The days are just flying by. On Monday we went to GOSH and Jasmine had her usual checks and bloods done. They are quite pleased with her progress and said that she was looking much better too. However, her blood pressure (BP) is still a cause for concern so we borrowed an ambulatory cuff and Jasmine wore it for 24 hours and it took her BP every half hour during the day and every hour during the night. We got a phone call today to say that there is nothing to worry about and we will find out in more detail what her BP is like next week. It varies a lot though. Tonight it was good (88) as she was snoozy, but it fluctuates. We are continuing the same amount of medicines but increasing the dialysis fill.
After the clinic on Monday we popped up to the ward to say hello to the nurses, before we went out for lunch and then to the British Museum for a mosey round. That evening Trish took me out for dinner. We went to Sarastro on Drury Lane to listen to the live music and opera singers. It was very nice, but it felt a little strange not being with my Jasmine. That evening was the longest I had been without her since she came home from hospital. I missed her even before I said goodbye.
When I got home that evening poor Neil was worn out, because if we get behind in our routine of all the feeds and getting Jasmine into bed then she gets rather tired and crotchety and all the tasks of setting up the machine, sterile handwashes and putting her on dialysis, then sorting out medicines and overnight feeds, can take much longer. It is hard to concentrate with a wailing baby especially when you have sterile hands and can’t pick her up.
On Tuesday Jasmine’s nose had been bleeding from, we think, the NG tube irritating her nostril. I pulled it out and got a fresh one and popped it down the other nostril. Yesterday she spent most of the day tugging on it until she pulled it out whilst we were doing her PD dressing change. So, we carried on with washing the exit site and then Neil held her whilst I repassed the tube.
I seem to attract lots of advice as I wander about minding my own business. On Wednesday, a homeopath, whom I happened to sit next to when I was having a coffee and letting Jasmine stare out of the window, asked lots of questions about Jasmine and I thought I would try out talking about her and wished I hadn’t in the end. The woman decided that homeopathy could support Jasmine’s kidneys and help them function better. I mentioned that I am losing my hair and she said that that it could be a sign that I have kidney trouble. I begged to differ and diagnosed ‘having a baby’ as a the cause of my hair loss. She agreed and showed me her bald patches where her hair fell out after giving birth and is just growing back after two years. Not a great advert for homeopathy.
Two other old ladies stopped me this week. One in Boots, to ask me if I am breastfeeding, tell me that I should be, and how she fed both her children for six months. The second stopped me to tell me not to give my child drugs and that I should be careful. Careful about stopping and giving any mad old bat the time of day in the street. This goes for homeopaths too.