Mum's operation is still on schedule for Friday morning, and after that, if all goes well, she's expected to be sent home on Friday evening. Talk about revolving door :-)
The results of the test to see if it was a problem with the Long QT waves of Mum's heart that cause it to fibrillate (i.e. Long QT syndrome) are still not in, but according to Dad, there was no obvious problem with the Long QT waves showing up on any of Mum's ECG's.
Dad thinks we may never know what caused Mum's attack. But once she's had her operation on Friday to have the ICD fitted, we will at least know that there's something there to bump-start her heart if it fibrillates again.
More news when it comes.
Emily
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Monday, 29 December 2008
Getting bored? So is Mum!
My apologies to regular readers of this blog that there isn't much to report as far as Mum's condition goes.
You'll be getting as bored as she is!
At the moment, boredom and tiredness seem to be all that's amiss with Mum. Because she's being monitored via her gizmo, she can only go to the boundaries of the ward she's on (Dan Danino Ward). So she can't even go for walks round the hospital corridors.
She's doing her best to keep occupied with a TV in her room (which she shares with 3 other ladies), books, CDs and lots of Sudoku. But she can't wait to come home!
So far as we know, the operation is still scheduled for Friday, and after that, there are rumours that she'll need a few X-rays, presumably to make sure the ICD is in the right place and hasn't moved.
Then she'll come home.
Dad won't be able to visit tomorrow, so the next blog update will probably be on Wednesday.
Emily
You'll be getting as bored as she is!
At the moment, boredom and tiredness seem to be all that's amiss with Mum. Because she's being monitored via her gizmo, she can only go to the boundaries of the ward she's on (Dan Danino Ward). So she can't even go for walks round the hospital corridors.
She's doing her best to keep occupied with a TV in her room (which she shares with 3 other ladies), books, CDs and lots of Sudoku. But she can't wait to come home!
So far as we know, the operation is still scheduled for Friday, and after that, there are rumours that she'll need a few X-rays, presumably to make sure the ICD is in the right place and hasn't moved.
Then she'll come home.
Dad won't be able to visit tomorrow, so the next blog update will probably be on Wednesday.
Emily
Saturday, 27 December 2008
Family visit
Mum now has less than a week to go before the scheduled date for her operation, and she can't wait to get home.
Because there were such a crowd of us visiting her today, we walked down the corridor and sat in the Relatives' Room. As well as Hannah and Henry, Andy also brought his wife Vicky and their 20-month-old daughter Molly. We were a bit of a squash in the Relatives' Room which was small (just about enough seats for all the adults in our party), windowless and very warm - and there was nowhere else we could go because of Mum being hooked up to her gizmo.
So we did our best to keep the young children amused with books and games (hat tip to Dad for suggesting we take toys) but even "Dead lions" didn't keep them quiet!
We were evicted at 2pm at the end of visiting hour, and Mum reluctantly went back to her bed, while the rest of us went in search of some food. The nearest pub proved not to serve food on a Saturday, so we headed for Swansea West services, where we found the advertised Little Chef had been replaced with a Costa Coffee. Great. We ended up eating a Burger King.
Matt and I go back to Cumbria tomorrow, so the next blog entry will probably be on Monday.
Emily
Because there were such a crowd of us visiting her today, we walked down the corridor and sat in the Relatives' Room. As well as Hannah and Henry, Andy also brought his wife Vicky and their 20-month-old daughter Molly. We were a bit of a squash in the Relatives' Room which was small (just about enough seats for all the adults in our party), windowless and very warm - and there was nowhere else we could go because of Mum being hooked up to her gizmo.
So we did our best to keep the young children amused with books and games (hat tip to Dad for suggesting we take toys) but even "Dead lions" didn't keep them quiet!
We were evicted at 2pm at the end of visiting hour, and Mum reluctantly went back to her bed, while the rest of us went in search of some food. The nearest pub proved not to serve food on a Saturday, so we headed for Swansea West services, where we found the advertised Little Chef had been replaced with a Costa Coffee. Great. We ended up eating a Burger King.
Matt and I go back to Cumbria tomorrow, so the next blog entry will probably be on Monday.
Emily
Friday, 26 December 2008
The Boxing Day meet
Of the hospital variety.
Mum is still doing very well and her only complaint at the moment is boredom, because she's not allowed to walk further than the end of the ward as her gizmo that monitors her heart activity wouldn't work.
