Not so good

Goodness me, it’s been an exhausting week and it’s only Wednesday.

On Monday, Daughter 2 phoned me at work to say that the doctor’s surgery had phoned her, telling her that my mother had been taken into hospital with a suspected stroke. She’d had a friend round for coffee and had suddenly been unable to speak coherently. The friend had phoned the doctor and the doctor had come and phoned for an ambulance. I rushed to the hospital to find Mum, thankfully, already much better

We were at the hospital all afternoon. The doctors thought that she’d suffered a mini-stroke. She had various tests, which were inconclusive except to show that that her blood pressure was very high (it always is) and one of the arteries in her neck is a bit narrowed. Eventually she was allowed home, but not before she’d developed a terrible headache, which led to suspicions that her symptoms suggested migraine and possibly not a mini-stroke at all. Which would obviously be better. But there isn't a test to prove it one way or the other.

Doctor Son came through from Glasgow after work, which was lovely because he has a very kind bedside manner and while he’s just a baby doctor, he actually knows quite a lot. Certainly more than us. Then Daughter 2 came up with roses and stayed to chat to her granny while I took Son home and we both had dinner. He also fitted in a bit of cat-time before going up for a final visit to Mum and then returning to Glasgow. (Sirius is such a soppy cat!)

Daughter 1 was meanwhile on her way to Bristol for a conference.

Mum is reasonably recovered now, but still slightly muddled – she's asked me the same question several times about her new medication, for example. And she’s tired and anxious – understandably. I’ve had to go back to work but have spent the nights at her house and phoned frequently throughout the day. We’re all worried. She’s 87 and very much aware of the implications of her health situation.

And oh dear, work! Our students are now back in college and teaching is tiring. And I have toothache, which really doesn’t help – I had to make an emergency appointment at the dentist for tomorrow. And I have two students in different classes who may be a bit difficult - though I haven’t met them yet. One was stroppy in a colleague’s class last year and both lecturer and student have refused to be together again this year. Granted, the lecturer is not the world’s most accommodating person. I just hope that the student is so pleased that I’m not the other teacher that I’ll start with an advantage. The other student has a very pushy and unpleasant father, so I’m told. Ho hum.

And today I was teaching Communication to a class of computing students. Often these students have remarkably poor keyboard skills – tapping away with two fingers. I was going round, looking at what they were writing and there was one student using only his right hand and I said…. and how I wish I’d engaged the brain before opening the mouth… words to the effect that he might find it easier if he used both hands. At which he raised his left sleeve, which dangled empty from the elbow…

Two more days to go to the weekend. I think I might just make it. Not quite sure.