Ewwww........yuck!

I am typing this post from my bed. I have a sore throat and my muscles ache....a lot!

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Holly helped me get Jack up this morning cos I was feeling so yuck. He slept through it all, lucky for some eh.

It was highly amusing having her help cos she kept getting in the way!  The funniest bit of all was her reaction to taking off his clothes because he was soaking wet having peed out the side of his nappy. Being the person I am, I made sure she was down at the business end taking off his pyjama bottoms and she was making "ewww" noises the whole time, picking them up by her fingertips once she'd gotten them off.  Even in my unwell state, I was bent double with laughter.  She was not impressed especially when I made her carry them and his bedding to the washing machine. Wicked eh?

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I used to be like her.  Bodily fluids were enough to turn my stomach but nowadays I have a perverse kind of fascination for them.  I am constantly monitoring Jack's bodily functions.  Making sure he has enough fluids, keeping on top of constipation and now the most fun thing of all, NOT, keeping his chest clear of gunk!

Over the course of last weekend, I spent quite a few hours while Kathy and the kids were here, trying to get Jack to cough up all the yucky stuff just sitting in his upper airways.  You can tell it's sitting there cos it makes a crackling, rattling sound when he breathes. Jack on the other hand is a tad mean with his offerings and prefers to not give them up without a major battle.  So when he finally coughs up some stuff, I am literally jumping up and down with excitement, much to the amusement of James (13), Kathy's eldest.

After watching me get all excited and praising Jack for his meagre offerings, James was looking at me as if I'd lost the plot (quite a normal reaction to me really) until I explained just how important it was to get rid of this stuff and how delighted I was that the gunk was white or clear as that meant no infection.  James thought about this a while then said "so really, you managing to get all this up is like the best thing ever, like finding gold, white gold" " and I laughed and said "you know what, I think you could be right!".

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So the gunk coming out of Jack's chest is now nicknamed White Gold and oh boy did I get lots of white gold over the weekend.  Clever clever boy.

Then last night, not only was my clever boy up on his knees quite a bit but he was also very vocal.  So vocal that Holly recorded it on her iphone!  He doesn't do this often but when he does, I join in so that we are turn taking, it's hilarious cos his face is usually a picture! He's probably thinking wtf?

We have had a home visit from the people at Rachel House, the hospice I told you about.  They came on Friday and then they phoned yesterday so we are booked in for a few days from Monday 11th April to Thurs 14th April and then again for 5 days in July.

I did break down over the weekend, in the arms of Kathy, not once but twice then we ended up laughing.  I know it is a positive step as we need this type of support but at the same time I was feeling kinda overwhelmed about it all.  I know I will feel better once I have been down there.  More than anything, I am looking forward to just being his mum for a few days without having to do the caring bit.

Now I am going to cuddle up in bed and die quietly or perhaps not, depending on how many times I can annoy Holly for a cup of tea.  She was sent home from school for being sick yesterday but she is much better today. I haven't the voice to yell so I will just stick my foot out the bed and bang on the ceiling til she comes running! Oh yeah, it's going to be a fun day!!! TTFN.