My life

Once I told Mother how much it would cost us to keep paying for the social care service, she told me she is now determined to get better. In the new year, she says she wants to return to her old room, even if she has to crawl up the stairs on her hands and knees. She would do it too! The doctors have told us there is nothing really wrong with her, other than recovering from flu and the fall. She caught the infection from the hospital. We have had a running battle with the prescription, but... Sign in to see full entry.

Well, we are settling down to the new normal. Mum is trying her best to recover, but she has gone through so much, I think it's a little unfair of me to expect her to be up and running, just like that. This time last week she was still on a drip for anti-biotics because she was still recovering from the flu she received in hospital. So to dismiss a spinal injury is a big ask. One of her biggest problems is to stop taking morphine for pain. She does not sleep well, and it just makes her groggy... Sign in to see full entry.

Mum comes back to our house on Friday morning. The carers will be calling in that afternoon. I'm not sure how things will work out, as Mother can barely walk, but she says we will just have to work it out. I did not think this day would ever come around, but I hope it does. Sign in to see full entry.

Well Mother's new medical bed has arrived. She has a slight infection, which she caught at Peterborough hospital. So once she is free of that, she can be discharged. I'm trying not to count my chickens, but it looks good. One thing she lacks is confidence. She does not seem to feel confident in walking again. She can walk a small distance, but once she feels wobbly she gives in, and we don't know why. But things are looking up. Sign in to see full entry.

Mother must be getting better. One sign is that even though she is in pain when she tries to move in the hospital bed, the very next moment she is falling out with the nurses. Not in a bad way, but she can always find time to tell them where they are going wrong. They all laugh about it afterward, which must be a good sign. I wish I had more to talk about other than the worries about my Mum. There is someone else I look after in the village, who is going through a bad time, but I shall build up... Sign in to see full entry.

Isn't it strange that when one aspect of your life is pressured, you realise just how vulnerable you are. Mother is making a slow recovery but it will take time. I am worried about the level of care she will need when she returns home. But I did stop to think: what would happen if? I could continue living here for another six months, but then I would be eating into my savings and cashing in shares. You certainly can not live in the state today. What's more, I would have to move into a small... Sign in to see full entry.

One of the things we have to face up to is the fact that my mother might have to have her bed moved downstairs. Not that this is a big problem. But she might not like it. I don't want to spend a lot of money on a hospital-type bed, because she might get better and manage to walk back upstairs. It may be embarrassing for her, as she would dominate the house, and I would have to move around her. Sadly, without her, I could not afford to live here. The business account is doing well, but once I... Sign in to see full entry.

Maybe it's because I've little left to lose, but I paid for a spiritualist to give us a reading for the future. I have used this service before and they were right. We faced a rent rise that might be an excuse to drive us out, but they saw us continuing in peace. And they were right. If my mother does not come back here to live, I could not continue living here. So, faced with the nightmare of no place to live, I felt I would take a gamble. The doctors have told us she may make a full recovery... Sign in to see full entry.

It turns out Mum has a fracture to the spine. We are not too sure how she got that. It might have been a fall, although she complained of a bad back long before that. She did spend a long time laying down in bed, but I can't believe it's through that alone. Anyway, she seems to be ok, and in good spirits. I am worried about her coming home. For once we got to talk to the Doctors, and I asked them straight if she would walk again and even recover. They said, although due to her age, it might take... Sign in to see full entry.

Mum had fall last night and after calling the emergency services, we managed to get her in an ambulance and she's back in the hospital. I am worried she might be very frightened by going there. They only seem to find more bad news. But she does need looking at. One thing which worries me is that she has such weakness in her legs. This might be due to the trapped nerve in her back, and the ambulance guys did point this out. Anyway, the doctor rang me back and said they were keeping her in for... Sign in to see full entry.