It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas ~ Oh No It’s Not…

As I write this, I can hear “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” playing on the television and in true panto style, I am saying, “Oh, no it’s not!!”

The song “in the bleak mid-winter ” seems more appropriate. It certainly feels like it will be a bleak winter for so many people in the UK. The temperatures plummeted last week. I think it was about -15℃ here where I live in the Scottish Borders. Heating oil is so expensive, but I had to turn on our central heating. I couldn’t let myself or our pipes freeze. But so many people in the country will not be able to turn on their heating this winter due to the cost of living crisis. Nor will they be able to afford good, healthy food to cook for their families. It certainly won’t feel a lot like Christmas to many people this year.

It’s the 21st century. This should not be happening. I get so angry about this and I could rant all day about it (but I won’t).

It Didn’t Feel a Lot Like Christmas Here When My Hubby Took Ill

When the weather was bad last week, I had more to worry about than freezing temperatures.

My back pain had spiked a few weeks ago (I wrote about it here) and, although it is a lot better than it was, it hasn’t gone back to my ‘normal’ pain levels. Perhaps this is the new normal. Simple things are still a struggle but I am managing better than I was. That’s just as well because my hubby took ill and I had to stay here by myself. Well, not really myself – I did have Kip, my wee bestie to keep me company. And I had lots of neighbours checking I was ok. And I was ok. I managed fine, but poor Ian…

He had started to feel ill one afternoon but wasn’t sure what was wrong. He had stomach pain but couldn’t figure out what was causing it or where it was coming from exactly. I had a hospital appointment the following morning and Ian said he’d be okay to take me to that. I suggested calling the NHS 24 number for advice, but at that point, Ian said no. But just as we were going to sleep, he said if the pain was as bad the next morning, he would go to A&E while I was at my appointment. Ian doesn’t say things like that unless it’s serious and, again, I suggested phoning NHS 24. But, no, he said he was okay…

At 3am, he woke and his pain was worse. He thought walking about might help. Then thought having a hot shower might help. When he came out of the shower, he phoned NHS 24. After holding on for an age, a nurse spoke to him and told him to take pain medication and call his GP in the morning. That didn’t really reassure me. He was in agony. I said perhaps we should go straight to A&E. But he said he would hold off.

My GP’s surgery opened for emergency calls at 8 am so we phoned them. A receptionist took the call and said a doctor would call back. Thankfully, the GP called him back almost immediately. From the description of his pain, she wasn’t sure what the problem was. She thought it might be a kidney stone or a bowel obstruction but deemed it necessary to go to hospital quickly and arranged for an ambulance to collect him.

It certainly didn’t feel a lot like Christmas as the ambulance took him away. It was a very bleak winter’s day. The weather was freezing, the snow was falling and Ian was in agonising, uncontrollable pain. It’s horrible to see someone you love in so much pain. In some ways, you get used to living with chronic pain, but to see him in such acute pain like that was so worrying. Actually, it was more than worrying. It was terrifying.

It Was a Kidney Stone

He was taken to Borders General Hospital and was seen quickly and had blood tests, scans and x-rays taken. The problem turned out to be a kidney stone which had lodged itself in the tube just outside his kidney. It was stuck there and the kidney was struggling to get urine into his bladder so his kidney was backing up with urine. No wonder he was in such terrible pain.

He was kept in the hospital from Friday until the following Wednesday. Pain medication could not get his pain under control. Then he developed a high temperature and needed antibiotics to fight an infection. Doctors were going to put in a stent to remove the stone but just before they did that, thankfully, the stone seemed to move on its own.

One of my neighbours picked him up last Wednesday. He came home with antibiotics and a long course of medication to hopefully break up the stone to make it easier to pass. The first couple of days after coming home, he felt that same agonising pain and we were both thinking he might need to go back to Borders General. But he is feeling a lot better now apart from feeling extremely exhausted.

It Didn’t Feel a Lot Like Christmas But I Have a Lot to Be Grateful For

A kidney stone is bad…it caused excruciating pain for Ian. But we had been worrying that the pain could be caused by so many other more serious things so the kidney stone seemed like a good outcome.

I know there are bad reports about the NHS all over the UK. However, I have to say that our experience with the Borders General was exceptional. An ambulance came reasonably quickly after the GP requested it. Ian was seen very quickly in A&E after arriving. The care he received in the ward was second to none. And the food was delicious. He actually told the staff as he was leaving that he’d give them a five-star rating on Trip Adviser!

Obviously, I had to cancel the hospital appointment I had that day. I felt so guilty phoning to explain what had happened. Waiting lists for everything are so long in every hospital and I was cancelling an 8.45am appointment at 8.30! But the nurse I spoke to was very understanding and arranged for a new appointment. I now have that for the 4th of January.

And thanks to my neighbours, friends and family, I didn’t feel that I was really dealing with any of this alone. Oh, and my Kip…she became my shadow. There’s nothing quite like a Kip Kuddle and she gave me plenty of those.

Does it Feel a Lot Like Christmas Where You Are?

Christmas can be a difficult time for many people for a multitude of reasons. Loneliness can feel worse than normal. Money worries become escalated. And stress levels can go sky high. There’s a huge sense that you need to put on a party hat and enjoy the celebrations. But you don’t need to do anything. You can do Christmas your way. You can celebrate or you can treat it like any other day.

How to Have a Stress Free Christmas

How to Make it Through December With a Chronic Illness

My hubby and I don’t buy each other gifts and we won’t sit down to a big turkey dinner. We’ll enjoy the day by watching some movies and eating some of our favourite food.

Whatever you do, I hope you have a nice day with as little pain and stress as possible.

Sending love and my very best wishes to all of you.

Merry Christmas or, as Kip would say, Kippy Kissmas.