Progress, Plans & Pain...

Third progress meeting of the build today.

Met with the architect, builder and QS.  All went well.  Happy to hear that the build is only one and a half weeks behind but they are confident they will catch up over the next few weeks.

David and I looked over the plans again this morning before the meeting and being nightmare clients decided we wanted to add some extras - small radiator in the boot room (don't know how we missed that,) additional lighting in the pool room and the door into the utility room to be hung so that it opens into the utility room rather than the kitchen.  Thankfully all do-able at this stage.

The builder also confirmed that he's not having to break through into the kitchen until mid October - he thought he would have to break through earlier for some technical reason connected with the roof.  You can tell I was paying attention - but that's been resolved, so I have a little more time to get organised in getting the dining room cleared in order to make it into a  semi-working kitchen.  

Oh what fun we are going to have.

So that's the progress and the plans.  Now the pain.

Alan is having a flare up of his ulcerative colitis.   The signs have been there for just over a week, mainly diminishing appetite for no reason, feeling very tired, stomach pain and now the final indicator - his bowel movements (I won't go into detail as I am sure you can guess.)   

We are quick off the mark now though and a stool sample was handed in to the health centre this morning, the GP and Gastro nurse are phoning me tomorrow morning and hopefully by tomorrow afternoon he will be starting and 8 week course of steroids.   The steroids always cause horrendous acne so I better get his magic spot cream ordered so we have it to use before the spots appear.

During all this he is a hero as ever, still smiling despite the pain and discomfort and generally being a star.  I am just sad that like last summer when he had his last horrendous flare up, he won't be able to go swimming when we go on holiday next month.  Fortunately I hadn't told him a pool was available (I've learned my lesson of telling him things too soon only for him to end up disappointed when he can't take part) so a least he won't feel he's missing out.

This is the third July/August in a row that he's had a flare up and I wish we could pin point a cause but despite our best efforts we can't narrow it down to anything in particular.  The positive in it all is that now having his gastrostomy tube, we won't have to rely on him taking the steroid orally and by administering it via his tube, we know he will be getting the full dose.

Almost the weekend.  Yay :-))