81. “Cats and Dogs”

This September was notable for its rainfall, with some English counties experiencing three times their normal September level. I hadn’t planned to go out much anyway but our daughter, Fiona, did organise a family BBQ, to mark the end of summer, which we hosted. BBQs are normally a good opportunity for me to get out into the garden and enjoy the company but sadly it rained all afternoon, so everyone had to stay indoors, but they all seemed to enjoy it, nonetheless.
With it raining ‘cats & dogs’ much of the time, the end of the cricket season was somewhat disturbed, but we still managed to complete a very competitive series of men’s T20 and One-Day International matches between England and Australia. The football season is now well under way, and the rugby season has started too, so there is plenty of televised sport to keep me entertained.
In last month’s blog I mentioned that I’d been feeling unwell at the end of the month. Soon after, my carers spotted blood in my sputum when using the cough-assist machine, which usually indicates a chest infection. Fortunately, I have a cache of pre-prescribed antibiotics for just such an event which I started immediately. Within a few days, the blood had gone, and I was beginning to feel better. I also wrote last month about deterioration in my breathing. After clearing the chest infection, I did see some welcome bounce-back in my breathing but, as anticipated, not all the way back to where I was a couple of months ago, but that’s MND. On the positive side, my ‘tennis elbow’ is much better!
I had another two near misses this month with the ventilator hose suddenly becoming detached from my face mask, leaving me, as with previous incidents, totally unable to breathe or call for help. Fortunately, though my carers were again present and alert, and quickly re-connected me. One of these days I might not be as lucky.
The USA’s presidential election contest just gets weirder, with a second apparent attempted assassination of Donald Trump this month, while fake photos of Kamala Harris, circulated on social media, are trying to prove she’s a communist! Most bizarre of all though, was Trump’s claim, during a live TV debate, that Haitian refugees in Springfield, Ohio are stealing and eating residents’ pet cats and dogs! The story originated from Trumps VP running mate, JD Vance (he of the “miserable childless cat women” quote), a US senator who represents Ohio. Springfield city officials have repeatedly refuted the claims, but that hasn’t stopped threats being made against Haitians and schools. When challenged on the authenticity of his animal-eating claim, Vance replied, “If I have to create stories [to draw attention to] the suffering of the American people, then that’s what I’m going to do”. So, it’s ok for senior US politicians to lie outrageously, inciting racial hatred and violence?
Doreen has always been accident prone. Many an item of crockery has ended its life when “it just fell!” About 10 years ago she somehow managed to partially sever a finger while putting some books in a charity recycling bin. Earlier this month, while out in the garden bringing in the washing, Doreen slipped. She tried to break her fall, but instead she broke her wrist! A trip to A&E confirmed a break in two places but fortunately not seriously. This isn’t the first time she’s done it. Thirty-five years ago, Fiona had her 10th birthday party at our local roller rink in Tynemouth. Not content to sit and watch from the sidelines, Doreen decided to ‘have a go’ but fell and broke her wrist. On that occasion, however, the break was more serious, requiring an operation under general anaesthetic to re-set it. Was it the same wrist you might ask? Doreen, understandably with her dementia, can’t remember, but then neither can I.