Short Tempered

I have noticed recently that Pete seems particularly short tempered.  If I don't understand what he is trying to say quite quickly then he gets angry.  He doesn't seem to get that it is as hard for me to guess the subject as it is for him to indicate it.  I just can't get him to stop waving his arm around in a general direction - he thinks I should know immediately what he wants!  I usually then ask if he wants me to get something or do something and then offer different rooms, by which time he has lost it and cant, or won't, answer properly.  Frustrating to say the least!   By the end of each day I am so tired mentally.  I absolutely know it is so hard for him and can't imagine how he feels, but he cannot accept how I feel.

I tried to chase up an appointment for Pete in the Urology Department last Thursday, only to find that he hadn't actually been referred!  Why is everything such a fight?  Anyway, the secretary was very nice and when I said the GP had had a letter from Plymouth saying he was being referred back to Barnstaple, she said she would contact the surgery and see if she could get a copy of the letter and they could, hopefully, use that as the referral.  So, yet again, it is a case of wait and see what happens.  I will ring them again this week as we need to get this sorted with a view to getting the problem resolved and the catheter removed.

After the debacle in the Haematology Department a few weeks ago I wrote a letter of complaint to the Health Care Trust.  They rang me and said it sounded extreme regular waiting times and would investigate.  Yesterday they wrote with the results of their investigation - basically they said the meetings are scheduled into appointments, but they can never exactly guess how long they would last or how long the consultations would last.  So no satisfaction there then.  I can write to the Ombudsman apparently but it isn't worth it.  I don't think I have the energy for another fight!!  (I have to ring BT to sort out our Broadband which is now very weak, can only be used in one room, but I just haven't got the inspiration to do it!!  Every time we get the bill I think I must do something as we are paying for a very inferior service at the moment, but it always seems to be 'I will do it tomorrow' and, as we all known tomorrow never comes!!!) 

I went out last night - after a dodgy start!  Pete started complaining loudly of pain - much moaning and groaning - about an hour before I was due to go, so rang to cancel, but then Pete got upset and said to go, so I did!!!  As usual, it is so nice just to get away from the situation for a couple of hours.  We all had a nice chat, nice meal and some laughs - and a general good gossip.  I have worked out that each week I have a total of 5 hours away from home - two trips to town, each lasting from 1 to 2 hours (no more) and 1 hour driving lesson, so I do need these evenings, even just once every couple of months!