Sunday morning in Ballyseede and the sun is shining. It really is a beautiful November’s morning, the first frost of the winter was on the grass as we got up but the early Sun burnt it off quickly enough. Ruby and Lisa have gone for a run in Ballyseede Woods with Muttley the dog. Poor fellow doesn’t know what’s hit him the last few weeks. There he was living the life of Reilly back in Ballyristin, inside all day if he wanted, going out only when the urge took him. Now he’s living outside permanently, in a nice house mind you, but no more evenings in front of the fire or being indulged with snoozes on the couch. The snoozes on the couch weren’t allowed by me but many was the time I came home to find Lisa and the kids in front of the fire with Muttley stretched out like Lord Muck on the couch. Well this winter it’s a whole new world for the Muttler and he seems to be taking to it in fairness to him.
It’s the end of another week of activity in our household. After three weeks seizure free poor little Fred had one as he fell asleep wednesday evening. Nothing major but when he had a second one twenty minutes later we headed for the hospital. The benefit of living here paid off again as we were settled in the ward in under twenty minutes. The worst thing for Freddie is that he has to have a line put in these days, so after going to sleep at home he woke up surrounded by four women poking and prodding at him. The tears and shouts of anguish as they stuck the needle in his arm echoed around the children’s ward. A doctor in a Spanish hospital called Fred “el Toro” as he fought him when putting in a needle a few years back and this always comes back to me when I’m trying to calm the poor boy. After they were settled Ruby and I went home to try and sleep leaving Lisa and Freddie to be looked after by the wonderful staff of Kerry General Hospital.
Back home I had to deal with the problem of Ruby and Paranormal Activity. It’s not that she’s involved in any just that she watched the two movies of the same name over Halloween, in the daytime. Come night time and she’s petrified of the dark, of going upstairs, of going to the kitchen, of sleeping alone....I warned her but of course she knew better. So that night we had to sleep in the room with two twin beds, both pushed as far apart as possible by Ruby. There was a time when she’d cuddle me all night, now she barely acknowledges me in public and I have to laugh when I see the room when I go to bed. The next morning I’m up at 5.30 to get to the hospital, Ruby gets up and is straight into the TV room with all the lights on. Freddie has had a peaceful night and as soon as I’m in Lisa goes home for a wash and a change of clothes. When she comes back I head off to work and later on the consultant sends Lisa and Freddie home. Another benefit of living nearby, no more long unnecessary hospital stays.
Back home I had to deal with the problem of Ruby and Paranormal Activity. It’s not that she’s involved in any just that she watched the two movies of the same name over Halloween, in the daytime. Come night time and she’s petrified of the dark, of going upstairs, of going to the kitchen, of sleeping alone....I warned her but of course she knew better. So that night we had to sleep in the room with two twin beds, both pushed as far apart as possible by Ruby. There was a time when she’d cuddle me all night, now she barely acknowledges me in public and I have to laugh when I see the room when I go to bed. The next morning I’m up at 5.30 to get to the hospital, Ruby gets up and is straight into the TV room with all the lights on. Freddie has had a peaceful night and as soon as I’m in Lisa goes home for a wash and a change of clothes. When she comes back I head off to work and later on the consultant sends Lisa and Freddie home. Another benefit of living nearby, no more long unnecessary hospital stays.
Later on at about 3PM Lisa calls. Freddie has had a bad long seizure and she’s had to call an ambulance. So much for the end of the drama. Afterwards she tells me it was like something straight off a TV program. The ambulance had arrived within five minutes all sirens and flashing lights. Taking no chances the driver had sped back to the hospital, weaving in and out of traffic, through red lights, over roundabouts not around them, a real white knuckle ride. The unconscious Freddie in the back missing all the excitement. Having tore back over the Connor Pass I rushed from the car park up to the children’s ward only to be told that they were still in A&E. My legs were weak as I ran back down wondering what had happened, why he hadn’t been admitted to the ward an hour previously. The nurse brought me to the cubicle, he was fast asleep in his mother’s arms, the A&E staff had been too busy to admit him to the ward. It drives me mad to hear people giving out about the public service when you see the frontline staff working so hard 24 hours a day. Yes parts of it are run inefficiently but it seems where we need a public service most, hospitals, schools, social care, it’s grossly under-funded. Soon enough we were brought to the ward and our little man was sitting up eating toast for tea. Not before he’d had more prodding and poking from all the women though!
At about 9.00pm I was sent home so as to leave the two get a nights rest. Paranormal Ruby was off in Ballyferriter on a sleepover so I only had myself for company. When these times are happening I can’t eat and if I do it’s usually a forced feed of junk food. Not having any comfort food or appetite I lay out on the sofa watching TV and fearing the phone call from the hospital. By midnight I was in bed finishing my book waiting for my eyes to close from exhaustion. About 1.30am I fell asleep and woke with a jolt at 6am. Up, washed and in the car by 6.30 a text came through as I drove through the roundabout next to the hospital which I opened when I got to car park. It was from Lisa “He got through the night fine, no need to rush in”. “The little fecker” I said out loud in the empty car park, my eyes full of tears. What a relief! Up in the ward the nurses greeted me with smiles when I walked in, they know the anguish of these nights, they feel it too. “A peaceful night” one of them said to me, a relieved smile on her face. After breakfast we were sent home and it wasn’t long before Fred and his mother were fighting over something or other.
At about 9.00pm I was sent home so as to leave the two get a nights rest. Paranormal Ruby was off in Ballyferriter on a sleepover so I only had myself for company. When these times are happening I can’t eat and if I do it’s usually a forced feed of junk food. Not having any comfort food or appetite I lay out on the sofa watching TV and fearing the phone call from the hospital. By midnight I was in bed finishing my book waiting for my eyes to close from exhaustion. About 1.30am I fell asleep and woke with a jolt at 6am. Up, washed and in the car by 6.30 a text came through as I drove through the roundabout next to the hospital which I opened when I got to car park. It was from Lisa “He got through the night fine, no need to rush in”. “The little fecker” I said out loud in the empty car park, my eyes full of tears. What a relief! Up in the ward the nurses greeted me with smiles when I walked in, they know the anguish of these nights, they feel it too. “A peaceful night” one of them said to me, a relieved smile on her face. After breakfast we were sent home and it wasn’t long before Fred and his mother were fighting over something or other.
Normal activity had returned.
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