Home!

At last Keith is back home and he doesn't have anything wrong with his lungs either, so we still don't know what is causing the pain in his chest. I suspect it may be a tear in his muscle as he's had a bad cough and he does really let rip! Hopefully all will return to normal now!

I went home at 3pm and as the weather was so nice I did a couple of jobs outside which gave me the opportunity to finally meet one half of the couple who have moved in next door. Tom was parking his car on the drive and we chatted for quite a while about the move and pubs in the local area (anyone would think I am a frequent habitue of pubs!). He was very friendly and chatty so now I just need to meet Emma, his wife (or maybe partner? I don't know).

Just as I sat down after preparing dinner the phone rang and it was Keith to say he could come home...now! I hurriedly drove to the hospital and he dressed in his outdoor clothes to go home. He was mightily relieved to be out with nothing wrong!

My evening was still busy, though, as I had to take Mikey to Army Cadets and finish off the dinner of stir-fried chicken and vegetables!

Relief!

Today we were supposed to have been going to the North-east for Keith's niece's funeral but obviously this was out of the question. I spent the day at work doing various jobs, none of which involved cleaning, thank goodness! At 3pm I went to collect Sophie from school and then it was home in time for Mikey who takes the bus.

Keith had had his angiogram and the results were very good - no problems with his heart at all - but they will keep him in until tomorrow to have a look at his lungs in case a blood clot is causing the pain in his chest. This was a huge relief for us and Keith was very pleased indeed that all looked well with his heart as he was convinced this was the problem.

I went to see him in the evening and he was looking great - very well and rested! I wish the same could be said for me!

Busy weekend, part 2!

Today has been very busy indeed as before I dropped Sophie off at work we went to Booker to get some stuff for work and then as soon as I'd delivered it all I had to rush off to Boots for a contact lens check, something I could really have done without today!

Everything was fine (I've been given a new lens to help me with reading small print) so I dashed home and did all the ironing before going in to see Keith at 3pm. The plan was to see him and then pick Sophie up from work on the way home as I really didn't fancy going all the way home and then back to collect my daughter! I dread to think how many miles I'm doing at the moment!

At 6pm we all went to see Keith for an hour and it was great for the children to see him. The ward was busy with visitors and there was actually quite a nice atmosphere which was a relief. I'd hate to think that Keith was unhappy or fed up.

We left at about 7pm and went to the Pizza Hut on Riverside for dinner as there was no way I was going to attempt to cook dinner so late and all we had in the house was a joint of pork as I really did imagine that Keith would be home!

Pizza Hut was almost empty when we arrived but we had a lovely meal and helped ourselves liberally to the salad bar, always a favourite for me! Sophie and I shared a barbecue pizza while Mikey demolished a Meat Feast - nothing wrong with his appetite!

Busy weekend, part one!

I was awake at 5.45am this morning but I read for a while and went back to sleep so it was almost 9am when I got up, feeling a bit groggy from falling back into slumber.

I had a Tesco delivery due at 10am as there was no time yesterday for me to go shopping. I had been hoping that Keith would be home today but when I called him he said it was unlikely, which meant that he will probably be in all over the weekend.

After putting the shopping away and having breakfast, Sophie and I drove to Jones's as I had a few bits to get for work and I wanted to get Keith a small radio to listen to while he was in hospital. I had miscalculated the time, because driving back I realised I would have to get home, drop Sophie off and then immediately drive back into Northampton to visit Keith!

Today has been beautiful as well, the sort of day that would have been perfect for getting out into the garden and doing some tidying up and clearing out, but that will all have to wait for another sunny Saturday!

When I got to the hospital, Keith was just about to be moved to a Cardiology ward. I went with him and helped him to settle into a bed by the window - but he didn't have much of a view, poor thing! Just an opposite building!

I stayed with him for an hour and then went home to prepare dinner and relax until it was time to go back and see him in the evening. Sophie had ironed and hoovered for me, which was a real treat!

