When first thinking about November’s blog, I planned to say what a marvellous month it had been for international team sport, from the World Cup T20 cricket, through to the World Cup football. In between, there was women’s BJK Cup tennis and World Cup Rugby. What I really looked forward to, though, was the Autumn Rugby international series, but that would be tinged with great sadness.
At the game between Scotland and New Zealand, former Scotland and Lions Rugby player, Doddie Weir, brought on the match ball, receiving enthusiastic applause from the Murrayfield crowd, but looking gaunt and emaciated after fighting MND for six years. Two weeks later, on Saturday the 26th, Doddie died. Fittingly, the announcement was made at Twickenham, at half time in the last game of this series. Doddie has had many mentions in my blogs, for the huge amount of money he has raised for MND research, and for raising awareness of MND so much. This is not the place for an obituary but please do read more at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/63688926. RIP Doddie.
Coincidentally, 26th November was also the day that Doreen and I both tested positive for Covid. She had been unwell for a few days and started coughing badly on the Friday. That evening, I had to use my cough-assist machine two or three times to clear excess fluid from my lungs. I started the emergency antibiotics which I can take at the first sign of a chest infection but things went from bad to worse. I needed the cough assist every hour and, in between, my breathing was very laboured, needing me to use my remaining chest movement to supplement the air from the ventilator. The night wore on and by about 6:30am, tired and exhausted, I decided to ask for medical assistance.
An ambulance arrived with two women paramedics who quickly discovered low blood oxygen and connected a portable oxygen feed to the ventilator. My temperature was a ‘raging’ 38°C so they stripped back the bedclothes and turned on the ceiling fan. They wanted me to go to hospital but I refused and they respected the decision. If they left, they would have to take the oxygen, so they retired to another room and got on the phone. It being the weekend, none of the MND specialists was available, so they arranged for an on-call doctor to call in later that day. They recommended plenty of fluids and paracetamol, and that I get up and sit in the wheelchair. Extracting a promise from me that, in future, I’d only be ill Monday-Friday, they took their oxygen bottle and left!
I still felt grim, but I wanted to follow their advice, so cutting the usual morning routine to the bone, I moved straight to the wheelchair and began ingesting fluids and paracetamol. The on-call doctor arrived about 11am. By that time, I was a lot brighter with my temperature lower and blood oxygen normal but she decided to carry out a Covid test. Lo & behold, I tested positive! It was now the doctor’s turn to want me in hospital, but I held firm. The doctor gave me a prescription for some alternative antibiotics and steroids. After she left, we tested Doreen who was also positive. Writing this one week on, we are both now clear and feeling a lot better.
Closomat finally turned up and removed the toilet arms so the new shower chair is in regular use, and I have a new mattress which alters position subtly during the night to avert pressure sores. The NHS technology team brought me new software which magnifies a chosen section of screen so I can click more accurately. The problem with head-based solutions is that my neck muscles are weakening. I have a neck collar to support my head which restricts my head movement making head-based controls even more difficult to use!! Writing is a lot slower now so apologies to those of you whose individual emails I am slow to respond to.