She's asked me to say thank you very much to everyone who have sent her get-well cards and wishes, and is looking forward to catching up with everyone when she comes home.
Andy's planning to come over tomorrow with Hannah (his 13-year-old stepdaughter) and Henry (his 4-year-old son) and visit Mum in hospital. Matt and I are also going there tomorrow. Because there are restrictions on visitor numbers, Dad's not coming tomorrow, he's going to go and "smash some clay pigeons".
Next update tomorrow afternoon.
Emily
Mum is still doing very well and her only complaint at the moment is boredom, because she's not allowed to walk further than the end of the ward as her gizmo that monitors her heart activity wouldn't work.
She's asked me to say thank you very much to everyone who have sent her get-well cards and wishes, and is looking forward to catching up with everyone when she comes home.
Andy's planning to come over tomorrow with Hannah (his 13-year-old stepdaughter) and Henry (his 4-year-old son) and visit Mum in hospital. Matt and I are also going there tomorrow. Because there are restrictions on visitor numbers, Dad's not coming tomorrow, he's going to go and "smash some clay pigeons".
Next update tomorrow afternoon.
Emily
Thursday, 25 December 2008
Christmas in hospital
Matt and I put the Christmas pot-roast in the oven first thing this morning and then, with Dad, headed off to Swansea hospital to see Mum (after Dad narrowly avoided knocking Matt over as he backed the car out of the drive).
Mum was in very good spirits, pleased to see us and delighted with her Christmas presents, especially a baking book by Rachel Allen. Here's looking forward to sampling some of the goodies from that book once Mum is back on her feet :-)
The hospital gave Mum a very nice Christmas lunch, turkey and all the trimmings followed by Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, and a Bucks Fizz to go with it. Mum assured us the Bucks Fizz tasted just as good drunk out of a plastic cup as from a cut-glass champagne flute.
We all left just after 1 and went home to eat our Christmas lunch. The pot-roast tasted good even though the meat had fallen to pieces in the pan because it had been in the oven for too long.
And our meal tasted all the better for knowing that Mum was much more relaxed today than yesterday, because the adrenaline test on her heart, which causes the heart to beat faster, had, not unnaturally, given her the blue spooks because she was worried her heart would go into arrythmia again.
We're all going to visit Mum again tomorrow, so next update tomorrow evening.
Off to try and beat Dad at Scrabble.
Emily
Mum was in very good spirits, pleased to see us and delighted with her Christmas presents, especially a baking book by Rachel Allen. Here's looking forward to sampling some of the goodies from that book once Mum is back on her feet :-)
The hospital gave Mum a very nice Christmas lunch, turkey and all the trimmings followed by Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, and a Bucks Fizz to go with it. Mum assured us the Bucks Fizz tasted just as good drunk out of a plastic cup as from a cut-glass champagne flute.
We all left just after 1 and went home to eat our Christmas lunch. The pot-roast tasted good even though the meat had fallen to pieces in the pan because it had been in the oven for too long.
And our meal tasted all the better for knowing that Mum was much more relaxed today than yesterday, because the adrenaline test on her heart, which causes the heart to beat faster, had, not unnaturally, given her the blue spooks because she was worried her heart would go into arrythmia again.
We're all going to visit Mum again tomorrow, so next update tomorrow evening.
Off to try and beat Dad at Scrabble.
Emily
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Tests
Mum had an "adrenaline test" yesterday which proved negative (i.e. nothing wrong in that department).
She had a "long QT" test today which tests the electrical waves made by her heart. The results of that haven't come through yet.
The idea is to try and find out why her heart attack happened. But Dad thinks they're drawing nearer to a "don't know why" if all the tests prove negative.
Fitting the ICD will be to ensure as far as possible that the attack doesn't recur.
Matt and I drove down from Cumbria today and are staying here till Sunday. We'll all go and visit Mum tomorrow and take her Christmas presents.
Next update tomorrow evening.
Merry Christmas one and all.
Emily
She had a "long QT" test today which tests the electrical waves made by her heart. The results of that haven't come through yet.
The idea is to try and find out why her heart attack happened. But Dad thinks they're drawing nearer to a "don't know why" if all the tests prove negative.
Fitting the ICD will be to ensure as far as possible that the attack doesn't recur.
Matt and I drove down from Cumbria today and are staying here till Sunday. We'll all go and visit Mum tomorrow and take her Christmas presents.
Next update tomorrow evening.
Merry Christmas one and all.
Emily
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Today's tests
Mum had a test today which proved negative - so whatever the test was for, isn't what caused the problem!
