Recuperating?

First thing, yesterday morning, I was on the phone to the Doctor’s Surgery to make an appointment for John to be checked out. I was 8th in the queue and waited patiently. When I got through, I provided all John’s details to make the appointment but, just as I was congratulating myself on being successful, she asked what was the matter with him. I told her he’d been fainting and he had a jippy tummy. “Oh,” she laughed, “I’ve just done an appointment for John!” I laughed too. Clearly, in our household, left hand doesn’t know what right hand is doing and it turns out that, from different rooms, we’d both more or less phoned the surgery at the same time!

Anyway, before the appointment at 11.20, we called across to the Kenilworth Newbies to return the washing we’d done. We only stayed for about half an hour because we didn’t want to be late to see the doctor. We were just saying our goodbyes and I was giving Danielle a big hug because we won’t see them for a week, when there was a bit of kerfuffle between John and and Michael. John had stood up and was giving Michael a hug when he clearly fainted again and Michael had to hang onto him and lower him back into the chair.

“I don’t know what happened there,” said John. “I mean, I was already standing up when all I heard was Michael saying, ‘I’ve got you,’ and I found myself sitting back down.” We didn’t know either, but we were glad to be en route to the Doc next.

John normally sees Dr Horsley. However, he was having a day off so it as A. N. Other instead. Unfortunately, the doctor assigned to John was running at least 45 minutes late, having had to deal with an emergency earlier on. Anticipating that the delay might be extended as there were at least five patients before us, I went back to Reception. “Is there anything you can do to get John in sooner?” I asked. “I don’t think he can wait for nearly an hour. He’s not feeling well.”

There was some shuffling of appointments and John was quickly called in to see Dr Carlile instead. What a relief. She was, of course, brilliant, as she always is, and she explained that John has a chest infection and developing pneumonia. His blood pressure was low but she thought the fainting may be to do with the infection. A course of antibiotics and some steroids were prescribed and we are hoping for the best.

Ha! So much for ‘the best’! John got up to go the bathroom this morning and, just as he was emerging from it, he found himself on the floor between the bed and the wardrobe, with no idea how he’d got there. Not only that, but he’d had an intimate encounter with the bedstead and seems to have cracked a rib or two as he fell backwards against the edge. Co-codamol called for……..

I suggested John stay in bed this morning and that he must phone me if he was going to get up. I mean, if he fell in the bathroom there’d be a few more injuries from a hard-tiled floor and plenty of obstacles in the way to bang his head on, wouldn’t there?

The ol’ man stayed in bed until just after lunch and then we made our way downstairs where he sat on the sofa for the rest of the day, alternating between resting his eyes and watching TV. And, bless him, also huffing and puffing a bit because he is so fed up of being ill!

We had planned to celebrate with our friends from church, Margaret and Chris, this evening and had invited them round or drinks. It’s Chris’s 70th birthday next week, so we thought we might open a bottle of champagne and have a few nibbles. Instead, Margaret called in with lots of sympathy, a bunch of tulips (my favourite) and a bar of chocolate to cheer John up. Honestly, we are so very lucky to have wonderful friends.

Recuperating? Yes, we’re still recuperating from the aftermath of Covid and I’m hoping this latest episode John is experiencing is nothing to do with that and he will bounce back in no time at all. Fingers crossed anyway. And a few prayers might not go amiss.

Take care everyone. God bless.