Hi Lauren,

What an experience! I am so sorry that you had to endure it, and hope that the nurses have orders not to let this person back into your room. The hospital service itself sounds appalling too and I wonder whether you can find an advocate to make sure that you get this op as soon as possible?

After all this time, and though I know she can be subject to criticism, I think it's a shame that Florence Nightingale's first principle still hasn't sunk into a lot of these institutions.

It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a hospital that it should do the sick no harm... FN

We can only wish you well and hope that you can find someone within the system who will be a good advocate for you at this time....

Hey Lauren,

It sounds to me that you need some help my friend.

In a much lesser way, I had my first night out for 2 weeks today as I have a slipped disc in my back. For almost the whole of that 2 weeks I have been a bastard to get along with, and totally impatient with incompetence or bullshit from anyone else - how you maintain your strength and composure under so much more demanding circumstances is an example to us all mate

I'm also aware of how the medications make you feel and surely yours are worse than mine. I hope that you awaken and know that you have friends - though we all feel quite helpless to lend a hand unless you ask us and tell us what can be done.

However, I will find someone in your town to help out as an advocate if I can - just say the word...

In the meantime I will write a blog tonight and remind people to drop by - cos in the virtual world out of sight out of mind is sometimes too easy..

Hang in there and know that you are loved and supported by way more people than just me ...

I have just read your blog sitting here on Saturday night and just wanted to say my thoughts are with you. G

Hi Laauren,

MD has been in touch - I wish I'd met you sooner in blog. I'll put a request in to place you on my friends list and I hope you will do me the honour of accepting my invitation to you.

The offer of an advocate is a good one, please do give it serious thought. There is more than one way and one place to deal with matters and you obviously know that; but it can be awfully tiring to do it on your own when you are already trying to conserve energy and deal with your daily physical needs.

Meantime, I will wish you goodnight and am thinking of you.

all the best hun
oxox

all the best, warm thoughts xx

Bad enough that you are still waiting for this operation;
bad enough that that your operation is going to be postponed;
but to have some divvit come into your room and stress you out on top of all that?
Not acceptable.

You are in my thoughts.
Best wishes to you.
Light and blessings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi !

I hope all the best for you : help from good people and help from God. Norberto.

Hi Lauren

Sitting here in India ,though there is not much I can help you out with ,but I want you to know that there are people who touch a chord with you even when you have never met ,do not know them as such - you are one such person and I pray to Him to give you courage and strength to sail through the rough seas and meet the future which would be full of happiness ,love and lots of goodluck for you.

Take Care

Hey,
I've just read your blog for the first time and already i feel the need to say BEST WISHES and that i really do hope that you can get whatever treatment you need as soon as possible
x-x-x-x-x
Amy

Hi Lauren

My thoughts and prayers are with you tonight. Hang in there.
Gary

Hi Lauren,
May God give you the strength and I believe that you will come out of the hospital soon with added health.
My best wishes.

Sorry to hear you are having a testing time, in more than one way. I too have been in hospital recently (the latest in a regular bout of visitations) and know what it is like to feel alone with your private troubles. Hospitals have that effect.

Stay strong and remember that there are people out there who may not know you, but who understand a slice of what you are going through.

I wish i could say somthing inspiring that would lift your spirits and offer hope
I don't think i can.

All i can say is that my thoughts are with you

and that the best advice i have ever heard from a book on life is
"ho mattter how bad it gets - keeep holding on"

Hello, Lauren !

It's been long since I've been around blogs (too fixed and boundled in my "poor" self... What irony !). But tonight 'twas different : I had to drop see you and tell you I'm not far and wish I could move mountains for you.

Well, the evening started with TV as lousy as usual, same shit, same manipulation...

I told myself, tomorrow I'll go out and look at the sky and trees with a new sight. My shutters have been clodes for days. This cannot go on any longuer. I'm waiting... I'm just waiting my new beautiful love to be free so we can be together for the first time being 53 and 65... and start a new life away, far away in an island.

But waiting does not do much good. You know !!! Instead of infusing joy to my love I'm passing on my distress in my daqily letters... And i see he suffers in his daily letters to me. What a waste of time. And time is so short when you really put in balance... And time should be our instrument to make our life how we want it... with what we have.

Instead of spanking myself I lost my patience and after connecting and cursing a new fax and making helpless essays with a new phone, I wrote an email to my sister in Luxembourg. A blasting email giving her lessons on how not to go on spoiling her life and her children's. I was awful !!! I exploded while I meant silence, like you... Less than you or otherwise than you.

Since then I dared not look up my mail. I know I must have heart her badly when she needs confort to gather her strength before making decisions.

Coming back to my computer, scared of the result of my deed...But ready to face it.... Saw a red dot new mail sign...

No ! Nothing from her. But I heard of you in an email and was invited to visit your blog.

.........

