happens again.

        We got home at about 11.30 p.m. and it was chucking it down with rain - by the time Keith got out of the car, I had to swipe a pool of water from the wheelchair seat and our coats didn't dry out until I hung them over hot radiators this morning.  He had taken extra Sinemet, knowing he would need something to help him with the journey home and getting upstairs to bed.  Those worked and he managed the stairs, but gosh, we were all so relieved to tuck him up in bed.

        It's his birthday today so I've been out for some lovely stewing steak from the butchers, which is already in the slow cooker and we will eat early, so Tam can get away before it's dark, as she has that long journey through the mountains.

        A couple of good things from yesterday - the Dr said Keith had good lungs, because he used to be a runner, and that would stand him in good stead.  He also said that Keith was under-medicated, and also that he should look into taking CBD oil as he thought it would really help with the Parkinsons.  I've done some initial research, and the Parkinsons website says it's just at the experimental stage.  We shall see what else we can find and mention it to the GP etc.  I can already imagine what the PD nurse will say!

        A drive out to the Elan Valley may happen after lunch, but sadly the sunshine we woke up to has been replaced by rain and grey skies.  Thank you for all your support yesterday and apologies for the blow-by-blow account, but it is too stressful to keep it all to myself.