Matt and I are travelling back to Wales tomorrow to spend Christmas with Dad and be able to visit Mum over Christmas - so the next update will probably be on Christmas Day.
Merry Christmas one and all.
Emily
Matt and I are travelling back to Wales tomorrow to spend Christmas with Dad and be able to visit Mum over Christmas - so the next update will probably be on Christmas Day.
Merry Christmas one and all.
Emily
Hospital for Christmas
The "bump start" tests weren't done after all!
Mum's going to have some smaller tests, and then the estimated date for her to have her ICD* fitted is 2nd January. So she'll definitely be in hospital for Christmas, which is a bit of a bummer - but it does mean that for the first time in 31 years she won't have to do anything towards cooking Christmas dinner :-)
After her operation, she has to rest at home for a month, and won't be allowed to drive herself for 6 months after the op. She will though be able to fly, which means she and Dad can go to the Azores next year as they planned.
Emily
* Medical name for the defibrillating pacemaker, short for "implantable cardioverter defibrillator". There's more information about them on the British Heart Foundation website here.
Mum's going to have some smaller tests, and then the estimated date for her to have her ICD* fitted is 2nd January. So she'll definitely be in hospital for Christmas, which is a bit of a bummer - but it does mean that for the first time in 31 years she won't have to do anything towards cooking Christmas dinner :-)
After her operation, she has to rest at home for a month, and won't be allowed to drive herself for 6 months after the op. She will though be able to fly, which means she and Dad can go to the Azores next year as they planned.
Emily
* Medical name for the defibrillating pacemaker, short for "implantable cardioverter defibrillator". There's more information about them on the British Heart Foundation website here.
Sunday, 21 December 2008
Sunday news (2)
Mum will have her electrical tests tomorrow (Monday) on current plans.
These tests, done under local anaesthetic, involve stopping and re-starting Mum's heart. Twice.
So not unsurprisingly she's rather scared about this.
The tests aren't uncommon - Dad reeled off a list of names of people he knows who've had these tests done. But I have to admit, having your heart stopped and bump-started, twice, when you're awake to know about it, sounds jolly scary to me.
What the tests are done to show, is whether Mum needs a pacemaker at all (it's the first time anyone's told us that she might not need one at all!), and if so, of what kind (ordinary or a mini defibrillator).
If she doesn't need a pacemaker, then I don't know if they'll send her straight home, or if they'll keep her in for a couple of days to make sure there's no ill effects of having her heart bump-started.
If she does need a pacemaker, the surgeon will need to fit her into his schedule, she'll have the pacemaker fitted and then be discharged from hospital and allowed to come home the following day.
They don't send her home in an ambulance, or even a taxi, they call the relatives and say "come and get her please"!
Dad's promised to call me tomorrow afternoon to tell me how the tests went, so I'll update the blog tomorrow evening.
Emily
These tests, done under local anaesthetic, involve stopping and re-starting Mum's heart. Twice.
So not unsurprisingly she's rather scared about this.
The tests aren't uncommon - Dad reeled off a list of names of people he knows who've had these tests done. But I have to admit, having your heart stopped and bump-started, twice, when you're awake to know about it, sounds jolly scary to me.
What the tests are done to show, is whether Mum needs a pacemaker at all (it's the first time anyone's told us that she might not need one at all!), and if so, of what kind (ordinary or a mini defibrillator).
If she doesn't need a pacemaker, then I don't know if they'll send her straight home, or if they'll keep her in for a couple of days to make sure there's no ill effects of having her heart bump-started.
If she does need a pacemaker, the surgeon will need to fit her into his schedule, she'll have the pacemaker fitted and then be discharged from hospital and allowed to come home the following day.
They don't send her home in an ambulance, or even a taxi, they call the relatives and say "come and get her please"!
Dad's promised to call me tomorrow afternoon to tell me how the tests went, so I'll update the blog tomorrow evening.
Emily
Sunday news
With apologies for a few days' silence.
Mum was starved on Friday in preparation for an angiogram - but some emergency cases came in and her angiogram didn't happen that day. She wasn't too happy!
The hospital then drafted in an extra shift of staff (not sure if that's a recognised collective noun) and did Mum's angiogram yesterday.
It revealed there are no physical problems with her heart, which is good news.
The next step is for them to check the heart's electrical impulses, after which they will probably fit her pacemaker.
I'll hopefully get more news from Dad this evening, and will update the blog tomorrow.
