Firstly let me apologise for not blogging the last couple of days. I don’t really have any excuses just that to be honest nothing much happened and I was struggling a bit for some inspiration. Why is it that when you need something to write about like the slop stirrers usual nonsense that it all suddenly runs like clockwork and all other times there is loads and loads happening to write or in my case rant about which you have witnessed over the last 5 weeks or so by the long blogs. I do apologise for this and will try to keep them a bit smaller for a while, well TRY!! At least. I will also try and get round to answering some of the comments you’ve all made whilst I’ve been locked up. The idea of the mobile internet connection was quite a good one and did work to a fashion but there were lots of flaws. It is really expensive for one. Just to send and receive a couple of emails and maybe check on the comments on the blog for a minute was around £1.50. Hence why I never responded to the comments sorry!! The signal was not very good at Heath Towers either making it very frustrating when you were half way through checking emails say and you loose the connection. When you restart it you have to go through all the sign in stuff again which means more cost Arggg!!!!! I think its about time that the IT department looked into the matter of an internet connection on the wards as I am finding that more and more patients are now bringing in laptops and it’s a good way of keeping touch with family and friends etc when your stuck in there. It could be helpful for the doctors too as I find most of them have a laptop these days and they can maybe use them to illustrate to you in your own bed things like x-rays etc etc. The list of uses is endless. I suppose I won’t see it in my lifetime, what with the speed at which things work around here though. So till then I will have to make do with the crap connection I have now.

Okay then. I guess the title somewhat gives it away, yes I am home at last. The smooth transition between Heath Towers and Home sort of went out the window a bit. All was set for me to be released from my shackles sometime on Friday. So I thought that I would, in an attempt to get out sometime halfway descent, like when it’s still daylight on Friday I would start badgering the various people involved in the “Getting You Ready To Be Kicked Out Gang”. People like doctors who need to write up a take home drug sheet etc and nurses who need to book any appointments in clinics needed and also get together things like any dressings and syringes etc and also the Pharmacist who to be honest is the main person who can get you home early or late, because it is her or him that has to make sure all the drugs are properly supplied for you to leave and this usually involves lots of people and therefore time. It has not been uncommon in the past to be ready apart from having the drugs by about 10am and not actually getting the drugs and leaving for home at about 7pm. This is bloody annoying and never fails to wind me up. Well to my amazement all seemed to be going according to plan. The Silent Monk had written up my drug sheet by 11 am and the pharmacist was on the ward sorting out the drugs needed and going back and forth the pharmacy to get whatever she needed and the nurses had all the bits and bobs ready that I needed from them. All I really was waiting for was a couple of dressings that needed to come up from the pharmacy downstairs and I was ready for the great escape tomorrow after the physio had been in the morning. So I should be home in record time sometime time around 11 am ish WOW!!!. So I settled back for a little afternoon snooze after Judith had left about 2 o’clock so I would be a bit more alive for when the physio comes later to torture me some more. There was the distinctive rat a tat tat on the door about 2.15 and it could only be one person as the knock is very distinctive. It was Merlin. I thought he had come to have a chat or something as he had already been around with his entourage earlier on in the day. He asked me if I would mind going home today instead of tomorrow as there were a couple of transplant patients in the day unit that really needed to come in but there were no beds as usual. Although I think the real reason is a bit different and probably along the lines of “we’re sick to death of seeing you and can’t wait to kick your bum out of here etc etc etc”. so I tried to get hold of Judith to see if she could turn around and come back as she shouldn’t have got too far by now but she wasn’t answering. She finally got home about an hour later and rang me for the good news. She would have had to have gone home anyhow as she only had her little dodgem (Citroen C1) and I can’t really fit in there and pick up my chariot. She managed to pick up Tara on the way through from college and when she finally got back to Heath Towers she sent her up to get me as there was nowhere to park as usual. We only had to wait another couple of minutes before we were all packed and on our way at great speed getting the hell out of there before they changed their minds.

So, home at last and the start of a grand building up regime. I’m fairly optimistic that things will improve over time, especially if the physio or should I say the reablement team keep it up and push me like they need to. A lot will depend on the weather too as I find the damp day and also when there is sudden drops in temperature from one day to the next my chest gets really tight and wheezy which stops me from doing as much. Hopefully the weather will be kind for a little while yet to give me a head start. Again I’m hopeful that having the regular immunoglobulin will keep me out of Heath Towers too because of infections and stuff. There is some hope on the horizon regarding the skin machine thing which I will have to tell you about later as I think this blog is again heading into the realms of hugedom like the rest have been of late.

Just one last thing though. That bloody hospital!!! I managed to drop off to sleep about 11.30pm just about when the last nurse of the day comes in to do your BP and temp etc. Blow me, I was up wide awake at 6am just when the first one would have been in. See they still have control over me when I’m home!!!!!

See Ya!!