Sally, I am praying Andy feels better today -- and that you have the strength to hold him back from wanting to work around the house. Hoping he will rest so that he can heal.

Hoping you, Andy, and Harry enjoy a peaceful weekend.

:) Morning everyone!

Quick up-date - everything's more or less the same - he tends to wake up in relative comfort but then gradually deteriorates throughout the day - but then so do I!!!! :D

I had a bath yesterday evening...!!!!! :eek: :D A long, bubbly, very hot one - recently it's been a quick shower before 'the next thing', so that was lovely.

Today, my son, DIL and grandchildren are arriving for a week from Vienna (they booked and paid for all this waaaay before we knew Andy's operation date) but they're staying in a serviced apartment about 5 miles away - our house is tiny, and in reality it's probably for the best that they won't all be here....kids + night feeds + driving Harry nuts isn't really conducive to good healing?!!!? Plus Andy would be itching to get to that Hoover....:D xx

Hello :)
 

Glad you managed to have a lovely bubble bath soak last night, you sure needed the relaxing time amongst all the frenzy. Hope that you slept well after that.
I suppose poor Andy is into the routine now and I hope he is managing the pain.
Living with such jangled nerves is horrible. Hope he has some good TV to watch to pass the long and uncomfortable days.
My, oh my, I read that you also have to take care of your mum and dad as well!!! You poor thing rushing from one place to another doing all the nursing and chores. How do you do it all? I do hope that when things settle down a bit you will have time to check out social and nursing services to help you and your parents out. You just cannot do all this, it will drive you into the ground as humans can only do so much. I know you want to take care of your family but you need to take care of you too dear Sally.
And now relatives visiting from abroad, wow!!! Thank goodness the family is staying elsewhere, I cannot imagine the chaos if they were all with you. Hope you manage to have some quality time with them in between your care taking.
Andy will probably find visits very tiring, having to put on a good face when he feels bad and is in pain. It is sad that this preplanned trip came at this time.....but these things happen.
I am sure Harry will enjoy all the family attention, very exciting for him with all the extra petting.
Thank you for taking time to update us, but we do appreciate hearing from you.
Thinking of you and praying that Andy is handling the painful and tedious recovery. Hopefully he feels a little better each day.
Enjoy your family visit and hope the English weather is kind so they can get out and about.
Hang in there we are all rooting for you here!!
Take care of yourself.
Lots of love,
Dot. ((( oxoxoxo)))

Hooray for bubble baths! Hopefully having those kiddos around can be a help more than a hindrance :) glad y'all are doing relatively well considering. Hugs and cupcakes :love:

A week today! Bravo, Andy and Sally. Aren't you glad the surgery is now behind you both. You're one week into Andy feeling a lot better one day. Sounds like your kids are savvy enough to know that staying in their own quarters during longish visits can be an utter kindness and gives the grandparents time to collapse and rest up after they leave. I'm hopeful Andy feels well enough to enjoy those grand kids a lot.

Maybe some more bubble baths are on the agenda before long, as Lord knows you've earned them, Superwoman Sally but ask for some help from your health service - no doubt you could use it. Surely some home health aid could help out a bit to spell you some of the work, especially with family coming and a patient to care for. You often hear that a patient is doing well while the caregiver is working his- or herself to a nub. Can't help but worry about you, Sally, my lady.

Sally, been thinking of you and Andy. How is he doing? He is my prayers as he is healing and for you to take care of yourself. Does Andy have to see the doctor for a check up? I send many hugs to you, Andy and big pet to Harry!

:) Thank you all so much :)

Today was the first day that Andy says he feels a teensy bit 'more normal' woo hoo!!! Still in dreadful pain - but not quite as searing as yesterday.

He has to have the staples removed on Wednesday - and then has a follow-up appointment with his surgeon in 2 months time. At least he has his number, should there be any issues he needs to discuss - which is handy!!! :D

Big hugs back, from the 3 of us!!! :) xxx

Sally, I am happy to hear of Andy feeling better each day...the slightest improvement is a forward move to recovery. I bet he can't wait for the staples to be removed. And yes it is good to have his surgeon's number handy for any and all questions you both may have. Don't be hesitant in calling as they are there for you to help.

