"Penelope" #2

 

Here's another version of "Penelope". I made this card using water colour card, as I did in my previous post. It's about the same size as well. I've also used 'Specter', the Raven, as well as Mini Rune the cat.  I've used similar stamps to create with and added some water drops as I did on the other "Penelope" card. This one has turned out a bit more 'messy' than I intended, the background is quite 'busy'. But I am having fun and it feels good to be able to sit and create for awhile. I still can't stand for very long, due to weight loss and being unwell for weeks, and am having issues preparing proper meals.  Before I left the hospital I asked about getting help to either prepare meals, or where I could purchase nourishing meals from. Well that didn't work at all. English was not the nurses first language, and she did not understand what I was asking. She came back with a note saying to buy food to cook, online from a local store. I tried to explain to her how much weight I had lost, and how standing for too long was not easy for me, but she didn't understand and wasn't interested. I kept insisting I needed help and was not leaving until it was sorted. Eventually she left and came back with 3 frozen meals. I wasn't happy but could see I wasn't going to be offered any help, so I left and came home. I heated one of the meals when I got home. It was revolting and inedible. Ditto for the second on I tried to eat yesterday. To feed someone who has lost so much weight and been so unwell for the last month, food that is tasteless and has no nutritional value what so ever is pretty darn shocking if you ask me. I have since ordered some frozen meals that are prepared by professional chefs. They arrive either later today or tomorrow. They're not cheap and I really hope they taste great. From what I read online, they seem to be quite popular and are nutritious. Yes I could have ordered frozen meals from my local supermarket, but having tried them before I know they don't have much nutritional value, and they make me sick. The good news is I was weighed before I left the hospital and have put on 4.5 kg in weight. So I have another almost 4 kg to go to be back to my normal weight of 48 kg. I have very little muscle tone at the moment, and I'm hoping I can re-gain all the weight I lost. Feeling annoyed and disappointed with my own Doctor, who did nothing about my weight loss. I saw him twice at that time and he said nothing about my weight. Not having scales at home, I wasn't aware how much weight I'd lost. When they weighed me in hospital 3 weeks ago and said I was 42 kg I almost collapsed. I asked her to check again in case she mis-read the numbers. She hadn't. Since coming home I'm with a scheme called Hospital in the Home. (HITH) This means  each day for the next week, a doctor or nurse from the hospital call me to check I'm doing ok, or if I have any new symptoms. I have blood tests done tomorrow and from there a doctor will assess me. There was an issue with my Haemoglobin levels being too low, and possibly needing a blood transfusion.  This is what they are checking for tomorrow. I just had the nurse call me from HITH and I mentioned to her about meal preparation and how the hospital was not helpful. She's going to look into it and agree'd that I should have had more help. Has anyone had  CT scan before? I had one while I was in hospital recently. I'd had an abdominal x-ray done which had come back with some anomaly which needed sorting out. A Doctor came in and said I needed an urgent CT scan because she thinks I have a twisted bowel. And if that was the case, I was going to  be rushed off to another hospital immediately to have surgery that night! She was not a doctor I had seen before, and stressed the hell out of me. She was convinced I had a twisted bowel and MUST have the CT scan immediately. She said I would have dye injected into my veins, would feel hot for a short time, and would feel like I had pee'd my pants! She said I would go into this doughnut shaped thing when they did the scan. My panic button went off because with my primary health issues, any stress, shock can send my body into a crisis. (I will explain about that in another post.) I refused to have the scan, not knowing if I was allergic to the dye, not having had it before, and told the Doctor about my Primary health condition, and how stress/shock affects me. (I have no control over it). Long story short the scan was put on  hold, but she still pressured me, which ended up with me almost having a panic attack because she was so abrupt in her delivery of what she was TELLING me I HAD to have done URGENTLY. Eventually she changed her approach and after I spoke with my nurse, I said I would have the CT scan done, even though I was very anxious and concerned I may need urgent surgery. The scan took about 8 minutes from go to whoa, and I was taken back to my room. Dinner came and I never saw that Dr again. Next morning another DR came in and said my bowel was NOT twisted, and the anomaly on the x-ray was due to...flatulence...a bunch of stuck farts!! So much for her being convinced I had a twisted bowel. But I 'knew' my bowel wasn't twisted. I let that Doctor know that her abrupt approach didn't sit well with me and how it had made me feel. I also mentioned that she might want to change her approach in her delivery of what tests/scans she wanted her patients to have. Rushing into their room and just dumping it on them does not always work, and is not being mindful of your patients, who are unwell and may be vulnerable. It sure as heck doesn't work for me!  Ok, so that's it for me today! Thanks for dropping by! Have a SUNSHINE day! Remember to always be your authentic self, and shine bright each and every day!