The best laid plans...

Wow, what a weekend!

Sorry folks, Good afternoon all and a happy Sunday.!!!

I`ll explain about my weekend in a mo for those of you that want to read yet another tale of woe. For those of you that simply want to look at another card I`ll start there lol.

This is the colour swatch for the Color Throw Down # 110  

Here is my card ;
I started making this card mid week hoping to do something eleborate and fabulous with it but life took over and I`ve finished up rushing it a bit in time to submit for this weeks challenge.

The gray dotty paper is by Pink Petticoat and is matted onto some silver pearlescent card. This was the closest I could find to a darker gray.
The image is Sweet Peas by Flourishes, coloured with promarkers and cut out with a circle nestie.
I cut a scalloped circle nestie in the silver to use as a border.
I added some Burgundy ribbon along the edge of the card and a large bow.
The sentiment is by Rubbadubbado and cut out with a scalloped circle nestie.

It`s my Mums birthday on Thursday so I`m giving this card to her.

Right then! Are you ready for this? I`ll try to keep it short but I have a feeling it might turn into an essay lol. Get the violins ready!!!

Alan finished the decorating on thursday so I`d planned a big clean up for saturday. I actually woke up at 5.40 on saturday morning so I thought I`d get up and have an early start. This would, hopefully, leave me with loads of time to get in my craft room and play.
By lunch time the kitchen was scrubbed clean, my third load of washing was finished, the rest of the house was dusted, polished and vacuumed and the grocery shopping was done. All I had left to do was the bathroom when the phone rang. It was the home my Mum is in to tell us that Mum had been taken ill and had gone to hospital in an ambulance. They had tried to get hold of Dad but he wasn`t in so I was next call. The conversation went something like this,
Carer... Your Mum went really white and started shaking, then she was sick so I 999 it.
Me... Oh, right so what did the ambulance staff say.
Carer...Nowt really they`ve took her to hospital.
Me... Ok then is anyone with her?
Carer... No but I`ve given them all her information.
Me... Right then , thanks for ringing bye.

Panic set in then. I tried Dads land line and his mobile, couldn`t get a connection on the mobile. Luckily Alan was home to take me because I don`t drive and it would have taken forever on the bus. All the time I was fuming that they hadn`t sent another carer with her in the ambulance.
Mum is now in the latter stages of Alzhiemers and has all the capabilities of a 3 month old. She can`t speak coherently, she can`t feed or dress herself or even go to the loo. On top of that, when she`s stressed or frightened, she screams and fights. Now anyone who knew my Mum before she became ill would tell you that she was the most dignified, ladylike and quiet person in the world. This illness takes all that away from you. Not only that but our health service, wonderful though it is, is just not geared up to cope with dementia patients. And they sent her to hospital on her own. I`m still fuming.
When we arrived at the hospital Mum was still being checked in and fortunetly was out for the count. I had a word with the ambulance crew who said they were worried about no one going with her but they had been assured that I was on my way. Grrr!
After waiting in a cubicle for about an hour Dad arrived so Alan left and then about an hour later a Doctor came to examine Mum. I explained the situation to him and warned him that she might fight him but he was lovely. He listened to her chest and spoke to her in soft soothing tones. He felt her tummy and looked into her eyes. He told us he couldn`t find anything but wanted to X ray her just in case and thought she could possibly have either a chest or water infection.
Half an hour later she was taken for an X ray and then we lost our cubicle. Mum was left in corridor. Obviously there were no chairs in the corridor so Dad, who is 78 and I had  to stand as we still darn`t leave her alone.
We were preparing to wait for hours when the doctor came back to tell us that he was almost certain Mum had a water infection but he didn`t want to keep her in over night. This was a huge relief to both of us as neither of us wanted that. The last time she had to spend time in hospital she only had a drink or food when someone from the family went to visit. Hospital staff tend to put food in front of you and if you don`t eat it they just assume you`re not hungry and take it away. Mum has to be fed and has her drinks in a feeder cup that someone has to hold for her.
Anyway we only had to wait a few more minutes for her prescription and the Doctor had even arranged transport back to the home.
I finally got home just in time to watch X factor and didn`t even get on my computer. I was in bed for 10 pm
Dad rang the home this morning and Mum had had a peaceful night and was resting so she`s obviously still too ill to move about but, fingers crossed she`ll start to get better soon.

Alzhiemers is a cruel disease that not everyone understands until it effects you personally. I, along with most other people always thought it just meant that you lost your short term memory but could remember things from your childhood. It`s not like that at all. Parts of the brain start dying at a very fast rate and it`s not you that forgets but your brain that loses the ability to remember the most basic functions. The first thing Mum lost was the ability to write her name. Gradually she has lost almost everything we take for granted from the day we are born. Eventually, if she doesn`t get a serious infection first, she will lose the ability to swallow and will have to be tube fed. This usually results in patients getting infections that the body cannot fight any longer.
It`s 10 years since Mum was first diagnosed with this illness. I wouldn`t wish it on anyone.

Just one more point. I`m not blaming the carer for sending Mum alone. Apparently it`s the policy of the home and that is what is so annoying. They charge an absolute fortune for social care and the carers do a magnificent job for minimum wage. The majority of them are wonderful people and deserve all the respect they can get.
Rant over.

Thanks for sticking with it...Lynne xxx