Aaaargh waiting for out of hours doctor

[Grinchly]

Aged mother woke with fluid leaking from legs. Called her friend first thing who called me. Drove over. Long story short, lots of hassle with 111, eventually spoke to ooh doc and have been triaged as non urgent for a home visit.

I do not live locally, no other family . I will be here hours won't I .

Oh and checked her bubble pack and she has forgotten to take her dementia tablet for the last week.

Help keep me sane. Whilst the friend was here she was all sweetness and light but now has started ordering me around and fretting about stuff. Has now gone to sleep in her chair. And I've brought my charger wire but not the plug for my phone and tablet.

I hate this house and I hate this situation. How can I pass the hours. She refuses to countenance having tv or radio on.

Festive name change by the way. Was Mighty ban.

Um...fluid leaking? Sounds alarming.

How old is your mum?

Hope you have escaped.

Yes, I have escaped thank you, lovely @thesandwich

I was alarmed too re the fluid, but ( in case anyone else faces this) it was prob a combination of her heart condition, not moving around much and then apparently having to climb several flights of stairs to her seat for a choir concert last night as the lift at the venue wasn't working.

Treatment is anti bs, diuretic, ( oh no) and some noisome unguents to apply to the affected parts. And I have made it vair vair clear I don't live locally and have a full on job I can't just abandon .

Very fortunately, the district nurses will undertake the noisome unguents part and a team will also ( allegedly) be sent in to supervise the medication taking. ( as it is in addition to the stuff in her bubble pack and even that she has not been managing - leaving out her dementia medication recently for some reason.😱)

This isn't an emergency by any means but I foresee all sorts of trivial issues over the coming days! Private care visitors beckon I think...

Happy happy days.

Does your mum have a tv? There are usually sub ports at the back, you can charge your phone there.

I don’t have any other advice, sorry!

grace
she is 87. Various chronic conditions. She is 'difficult ' - presenting a cherubic dotty but together persona to HCPs then an autocratic and petulant side to me. We've never really got on. Especially as I've had 53 years of it! Dementia is simply exaggerating both behaviours.

Ooh thanks juniper will remember for next time. Hadn't thought of that! Fortunately nothing ran out of juice while I was there.

oh I feel for you OP

glad you got away

are you usually on the main thread? Feel free to join us if not already!

I have been on and off. More off than on, and more a lurker.
Will take the plunge again I think...

btw what did you mean by fluid leaking - sounds very alarming...hope she is okay.

It's a yellow ish liquid seeping from the pores, when they get over-swollen legs. Heart ok and lungs clear so far. That's the main thing.

Infection In legs treated by antibiotics and diuretic to wee out ( my terminology there, did you guess? ) the extra fluid. Plus ointment ( hate that word) and dressing.

ooh that sounds unpleasant but glad heart and lungs are good

I can't say I thought much about the word "ointment" but now recall it as the second word in this "song"

I knew moist would be on there who is this person? Reminds me of Tim Minchin

noisome unguents has just reminded me I have the new Shardlake as yet untouched. Also of Henry VIII - I think 'autocratic' is what made me think of him...

Glad you got away and were brutally blunt about your unavailability as a carer. I lurk on the main thread gathering wisdom for my probable nearish future - I am so grateful for it.

How could you have predicted "moist"? (There's a sentence you don't type every day). Not that I've spent any time thinking about unsexy words
I love the random stuff they do on that show, always good for cheering up.

I think Jamie Foxx is best known for being an Oscar winning actor but I didn't even see the film! I know him more for music.