Prayers for all to go as smooth as can be and for you to not over do too much. Hugs to you and all!

Happy Sunday
 

Thanks for the good news that Andy is feeling a teensy bit better today. Any positive news is wonderful, but I do feel for him having such horrible pain. It must be hard to see the glimmer of improvement when you are hurting so much.
Hope the family visit is perking him up a bit, and that you are finding time to enjoy them too.
Staple removal is one more step towards recovery, but I hope that procedure does not make the pain temporarily worse. :(. Poor Andy.
Again, please take time for you:)
Hugs, Dot xxx

I'm very happy to read that Andy is feeling a bit better today, I hope his pain continues to lessen with each passing day. I hope you all have a wonderful time with your grandchildren, son and DIL! Take good care of yourself! (((Hugs)))

Celebrating your good report here with a big glass of Diet Coke over ice! Made me happy to know things are getting better bit by bit for Andy and you. Wohoo!!!

Sally, I hope you and Andy are enjoying your visit with your son, DIL, and the grandchildren.

Praying Andy is having more signs of feeling normal, and a lessening of pain.

Also hoping you can enjoy more bubble baths for yourself. :)

Andy
 

It's Wednesday!! Praying all goes well for the staple removal and that it does not hurt too much. It will be hard for him getting to the hospital and moving around, but soon he will be back on his lovely bed. Get well soon Andy, and look after you too Sally.
Warmest wishes and love.
Dot xxxxx

I'm wishing you and your hubby well. Hoping all goes great today. I know it will be tiring for him but he'll be glad when it's over. Thanks for the great updates. Make sure you remember to take care of yourself😊

Sally, I am praying all goes well for Andy today. Hoping he is healing well. Please let us know how it goes when you are able. Hugs to you and all!

Hoping that Andy is feeling better today after the removal. One more hurdle is past and hopefully that wound will continue to heal cleanly. I don't know how you made it w/the post-op care w/out help but you did.

Hopefully, having the kids around, the staples out and the wound much more comfortable to live with will help your big guy immensely. Nothing like losing those hard, restricting long line of staples out of a wound to loosen up and brighten a surgery patient's life! Hoping better days are on their way toward your little corner of the world, Sally.

:) Hello everyone!!!

Well, those pesky old staples were removed this morning - and, once again, he's feeling a lot easier....not up to marathons yet - but getting there...:D

Andy hasn't even seen the grand-bubbies yet this time :( We're hoping to get together for a little lunch-time meet-up tomorrow, just so long as he just sits there quietly in the corner (that's not a very Andy-ish thing to do!!!).

He said that having the staples removed was a lovely feeling - just like being tickled!!! Mind you - I LOVE having my ears flushed/syringed - like having a warm, fizzy sherbet fountain in my ear - I guess that's why we get along so well....!!! :eek: :D

So (hopefully :xfingers:) he's truly on the mend...and the 3 of us send loads of love and hugs to you all :heart to xxx

Happy to hear staples were removed and Andy feeling a mite better. I'm sure he's looking forward to seeing the grand babies, have a GREAT get together .

Andy:)
 

Sally, thanks so much for the update. How glad Andy must be to have those pieces if steel out of him. So happy he did not feel pain during the procedure.
Now the job is to rest and heal and get his strength back.
Hope the visit of the grandkids goes well and he resists the temptation to move around too much.
Sounds like his pain has moderated a bit now, praying that is so.
Take care all of you and hope you sleep better tonight with one major hurdle over with.
Thinking of you and continuing prayers for a speedy recovery.
Hugs, Dot oxoxoxo

Sally, I am happy the staples are removed and Andy is feeling better. Prayers that he continues to heal well and recovery keeps going smoothly. Hugs to you all!

How're patient and nurse tonight?

:) Nurse is good, thank you - patient is curled up fast asleep in bed (it's only just gone 9 p.m. here eeek!).

