And Finally....A Note From The Man Himself!

Elizabeth and Christopher have asked me to write the final entry in the blog which has catalogued a very painful chapter in the history of our household.

It’s almost six weeks since family fortunes took a setback in the form of illness which overtook me whilst on holiday in Italy. Today, thanks to the skill of so many members of the medical profession , I’m back home and despite the weakness which goes with illness I’m making progress towards recovery.

My task now is to say thank you – especially to Beryl, Elizabeth and Christopher for standing alongside for the 3 long weeks I was in Italy and for their support when I returned to the UK.

Beryl has said that ‘ we don’t know what we would have done without the support of Elizabeth and Christopher.’ They arranged hotel bookings, car hire and interpreters from the British Embassy. They were also proactive in implementing the insurance cover. Thanks also for the Blog. By this means news updates, messages of prayer and support from very many people have been readily accessed. Thanks to modern technology this has been an added means of considerable encouragement and support in dark days.

The things which will be of lasting memory for me as this event passes into the mists of time are first the unbelievable kindness and compassion of people everywhere. I was especially moved in Italy by the relatives of a dying man in the two bed ward where I was at the time. His daughters tried to encourage me to eat: they spoke not a word of English but took the trouble to cut my food up and to tempt me to eat. Though at the time it seemed like dust and ashes in my mouth.

In Italy in my better moments I tried to discern what place the Pope has in it all. To my surprise people knew about Manchester United and Christiano Ronaldo – there was much interest when it was known that I was from the UK, the Pope didn’t appear to have a similar hold on hospital workers.

The Italian medical team did an excellent job in bringing me through what family members have described as ‘the jaws of death’ which wasn’t easy giving the barriers of language and culture. Likewise I can’t speak highly enough of the care I’ve received in Kings Mill Hospital following an escorted repatriation from Naples to Gatwick.

Thank you again for your friendship, kindness and prayers at a time when the whole world seemed to turn black and through to the betters days of which I’m able to write now.

With my thanks and love to all,

Frank

There's No Place Like Home

After five weeks, one day and five hours I'm pleased to announce that Frank has finally made it home. He was discharged from King's Mill Hospital (in Mansfield) earlier today and is now basking in the glory of home (and a decent cup of tea!).

He's been like a dog with two tails for most of the day. He couldn't be happier to be back at home and has drawn parallels with how it must feel to be released from prison - I'm sure you'll all be treated to a sermon about it one day!

We know a lot of you will want to pop in and say hello so to stem the flow we've decided to hold a lottery. All you have to do is go to communion in any church in the Southwell diocese on Sunday and if you're lucky enough to receive a golden piece of communion bread you can visit! :-)

Joking aside, he's not quite ready for visitors yet and still gets tired quickly. I'll update as he progresses but we’d be grateful if you could give him a little space for the time being.

Thank you again for all your kind words, prayers and support.

Chris

PS Well done to those of you who worked out which hospital he was in from the hints dropped in previous updates!

Easy Does It

Before I start today’s update I’d like to apologise for the lack of information this past week. Elizabeth and I have both had to return to work so it’s been difficult to find the time to write worthwhile articles for you all - I promise to try harder this week!

Anyway, I'm pleased to report that Frank is making good progress. He's still in hospital but has been moved to a pre-release ward, this is a good sign as it shows the hospital is getting ready for him to ‘check out’. He‘s been disconnected from the monitoring equipment and is no longer reliant on oxygen.

The physiotherapy team are still trying to get him mobile although it's hard as he's been in bed for so long. This problem isn’t helped by his constant weariness due to lack of sleep. The medics have tried to help him with this although it's hit and miss with the drugs - nothing a night or two in his own bed wont fix.

Speaking of drugs, the medics are also trying to figure out the correct dose of anticoagulants to prevent any blood clots. He’s at risk of clots because his heart’s not beating like yours or mine. This means that blood could potentially stop moving which could form a clot. If this were to happen it could cause serious problems so they’re trying to get his blood ‘clotability’ to an appropriate level.

The other fly in the ointment is fluid on his lungs. This isn't fluid in his lungs (as that would drown him) but fluid between his lungs and the membrane they're surrounded in. This fluid is accumulating due to Frank's condition and lack of activity. The medical team have given Dad diuretic tablets to try and flush this fluid out, although this is making him need to loo very regularly (another reason he's not getting a good night's sleep!).