Emily
Mum was starved on Friday in preparation for an angiogram - but some emergency cases came in and her angiogram didn't happen that day. She wasn't too happy!
The hospital then drafted in an extra shift of staff (not sure if that's a recognised collective noun) and did Mum's angiogram yesterday.
It revealed there are no physical problems with her heart, which is good news.
The next step is for them to check the heart's electrical impulses, after which they will probably fit her pacemaker.
I'll hopefully get more news from Dad this evening, and will update the blog tomorrow.
Emily
Friday, 19 December 2008
Friday news
This posting from a very wet and windy Cumbria.
Mum has now gone to Morriston hospital in Swansea to have her pacemaker fitted. They were hoping to do the operation today, but it had to be put off because emergency cases came in, so they're now saying the operation will be on Monday or Tuesday.
Fingers crossed they get it done as early as possible next week so that Mum can come home for Christmas.
The hospital say Mum is fine and annoyed that she couldn't eat black forest gateau (presumably because she had to keep her tummy empty in case of anaesthetic - so she might be allowed some now!!).
Emily
Mum has now gone to Morriston hospital in Swansea to have her pacemaker fitted. They were hoping to do the operation today, but it had to be put off because emergency cases came in, so they're now saying the operation will be on Monday or Tuesday.
Fingers crossed they get it done as early as possible next week so that Mum can come home for Christmas.
The hospital say Mum is fine and annoyed that she couldn't eat black forest gateau (presumably because she had to keep her tummy empty in case of anaesthetic - so she might be allowed some now!!).
Emily
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Wednesday news
We spent the whole of this afternoon's visit sitting in the day room with Mum.
She's now so much better since last week it's unbelievable.
We think the only reason she's still in hospital, rather than being sent home before coming back to have her pacemaker fitted, is because the doctors are still not 100% sure what caused her heart to fibrillate. So she has several sensors on her chest which are transmitting info to a gizmo that Mum carries round with her, about the size of a BlackBerry. This then sends info to the coronary care unit, so that there can be someone on scene immediately if anything goes wrong.
Carol and Jean from Attics joined us this afternoon and we had a really good chat and a laugh.
Matt and I travel back home to Cumbria tomorrow, so depending on the traffic, we may or may not get to update this blog.
Next update either tomorrow or Friday.
Emily
She's now so much better since last week it's unbelievable.
We think the only reason she's still in hospital, rather than being sent home before coming back to have her pacemaker fitted, is because the doctors are still not 100% sure what caused her heart to fibrillate. So she has several sensors on her chest which are transmitting info to a gizmo that Mum carries round with her, about the size of a BlackBerry. This then sends info to the coronary care unit, so that there can be someone on scene immediately if anything goes wrong.
Carol and Jean from Attics joined us this afternoon and we had a really good chat and a laugh.
Matt and I travel back home to Cumbria tomorrow, so depending on the traffic, we may or may not get to update this blog.
Next update either tomorrow or Friday.
Emily
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Tuesday news
Mum was sitting in the chair by her bed when Matt and I arrived this afternoon.
We'd brought her a portable CD player and some of her favourite CDs to help ease her hospital boredom, and some fresh grapes which she was very glad of as the hospital don't give her much fresh fruit.
At the end of visiting time she pottered down the ward corridor with us and we showed her where the day room was, so if she gets bored, she can go in there and watch TV.
That's the most active we've seen her so far.
And her memory is still improving though not yet 100%.
The doctor said she would go to Swansea "today or tomorrow", but we're not holding our breath as they keep saying that!
Dad's on his way to visit her now.
Matt and I will see her again tomorrow afternoon, then on Thursday we're planning to head home to Cumbria for a few days. Dad will keep us posted on how Mum is so that I can keep the blog updated.
Next posting tomorrow.
Emily
We'd brought her a portable CD player and some of her favourite CDs to help ease her hospital boredom, and some fresh grapes which she was very glad of as the hospital don't give her much fresh fruit.
At the end of visiting time she pottered down the ward corridor with us and we showed her where the day room was, so if she gets bored, she can go in there and watch TV.
That's the most active we've seen her so far.
And her memory is still improving though not yet 100%.
The doctor said she would go to Swansea "today or tomorrow", but we're not holding our breath as they keep saying that!
Dad's on his way to visit her now.
Matt and I will see her again tomorrow afternoon, then on Thursday we're planning to head home to Cumbria for a few days. Dad will keep us posted on how Mum is so that I can keep the blog updated.
