Margaret was never able to walk while she was in Mary Potter, but she did get more skilful in manoeuvring her wheelchair.
The staff at Mary Potter were the kindest people I have ever met in my life – so much kinder than the people Margaret still called her friends.
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Blog 235 finished with extracts from my diary entries for Sunday 9 July 2023. This Blog continues my diary entries from the point where Blog 235 finished.
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Sunday 9 July 2023 Blog 235’s diary entry finishes this way. [Marg was very reluctant for me to go home, so I stayed until 9.10 pm. I only went home then because she insisted I should. I offered to stay all night and sleep on the sofa in her room but she refused to let me do this. She was calm when I left but I have an uneasy feeling. Was this our final evening together? It is 10.38 pm on Sunday as I write this..] **** Monday 10 July 2023 The diary entry for Monday 10 July 2023 continues. I slept from 11.00 pm on Sunday to 5.00 am on Monday 10 July. Margaret rang while I was making breakfast and asked that I come in and be with her. I hurriedly ate breakfast, didn’t stop to have a shower and drove to the hospital, arriving at 6.45 am. Margaret was frightened – although she denied this was so. It was still not clear what medical prognosis had been made. The hospital cancer consultant visited at about 9.30 and discussed options for palliative care. He promised to initiate the necessary steps to find out what hospital palliative care places were available. Margaret was still too scared to permit me to go home so I stayed, promising to stay all day and all night if this was needed. In Margaret’s presence I placed a call to Lift Cancer Care and advised Margaret could not attend her next appointment, that she was in hospital and that we were hoping to find appropriate palliative care/ hospice care. Lauren Whiting rang me shortly after this and expressed her great sorrow at this development. From about 12.30 pm Margaret’s pain began increasing rapidly. If she had not been as stoic as she is, she would certainly have been screaming. The pre-ordered pain relief did nothing to ease her pain and the nurse arranged for a doctor to come. The doctor prescribed Fentanyl. For ages after the Fentanyl administration, Margaret kept sobbing; it made no difference. At about 1.30, the pain relief started to have an effect. While this was going on, I could do nothing except hold her hands and reassure her I was there and would not leave her. By about 2.00 pm she was finally no longer in the acute agonising pain. The pain seemed to come from the ulcers on her legs. I dozed for an hour on the sofa in the room. Margaret was unable to eat breakfast or lunch. The hospital Palliative Care doctor visited at about 4.00 pm. He too was lovely. He closely questioned Margaret about her wishes and physical needs. He closely questioned me about my understanding of Margaret’s wishes and needs. Margaret made clear that she would like if possible to go to Mary Potter Hospice at Calvary Hospital, North Adelaide. The doctor promised to try and arrange this as soon as possible while making clear that he was unable to make any guaranteed promises. Until such time as a hospice bed became available, Margaret would remain as a patient at Royal Adelaide Hospital. Cheryl and Maurine arrived while the palliative care consultant was visiting. They stayed until 5.30 pm. Margaret was still unable to cope with being alone in the hospital room, so I stayed. At 6.40 pm, Jameson and Charli arrived and Margaret finally told me she would be okay if I went home. I got home at 6.55 pm totally exhausted. It is 7.31 pm as I write these words. I have an appointment with Dr Pant tomorrow at 10.30 when she will try and restore my sense of smell by again removing polyps. I see significance in the failure of the doctors to refer in any way to the progress of the cancer, especially when coupled with their ready acceptance of the need for Margaret to have palliative care/ hospice care. They would have told us if we had asked direct questions, but in the absence of direct questions they preferred not to devastate us with their findings on progress of the cancer. Tomorrow after I have seen Dr Pant I will take a small bag with fresh clothing and toiletries and stay with her until this process has reached its end. I doubt it will be long. Tuesday 11 July 2023 I woke up at 5.50 am on Tuesday 11 July 2023. Today is our 25th anniversary. I have had breakfast and now I will pack a small bag of supplies to get me through the next few days at the hospital until Margaret dies. I will not leave her until she leaves me. We have already exchanged a few texts. I packed a small bag with essentials such as toiletries and left for my ENT appointment. After a check, a fresh appointment was made for October to have my polyps removed. I then returned to Margaret at the RAH. |
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