After giving Sophie instructions about dinner I drove back to Northampton to visit Keith who seemed very cheerful. We both now knew that he wouldn't be home until at least Monday when he will hopefully have his angiogram. At least he'll be having a rest while he's in hospital!

Frantic Friday!

It's been another hectic day and my poor car is certainly clocking up the miles! Sophie took the day off today as she had a whole day of free periods so she stayed with me to help and be a moral support! We had a problem first thing as the deadbolt that I'd put on last night was stuck and we couldn't open the back door, which we use almost constantly. It really annoyed me that I couldn't get it to open but there was nothing I could do before work so I was forced to leave it and hope that I'd find a solution later in the day.

Sophie and I went to Booker (in dad's car, thank goodness!) and we were met by the Manager who gave us a box of chocolates as a thank you for being a customer! Nice touch! We bought some more things for the weekend, tasted a sample of beefburgers and returned to work where it was busy with customers.

At 1.30pm Sophie and I left for the day and went to visit Keith in hospital. He was still on the assessment ward but was pretty cheerful considering he was incarcerated! We didn't stay long as we had to be home for Mikey and on the way back to our house we called into work to pick up my Tassimo order. At least I can have good coffee and hot chocolate over the weekend!

At home I tried my hardest to sort out the lock on the door but it wouldn't budge. The weather today has been truly and utterly horrible with strong, cold winds and a driving rain. The locked door means we have to go out through the conservatory, not too bad, but it's still inconvenient, especially when the weather is so nasty!

At just after 5pm I ventured out into the rain and wind to visit Keith again. The traffic was horrendous and to say I felt miserable is an understatement! However, when I got to the hospital Keith was in good spirits and was laughing and joking with one of the nurses so that made me feel better. I would have hated him to be miserable and fed up. He told me to leave the door as he would sort it out when he got home!

I stayed until almost 8pm and then battled my way back home in the gloom. I'm just glad it wasn't snowing! As soon as I got home I prepared dinner (fishfingers for all of us with mashed potato) and then had a well-earned rest in front of the TV!

Affairs of the heart

This morning Keith and I were up very early as he had an appointment for a stress test at the hospital. Over the last month, he's been having chest pains again and he wasn't really sure if it was his heart as he's had a bad cold and cough. I dropped him off at the hospital at 7.30am and then returned home to collect the children (and my mum who wanted a lift in) and do the normal school run.

At 9am Keith called me to say that he had to see the heart surgeon and they wouldn't allow him home until he'd had an angiogram, which could be a long wait. I went home, collected some bits for him and drove to the hospital to find him waiting in the corridor without anything to read or eat. By now it was almost lunchtime so I bought him a sandwich and a cup of tea and waited with him until he was taken to a small room where at least he could watch the television. I hated leaving him there, but I needed to get back to work and buy something for dinner as that was to be one of his jobs today!

I hadn't been in the office long before I received a call from school - it was Mikey saying his trousers had ripped and could I go and get him another pair? Cursing like mad, I drove all the way home, delivered the trousers and then went back to work to grab a quick sandwich before it was time to go and pick Sophie up from school. I then went back home to wait for Mikey who took the bus home. Phew!

In the evening I prepared dinner, gave Sophie instructions so she could start it off for me, and went back to the hospital to find that Keith had been put on an assessment ward. I had a feeling that he was going to be in all weekend as there'd been no mention of the angiogram and once the hospital get you in their clutches, there's no escape!

We chatted about what had happened and I left at 8pm to go home and finish off the dinner. The children had been brilliant and by 8.30pm we were sitting down to meatballs, pasta and garlic doughballs! I had a large glass of red wine and hoped fervently that my husband would be home for the weekend!

The interminable grey!

Today has been horrible - unrelenting grey skies and rain and not really a lot to write about. I had a stressed journey into work with the traffic and stupid drivers and Booker delivered when the rain was at its worst and it was blowing a gale!

After work Sophie and I went off to the gym but neither of us felt particularly into it tonight so we had a short session and went home via the garage to fill up with diesel and a shop to buy Mango Chutney that Keith had forgotten to buy earlier in the day!