Next posting tomorrow.
Emily
Monday, 15 December 2008
Monday's news
Matt, Dad and I visited Mum this afternoon and found her chirpy and sparky.
Then about half way through the visit, she complained of feeling hot, and then had what looked like a panic attack. The doctor was just on her rounds and saw Mum, and checked her over and said that her heart rate, blood oxygen level, blood sugar level and blood pressure were all fine, so it was nothing to do with her heart condition.
The doctor decided to remove the temporary wire, as it hadn't been needed and may cause infection, and told the ward staff to keep an eye on Mum in case she had another panic attack.
Dad stayed with Mum while they removed the wire, and he said she was fine, laughing and joking with the doctor and nurses as the wire came out.
Mum was much brighter when we left and Dad has just phoned the ward to hear she's still fine, eating her supper and doing a crossword.
We're trying to work out what the cause of her panic attack was, as it wasn't related to her heart condition. Not sure whether it was drinking several cups of strong coffee (which she asked Dad to bring her from home, and seemed to enjoy), hearing about Wednesday when she couldn't remember anything - or what.
But fingers crossed she doesn't have another one.
Matt and I are going to visit her tomorrow afternoon, and as Dad has to work tomorrow he'll go in tomorrow evening.
Next update after our visit.
Emily
Then about half way through the visit, she complained of feeling hot, and then had what looked like a panic attack. The doctor was just on her rounds and saw Mum, and checked her over and said that her heart rate, blood oxygen level, blood sugar level and blood pressure were all fine, so it was nothing to do with her heart condition.
The doctor decided to remove the temporary wire, as it hadn't been needed and may cause infection, and told the ward staff to keep an eye on Mum in case she had another panic attack.
Dad stayed with Mum while they removed the wire, and he said she was fine, laughing and joking with the doctor and nurses as the wire came out.
Mum was much brighter when we left and Dad has just phoned the ward to hear she's still fine, eating her supper and doing a crossword.
We're trying to work out what the cause of her panic attack was, as it wasn't related to her heart condition. Not sure whether it was drinking several cups of strong coffee (which she asked Dad to bring her from home, and seemed to enjoy), hearing about Wednesday when she couldn't remember anything - or what.
But fingers crossed she doesn't have another one.
Matt and I are going to visit her tomorrow afternoon, and as Dad has to work tomorrow he'll go in tomorrow evening.
Next update after our visit.
Emily
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Sunday news
We visited Mum this evening, as we'd been out to lunch earlier on.
Unfortunately she didn't remember that we'd told her the previous day we'd be going to the evening visit - so she worried when we didn't arrive in the afternoon.
But she remembered Andy (my eldest brother) ringing up and asking if she'd bought Christmas presents for the grandchildren.
So, as Dad says, we think the gaps in her memory are getting smaller every day.
Mum's using a diary to help her remember things, as suggested by the nurses.
She's now asked us to bring her some make-up, and some real coffee and Earl Grey teabags. We'll do that when we go to visit her tomorrow afternoon.
Next instalment tomorrow evening.
Emily
Unfortunately she didn't remember that we'd told her the previous day we'd be going to the evening visit - so she worried when we didn't arrive in the afternoon.
But she remembered Andy (my eldest brother) ringing up and asking if she'd bought Christmas presents for the grandchildren.
So, as Dad says, we think the gaps in her memory are getting smaller every day.
Mum's using a diary to help her remember things, as suggested by the nurses.
She's now asked us to bring her some make-up, and some real coffee and Earl Grey teabags. We'll do that when we go to visit her tomorrow afternoon.
Next instalment tomorrow evening.
Emily
Saturday, 13 December 2008
Another improvement
Mum's improvement continues.
Today her memory seems to have taken another step further. She's asking the same questions less often and remembers more of Friday, today, than she did of Thursday, yesterday (and excuse that garbled sentence).
We did the Telegraph weekend crossword together, Mum, Dad, me and Matt (my husband). Pretty good going given that on Monday the doctors were talking about severe brain damage.
And she's really chatty and full of laughs and getting fed up with being in hospital!
There's still no date set for her to go to Swansea to have the permanent pacemaker fitted but I'll keep you posted here.
Tomorrow we're going to the evening visit, so the posting will either appear later on tomorrow evening, or first thing Monday morning.
Emily
Today her memory seems to have taken another step further. She's asking the same questions less often and remembers more of Friday, today, than she did of Thursday, yesterday (and excuse that garbled sentence).
