Thanks again guys for all your kindness. I have been deeply touched many times by the responses to all this.
Things are looking up.
I was in a very dark place when I posted the rant that led to Shelley starting this thread. Chris had nearly died for a third time only the week before. At the time, her life was out of danger but she was still attached to so many drips that I could not see how the situation could possibly work out well.
Not sure how much further on we are from that because everything is a bit of a blur, but I know it is only a couple of weeks or so - maybe three. Fact is, modern medical science worked its miracles and Chris is ready for discharge. She is wolfing down the (happily and rarely, excellent) hospital meals in a way that suggests that I have to learn to cook properly when she comes home. The turnaround has been astonishing.
Chris is severely disabled. She has no use of her legs or right arm, and limited but functional use of her left. She cannot come home without a huge care plan in place to ensure she survives the effects of coming home. For sure, were she to be left solely to my tender mercies then we would both be in hospital within the week.
We have a big meeting tomorrow afternoon with representatives of all the medical branches who have treated and will need to continue to treat her, along with her allotted hospital social care worker whose job it is to coordinate everything once the care plan is in place. Everything will take time.
Fact is though, that unless something unutterably dreadful intervenes, Chris is coming home at some time reasonably soon.
Thanks guys. I have discovered how many friends I have as a result of all this. I feel uncharacteristically humble.
I am also very, very grateful to be a UK citizen and enjoy the protection of our National Health Service. It gets stuff wrong sometimes, but when it gets it right it prolongs lives.