I shut up ! DUMB ! I'm as lousy as TV tonight, yesterday and tomorrow. It doesn't mean anything anymore to be deaf and have to alone make my road step by step...

Lauren, you opened my eyes better than I tried to open my sister's.

I felt useless where I've always enjoyed to move forward with others. Being together is the biggest strengh we can use... Today I'm alone with one dog (Bobtail), twice abandonned, two cats and a rabbit thinks she's a Bobtail ! Not after learning all you're enduring. But I swear for you we will march everyday until.... until...

I'm having a dream... My mother island might have the capacity for your operation although I have no details and no idea about it.

My island has loving nurses ans doctors, the kind florence would have been proud of... I can question or put you in touch with a neurochirugian... It's a dream but ....I want to do better than scold my sister in anger against my loss of time... or feel sorry for me because I cannot act as i used to...befor being completely deaf

I think of you and hope to continue exchanging and maybe making a dream come true.

Luv
yoli

thanks to Moondancer, your friend

Lauren,

Have just read your blog (thanks to MD) and though there is nothing Sarah and I can do other then offer you some kind words and hope. Ignore the horrible people that come to visit and concentrate on getting yourself better for the future. Keep blogging too!

Someone recently published a poem here (can't remember who sorry) about keeping spirits high when times are bad because things always get better. Always. Your resiliance will win through.

take good care

Jake & Sarah

Life can suck at times.
If I was rich I'd help you out.
I'd help a lot of people out.
Hang in there.

Lauren,

Words seem so inadequate in times like these but nonetheless my thoughts are with you and my best wishes for the times ahead........

Warm wishes. My thoughts are with you.

Warmest thoughts are with you. And hopes that all will be resolved.

Hi Ed,
This person who ranted away while you were quietly drawing must know you would give them space, so they took advantage of your kind nature.
If someone bugs you like that ask them to STOP as you are trying to rest and recover from high blood pressure. Their anger isn't helping you.
Be bold and strong. Be honest!
Being the gentle person you are it is not in your nature to reject, but you need to think of yourself, above others now.

So, that's my advice for today.
Gentle dreams to float your body on clouds of fluffy lightness sailing along on your hospital bed down the dream highway to meet with friends and ancestors to help you and hold you in love.......
avril x

hold on to that part of you that nothing can touch,that perfect indistructable spirit thats so obviously who you rearly are,bless you and rmember your not alone,you have all of our love! xxxxx

You are in our thoughts too. My mother was ill for many years and I'm familiar with illness and hospitals. My mum often laughed about how people often told her to think how others were worse off and she'd say, 'I don't feel grateful that I'm not as bad as others, I don't want to feel bad at all!' Living with pain and sickness day to day is horrendous and as dasrah says, you hold on to who you are because illness sucks but it isn't who you are, it's what you're unlucky enough to have. You obviously have a great spirit and kind personality and I really hope that somehow circumstances work out for the best and make your life more comfortable very soon. Lou

As with the others, wish you the very best of luck and better health for the future. Phillip.

Keep fighting! Take care,we'll all be thinking about you.

Stephen

Warm wishes from Canada, Lauren, a sincere wish for you to be 'up and at 'em' in future, eh! I know we're strangers (I was sent by one of your admirers ) but this medium tends to make friends quickly so I'm reserving a space on your list.

Here too, Lauren, our Harper's 'bizarre' minority of Conservatives now in power in Canada are trying to undo our universal healthcare system. Ralph Klein, Premier, running Alberta and making billions off rich oil sales to its biggest customer, the USA; is pushing free healthcare's demise as well by promoting private for big bucks health clinics. Tommy Douglas must be spinning in the great beyond, he was the brilliant visionary responsible for our, until now, much envied and successful healthcare system. Cretins in power have been diverting funding from it for decades, though. Robbing us of our own identity.

It's astounding what political hacks will back in spending on armaments and their ungodly holy wars, yet fail to ensure the health of its citizens. You're not alone in all this Lauren. I'm a retired 'tapdancer' with an onset of an 'itis.

Like an older ailing friend of mine said when I complained of pain in my arms and legs, "I know those 'itis' brothers and that damned Arthur is the worst!"

Cheers from Canada, Lauren
neil E mac

Sorry, didn't mean to rant, just wanted to distract you. I can tell by the grin on your face, it worked.

Hi Lauren,
Moondancer ponted me in this direction, and I'm glad to leave a few words to let you know that I'm one of the people thinking of you during what must be a very trying time for you. I am so exasperated by the NHS for what they are doing (or rather not doing) to you and others like you. It really is very frustrating. I hope you manage to get something sorted out one way or another. I hope Sunday is a good day for you, and that your blood pressure is back to normal.
Take care, x

Greetings from Ontario Canada,

My wife and I have just read your post and wish to offer our support. Sometimes the view from a hospital ward can seem rather bleak. Know that you aren't alone - stay strong and keep faith.