Lunch with Lili

Today is the day Simon and Lloyd were meant to meet their  little niece for the first time - as indeed they do, but not quite as we’d planned. 

Much of the past 24 hours has been spent on messages and phone calls deciding whether the trip from London should go ahead as planned. Poor Simon has discovered he’s suffering from shingles - admittedly a mild dose - but not an ideal condition to pass on to a 6 week old baby and a mum who’s not had chicken pox. 

Finally, there is a compromise; a socially distanced lunch in a Wirral hostelry - Solveig’s idea and it works. There’s no Lili cuddles for the uncles, but they  can gaze lovingly from across the table as she entertains with her growing repertoire of facial expressions and responses! 

We pick up the boys from Liverpool as I start the day with a dermatology appointment  at Broadgreen. I’m hoping for an explanation for the recent increase in pain, but disappointingly there’s none. She suggests there may be nerve-related pain but I will need to discuss this with my local urology consultant in 3 weeks - and I have zero confidence in him. It’s hard not to feel depressed by what seems an unexplained downward turn in symptoms, and I get the distinct impression that in terms of dermatology we’re at a cut-off point - that drifting off I’ve seen with so many specialisms as they move from the excitement of thinking they may have ‘solved the case’ to simply giving up. I’m just hoping that when I see my lead consultant in two weeks, there’ll be some insights from the MRI and a way to move forward  - but I fear we’re running out of options. 

And so to see the boys and then spend time with Daniel, Solveig and Lili is just what I need to take my mind off things - Lili joining our full family for the first time! 

I’d hoped to have a shot of Lili in Simon’s arms, but that’s just not a possibility. Still, the only photos that I take today are of the little one in her Easter bunny outfit, so she’s once again my blip. In extras there’s a compilation of Lili expressions!