Birthday

I had a very different birthday (29th April) this year, as you can imagine, but none the less memorable for that. Lots of cards and messages. And visits from Julia, my brother Chris and son Ben. And to cap it all, a Chorus of Nurses produced a slice of strawberry cake and serenaded me with Happy Birthday. Ben had to eat my cake for me cos it wouldn't fit down my naso-gastric tube(!), but he didn't seem to mind...



I have attained the same age as the year of my birth, so work that one out!
Consequently, I thought I'd better have a look at the significance of the number 56 (oops! given it away).

The best I could glean from a collection of weird and wonderful numerology websites is that the number 56 is ruled by the Moon and is a magical number which can 'create wonders at unexpected times'. As a combination, 50 represents Higher Intelligence and Liberty from Bondage, and 6 represents Divine Grace and Freedom from physical ties. Sounds OK to me.

There are also 56 so-called Aubrey Holes at Stonehenge, named after the 17th century antiquarian John Aubrey who discovered them, which were created around 3000 BC, though whether they have astronomical significance associated with the lunar cycle or whether they are simply post-holes is a matter of some conjecture. Hmmm.

That aside, I'm glad to say that I appear to be improving, albeit slowly, and feel better overall than yesterday, which was in turn better than the day before.
Long may that trend continue!

Apart from the fluctuating liver and blood counts, which the docs are struggling to bring under control while keeping an overall balance in my vital bodily functions, the main issues for me are still sore mouth, throat and eyes, for which I have a cocktail of remedies (all of which provide only temporary relief unfortunately) and which are obviously not good for my Quality of Life at the moment. But these issues are high on the docs' agenda now and a gradual return to overall health will also assist. The dryness of my eyes prevents me from reading, using the PC or watching TV for any longer than a few minutes at a time, so my entertainment consists of mental puzzles (crosswords, Su Doku and the like) and very short articles for the time being, which is where messages and visits from Friends and Family also provide much needed relief and pleasure.

Julia has been a Tower of Strength throughout all the traumas of the last 15 months, and continues to be so, despite the enormous stress she is under from visiting me almost every day (about an hour's drive each way) and juggling her job to fit in. Not to mention having to watch and cope with her husband's daily fluctuations in health. She's also fantastically good at communicating with the medical staff, keeping notes and asking all the right questions. In short, I couldn't do it without her. One of my key incentives for recovery is the opportunity to look after her needs again for a while - particularly the need for a Good Holiday!

The docs' most recent verdict is that I'm likely to stay in hospital at least for the rest of this week, which is actually a bit of a relief because whilst I'd obviously rather be at home, the care here is both 24-hour and second to none, and it takes some of the pressure off Julia until I'm well enough to do a bit more for myself. The last thing we want is a premature discharge, followed by yet another crisis and an all-too-speedy return to hospital.

So we're doing what we can to avoid that.