On Friday, I started two weeks annual leave to de-clutter my house, paint some walls, finally get some cocos palms removed and new guttering installed. On Saturday I had gone down to Sydney to visit my daughter and grand-daughter and we had a lovely lunch together.
I returned home later in the afternoon on Saturday to find a message waiting on my home phone from the sister Tricia to say my brother Bruce had taken a taxi the day before to the local hospital when he had noticed numbness in his left arm and leg. Bruce has head and throat cancer which he has been battling for the last 8 years.
Last year he underwent a course of palliative chemo to try to slow the cancer down which was successful until his last two x-rays showed that the cancer was active again. A decision whether to run with another course of chemo was going to be made in September, now with this stroke I am not sure if they will go ahead with the chemo but wait to see what long term effect the stroke has on his body.
As I was going to be on vacation I had made plans with Bruce to take him to a store as he had decided to buy an ipad, he finds a PC computer difficult to get his head around (not very computer literate) maybe the ipad would be more user-friendly for him
... Now we wait to see how this #%F% stroke develops.
... now I am just sitting here feeling like all the stuffing has been knocked out of me.
When my sisterTricia rang, she left me a number so I could call him direct in hospital, so I rang him and we had a chat, first thing he said was I haven't got a pen ... why do you need a pen ... I'm bored I would like to do my crossword ... that is if I had a paper so I could do my crossword ... and I have no book to read ... and I can't get to my mobile (cell) to phone its on the side of the bed I can't reach ... ok so can you reach the button to summon the nurse to get you a pen and paper ... and there's no TV and I pay top hospital care... I think you're having a bit of a whinge now ... (laughter) ... maybe, he said.
We spoke for 1/2 an hour about the tests he had had on the Saturday and was going to be visited by the doctor Sunday morning. After the phone call I rang one of his friends to let him know about the stroke and he was going to give him a call on Sunday to see if he needed anything. A call to my sister today Monday and we are still waiting to see how he is going.
I have a feeling that this stroke is connected to his cancer.
Update 3/9/12.
He is home now while he was in rehab, a team from home modifications went to his house and installed rails and a slight ramp over his stairs. He is walking with a small limp but otherwise he has lucky there was not more damaged done.
Update 3/9/12.
He is home now while he was in rehab, a team from home modifications went to his house and installed rails and a slight ramp over his stairs. He is walking with a small limp but otherwise he has lucky there was not more damaged done.
