Thoughts of a carer

 It can be really furstrating being a carer sometimes. Lockdown doesn't help, for we all are stressed, but I don't think the public at large understand some of the little difficulties that, over time, make life difficult for a carer. Viv had hydrocephalus for an extended period of time. This, according to the experts, is likely to lead to a 'permanent cognitive deficit'; in layman's terms, it means she has suffered some brain damage. It presents itself as short term memory difficulties; she forgets a discussion that we had earlier, or puts something in a 'safe place', then forgets where that is. It also means that she struggles to follow complex conversations: when we have a phone call with a doctor, for instance, or with a relative, I need to be involved, and run the conversation at our end of the phone. + + +  This may not sound particularly difficult to live with, it's not like having to be bum-wiping every three hours, but it's not that simple. W

 I don't know about you, but I think I've adjusted to lockdown. We're told the purpose of it is to 'protect the NHS' ... or maybe it is to 'defeat the virus'... no-one seems to be clear, those in charge don't seem to know what they're doing, but I've now got to the point where I'm getting through each day without any disappointment about things I'm not able to do. I'm not thinking of things I would be doing if it weren't for lockdown, or how they might benefit me. Neither, I suspect, do many people think of how much better off they might be if it weren't for lockdown - they are too frightened of 'the virus'. That lockdowns are damaging businesses and children's education is unquestionable. Lockdowns  may  help to ' protect the NHS ' or ' defeat the virus ', but, from my recent personal experience, I'm not sure. + + + Just over two years ago I had a gastroscopy - a not-terribly-pleasant experienc