We did the Telegraph weekend crossword together, Mum, Dad, me and Matt (my husband). Pretty good going given that on Monday the doctors were talking about severe brain damage.
And she's really chatty and full of laughs and getting fed up with being in hospital!
There's still no date set for her to go to Swansea to have the permanent pacemaker fitted but I'll keep you posted here.
Tomorrow we're going to the evening visit, so the posting will either appear later on tomorrow evening, or first thing Monday morning.
Emily
Friday, 12 December 2008
Background information
Mum was in a clothing outlet shop in Cardigan on the morning of Monday 8th December when she collapsed with a heart attack caused by arrythmia (her heart stopped beating steadily and went into vibration).
The shop assistants rang 999 and the operator talked a customer through CPR until the ambulance arrived and whisked Mum off to hospital in Carmarthen.
That day the doctors thought that it was unlikely she would live, and if she did live, she could have severe brain damage.
Dad sat with her all afternoon but she was completely unresponsive. He then rang round the family and my brothers Andy, Ed and Jeremy, Andy's wife Vicky, and me and my husband Matt, all dropped everything and headed for Wales.
On Monday late evening Mum started moving and responding to light and movement around her.
By Tuesday morning she was semi-conscious, smiling at us and at pictures of her grandchildren, and was moved out of intensive care to a coronary care ward and fitted with a temporary pacemaker.
On Wednesday she was able to talk to us and hold a conversation, but she couldn't remember anything of what had been said to her, for example she kept asking what day it was without seeming to remember that she'd just asked that, although her long-range memory was clearer.
On Thursday her short-term memory had vastly improved. Although she sometimes still asked the same thing twice without realising, more often she would say, for example, "What day is it? I know I've just asked you that".
Today (Friday), she has odd flashes of what happened the previous day, as well as being able to remember conversations and happenings of today.
The doctors say her recovery is miraculous and but for the lady who did CPR on her, Mum would probably not be here now. Instead, she's very much herself, well enough to be bored with being in hospital and to talk and laugh with us.
She still has to go to Morriston hospital in Swansea to have a permanent pacemaker fitted, which should hopefully be within the next few days, and then we're hoping to have her home for Christmas.
In the words of a neighbour, that will be the best Christmas present our family has ever had. On Monday we really did think she was a goner.
We've started this blog to keep all Mum's and our family's friends up to date with how she's doing each day. We'd love to be able to ring round everyone every day and tell you personally, but Mum has so many good friends that this would be impossible.
So please watch this blog for a daily bulletin on where Mum is and how she is doing.
Emily
The shop assistants rang 999 and the operator talked a customer through CPR until the ambulance arrived and whisked Mum off to hospital in Carmarthen.
That day the doctors thought that it was unlikely she would live, and if she did live, she could have severe brain damage.
Dad sat with her all afternoon but she was completely unresponsive. He then rang round the family and my brothers Andy, Ed and Jeremy, Andy's wife Vicky, and me and my husband Matt, all dropped everything and headed for Wales.
On Monday late evening Mum started moving and responding to light and movement around her.
By Tuesday morning she was semi-conscious, smiling at us and at pictures of her grandchildren, and was moved out of intensive care to a coronary care ward and fitted with a temporary pacemaker.
On Wednesday she was able to talk to us and hold a conversation, but she couldn't remember anything of what had been said to her, for example she kept asking what day it was without seeming to remember that she'd just asked that, although her long-range memory was clearer.
On Thursday her short-term memory had vastly improved. Although she sometimes still asked the same thing twice without realising, more often she would say, for example, "What day is it? I know I've just asked you that".
Today (Friday), she has odd flashes of what happened the previous day, as well as being able to remember conversations and happenings of today.
The doctors say her recovery is miraculous and but for the lady who did CPR on her, Mum would probably not be here now. Instead, she's very much herself, well enough to be bored with being in hospital and to talk and laugh with us.
She still has to go to Morriston hospital in Swansea to have a permanent pacemaker fitted, which should hopefully be within the next few days, and then we're hoping to have her home for Christmas.
In the words of a neighbour, that will be the best Christmas present our family has ever had. On Monday we really did think she was a goner.
We've started this blog to keep all Mum's and our family's friends up to date with how she's doing each day. We'd love to be able to ring round everyone every day and tell you personally, but Mum has so many good friends that this would be impossible.
So please watch this blog for a daily bulletin on where Mum is and how she is doing.
Emily
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