The good news is that these are all common problems and, all things considered, he’s actually doing pretty well. He’s much brighter and looks much better now than he did a week ago. He’s able to walk un-aided now and we’re looking forward to him escorting us to the door tomorrow!

More Sleep, More Sustenance

Frank has been much brighter over these past few days. He was grumpy on Sunday due to a poor night's sleep on Saturday night, but much brighter when I spoke to him earlier this morning.

The good news is that his heart is beating regularly again and the fluid on his lungs has gone. This has been a massive boost and although he's not quite out of the woods, it shows that progress has been made.

The main issue now is Frank's lack of mobility. This physiotherapists starting working with him yesterday as this is now the main focus of his recovery. Having been in bed for over a month his muscles are weak and it's slow progress, although he's able to sit out of bed and walk/shuffle around the ward. Now he's sleeping better (and eating 'proper' food) I'm sure he'll be under cars, on top of roofs and back in the pulpit in no time!

He's had various visits from his brother and other family members which has cheered him up. He's not quite ready to see other people just yet, but once he's feeling bright again I'm sure he'll welcome you all with open arms!

Sleep and Sustenance

Frank was a little brighter today. He'd had a good nights sleep and was ready to greet the family at visiting time which was just as well as his cousin popped in tonight. This was a surprise for him as he wasn't aware that she was travelling from Staffordshire especially to see him. His sense of humour returned which was needed when Christopher told him he'd sold both Frank's vehicles plus the caravan to buy himself a new motorbike! 

Frank's still hooked up to the machines which are monitoring his heart and oxygen levels. He's got a sensor clipped to his finger which monitors his pulse rate but he keeps waving his hand and arm around and unclipping the sensor which in turn activates the alarms and brings the nurse running over to him. He's realised that he has to reclip the sensor to his finger straight away in order to turn the alarm off. It was suggested today that if he keeps playing with the sensor, it will soon be attached to another part of his anatomy - his nose! 

The Doctors seem to be concentrating on improving his strength through his diet and sleep as both have been lacking over the last four weeks. Now he's able to eat more and as his strength and energy levels rise then he also needs good quality sleep. These combined will assist his recovery. 

So Close, But So Far

Frank is settling in well to his new home. He gets cups of tea, 'proper' food and is able to speak to the medical staff!

The UK doctors confirmed yesterday that the Italians did the right thing (which was a huge relief to all of us). The team here in the UK agreed that he wouldn't have been safe to travel prior to surgery and are very impressed by his wounds (apparently they're beautiful!).

Saying that, Frank isn't quite out of the woods just yet. His heart is still beating irregularly which in turn reduces its efficiency and so Dad gets breathless very easily. He's back on oxygen to help this, although his oxygen stauration levels (which indicate how much oxygen is in the blood) are good. He also has fluid on the lungs which, although not uncommon after surgery, is something the medics are keeping a close eye on.

Frank still isn't mobile yet and the physiotherapists will be working hard to get him back on his feet. The cardiologist yesterday estimated it could be one or two weeks before Frank is allowed to go home.

We understand that lots of you are keen to find out which hospital Frank is in, although he's not up to visitors just yet. Speaking to him yesterday he was weary after the long journey home and doesn't feel like he's able to 'entertain' just yet - I'll update you all on this when he starts to feel a better.

Back To Blighty

The big news today is that Frank has finally made it back to Blighty!

Yesterday was a long day as Frank, Beryl and Elizabeth all returned to the UK. Frank's journey involved hospital > ambulance > Naples airport > plane > Gatwick airport > ambulance > hospital so he's now safely 'checked in' to a local hospital (with a rather fine new cardiac ward).

It was gone 9:30pm last night by the time the party arrived at the hospital. Once Frank had been processed in A&E it was 11pm before he was taken to the cardiac ward. It took a while for the doctors to go through everything so Mum and I didn't leave until 1am this morning!

Speaking to the hospital today he seems to be doing OK. His stats are a little low and he's been put back onto Oxygen although we think this is a precautionary measure given how little the medics know about his situation. For example, there was no information passed from Italy regarding what drug treatments Frank was on. I've been in contact with the British Embassy to try and find this out, so the medics here have to err on the side of caution until they know more.

On the plus side his wounds all look good, he's had a wash and even had some breakfast - although I don't think he's been let loose on a full English yet!

His brother (who went through this 23 years ago) is travelling over from Staffordshire to visit him today which will give him a boost. He'll also be pestered by the rest of the family who are all very happy to be finally home!