Trouble is, for the first time this visit, Andy saw the grand-bubbies. He absolutely, totally adores Elliot - they're like naughty little partners in crime :rolleyes:

It's different with little Tilly - she's only 5 months old, and doesn't really like laying on the floor pretending to shoot at the enemy - but I'm sure he'll talk her round, next visit - at least she kept him calm, this time :D

Love and big hugs to you all from the 3 of us :) xxx

Nurse and patient.
 

So glad to hear both are doing well and returning to (close to)normal life again.
I am sure Andy enjoyed seeing the g-kids even if they were not both too cooperative. But you can't win 'em all at once! 5 months is a bit young too for some games?
The egg and chips sounds yummy, nice comfort food after a busy day.
Hoping all continues on track and that your tasks become less onerous each day. Get well soon Andy:)
Keep up the bubble baths Sally, you still need R&R!
Love and hugs,
Dot oxoxoxo

:) Thank you Dot - you're a sweetheart :hug:

Trouble is, I've been battling one of those shivery, cold-to-the-core kind of yucky illnesses - not really a cold (my mum thinks it's a stress thing), but a really tight chest, a dry cough that's making my ribs ache - just generally feeling a bit blehhh :(

Just now, Andy woke up and came downstairs - shivering like a goodness knows what - I'm absolutely terrified that I've given him my disease :eek: What if he sneezes badly? Or coughs in the wrong way? So I've made him a mug of hot chocolate and wrapped him back up in bed - what more can I do? As you know, I've been sleeping in the guest room, so I'm not breathing on him on purpose...'his' bedroom's warm, but I've left the 'little window' slightly open. Oh, the joy of it all....:D xxx

Mean germs :(
 

Oh no, the nasty bugs got to you. They do that when you are stressed and are least able to fight them off. The hot bath would really help to get the steam in your respiratory system. Please see a doc and get some antibiotics if the cough persists and nip it in the bud. Praying poor Andy does not get afflicted, as you are right, a cough would really mess him up and cause more pain. He can't even have a hot toddy with the painkillers, but hot chocolate sounds good.....or chicken soup?? But you could do with those too.
So it looks like both of you need to be holed up in nice warm beds and get yourselves over this. So sorry you have this to contend with, just as things were looking up. Ain't life like that????
So hoping you will both be feeling better tomorrow and the cold germs will have flown out the window.
Wish I could send you some CA sunshine, and lemons for a soothing hot drink. They won't work as an attachment to this mail though, grrrrrr!
Thinking of you and sending warm thoughts and hugs. Kisses for
Harry, hope he is ok.
Get well soon both of you. :)
Dot oxoxoxo

Hello Sally, Andy and Harry! :)

Just wanted to check in and see how you're doing? I hope you're ok Sally and feeling better?

Best wishes to all 3 of you, hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Bound to happen, you're over-worked, over-stressed and a sitting duck for germs. I think it's the body's revenge for us overdoing it - a way to finally get some rest - even if it has to battle colds or flu in the process, at least it gets more TLC from us for a while and kind of holds us hostage! Take it easy if you can and drink lots of liquids and stay good and warm, sleep as much as possible and hopefully you'll have a better week coming up.

Hope Sally and Andy are getting rest and feeling better. More just and get well wishes are going your way.

Prayers that Sally isn't terribly sick. She's probably run down with all the things going on at once. Hope you are doing ok and taking care of yourself. Also hope Andy is continuing to heal good.

:) Hello everyone! :)

Quick update...well, Andy did catch whatever it is I've got but, with all the drugs he's on, he's not allowed to take anything extra. He's not a happy bunny....:( His back's healing beautifully though - even when he coughs...:eek:

I went to see my son + family off yesterday morning - and on the way home, I got a call from my sister. She had popped to see my parents, and my dad was slumped and terribly unwell. Long story short - ambulance, hospital, 'small' heart attack and (another) TIA. He's still in the hospital - I just can't believe this year, things are happening bang bang bang :( xxx