You probably noticed I haven't
posted this week, and apologies for not responding to any
comments, tweets etc. (it'll become obvious why) but I have to take an extended break as there's
something – or rather, someone – that deserves my undivided
attention.
Last Sunday (a few hours after my last blog in fact), I saw my mother and after taking one look and asking a few questions, I suspected she might have kidney failure. She's always been fiercely independent and can be a stubborn cow, but was eventually convinced this was serious enough to go to A&E.
It was lucky she did. In the end it was a lot worse than kidney failure. She's critically ill after suffering a perforated bowel, developing peritonitis and sepsis as a result.
The staff at the Princess of Wales Hospital understood her grave condition immediately, and if she didn't receive emergency surgery and treatment when she did – hours after being admitted to hospital, during a Bank Holiday weekend no less – she would've died within a day or two.
I know there's some negative press regarding the hospital – with good reason - but I can't praise them enough. Regardless of what the eventual outcome will be, it's clear she's in very good hands.
Despite their efforts, the prognosis isn't good and her chances of survival were described as "slim". There's no wishful thinking on my part, she's in a bad way.
However (and there's always a "however" on this blog), she's shown a slight improvement over the last 72 hours and it looks like her overall condition has somewhat stabilised. I'm a bit more optimistic about her chances than at the start of the week, though the pendulum hasn't swung in her favour yet.
Needless to say, this is an unbelievably stressful time, and the last thing I want to do is blog. I don't know if/when I'll be back – it could be weeks, it could be months - because some things are more important than politics.
Last Sunday (a few hours after my last blog in fact), I saw my mother and after taking one look and asking a few questions, I suspected she might have kidney failure. She's always been fiercely independent and can be a stubborn cow, but was eventually convinced this was serious enough to go to A&E.
It was lucky she did. In the end it was a lot worse than kidney failure. She's critically ill after suffering a perforated bowel, developing peritonitis and sepsis as a result.
The staff at the Princess of Wales Hospital understood her grave condition immediately, and if she didn't receive emergency surgery and treatment when she did – hours after being admitted to hospital, during a Bank Holiday weekend no less – she would've died within a day or two.
I know there's some negative press regarding the hospital – with good reason - but I can't praise them enough. Regardless of what the eventual outcome will be, it's clear she's in very good hands.
Despite their efforts, the prognosis isn't good and her chances of survival were described as "slim". There's no wishful thinking on my part, she's in a bad way.
However (and there's always a "however" on this blog), she's shown a slight improvement over the last 72 hours and it looks like her overall condition has somewhat stabilised. I'm a bit more optimistic about her chances than at the start of the week, though the pendulum hasn't swung in her favour yet.
Needless to say, this is an unbelievably stressful time, and the last thing I want to do is blog. I don't know if/when I'll be back – it could be weeks, it could be months - because some things are more important than politics.
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