Smile like you mean it...

This is Alan just before 7am about to head to PRI.  I asked him to show me the smile he would give to the nurses and this is what I got :-))  He is such a charmer!

He, D and Penny headed off just after 7.15am and got to PRI in plenty of time for Alan's investigative procedure.  Having had an almost fatal flare up of his ulcerative colitis in 2016, an ileostomy was performed, completely removing this large intestine and in one fell swoop curing his ulcerative colitis.  It's been transformative.  

But over the last couple of years he's been experiencing similar symptoms from his colitis years - fatigue, pain, being generally unwell, and other unpleasant things that I won't go into.  The point of today's theatre trip was to investigate the cause of these symptoms.  There was a high chance it could be ulcerative colitis affecting the tiny bit of rectal stump left, and if so would require another op that would be very painful and have a long recovery time.  

Thankfully the investigation has shown it's not UC but something less serious and a new course of treatment can begin which will hopefully have him feeling tip top again in the very near future.  

The dental team also took advantage of him being knocked out and did a full dental check including a scale and polish.  His teeth are now gleaming!  No need for Alan to go to Turkey for teeth, PRI will do for him!  LOL!  The dentist also reported that there are no loose or cracked teeth, no cavities and no fillings required.  

I am very proud of the fact he will be 29 in August and has never required any dental work (other than scrape and polish) D and I worked very hard during his childhood to ensure he had good dental health.  Not so easy now as he refuses to let anyone but Jordan clean his teeth!  I'm just so relieved no work is needed.  

He returned slightly groggy and a little less smiley but his smiles were back by late afternoon as he chilled watching some Marvel movies.  He is so stoic.  His resilience never ceases to amaze me.

Due to D being away this morning when Tesco usually deliver, my order is coming tomorrow morning instead.  My new menu choices from last week proved a big hit so I have returned to the list I made a we have another week of new dishes coming up.  

My shoulder is still sore but earlier this evening I remembered I bought David a massage tool last year when he had a sore shoulder.  It really helped him.  It took both of us a while to remember where we'd put it (sometimes we are too tidy for our own good! :-) but it has been located and I managed to endure five minutes of it on my shoulder.  Sore but a good sore if you know what I mean.  

About to try it again for five minutes before my head hits the pillow and hoping when I wake in the morning, the pain will be gone much reduced.