Homemade calzone and salad

Today I mostly made and answered phone calls. So many phone calls.

I called the GP practice to get a place on the call-back list for the day. I spoke to the receptionist, explained why I was calling – because the ANP said to call if mum didn’t get any better – and the administrator took a message and put us on the ‘to call’ list for the duty GP.

Then I called the Memory Service to follow up on the support we were promised and which has yet to materialise. I was put through to the phone of the appropriate person, where it went straight to voicemail. I left a message.

Then I took a phone call from a friend of mum’s who has recruited me for a secret project (by which I mean it must be a secret to everyone else – I know what it is) and wanted to set up our first meeting. She also has a chronic illness, so we will be working around both our limitations. We agreed the best date for us both, and she will be sending a message to my email with more details.

Then, while waiting for the next call, I composed a message to the care agency outlining the many changes to the care plan they gave me yesterday. To be fair to them, some of the amendments relate to changes that have happened since the meeting was held back in December. To be less fair, there were a total of three A4 pages of amendments needed for a document that takes up less than six pages. That’s a lot by any standards.

Then I took a phone call from the duty GP, who today was Dr Unhelpful: he told me that the treatment for mum’s condition is what she has been given, and that she needs to use it for at least two weeks to see any improvement. I told him that mum had been using the treatment for two weeks and hadn’t seen any improvement. Dr Unhelpful gave an audible shrug and told me that, in that case, I would have to contact the gynaecologist who diagnosed the condition.

Then I called the gynaecologist, and spoke to his secretary. I explained the situation, and she took a message.

Then I got a call from the Companionship Calls service at Alzheimer’s Society, who discussed what I need from them – regular calls that give me a chance to speak to someone other than mum, mostly – and (you guessed it) took a message. Kinda – I’m on the waiting list for a suitable volunteer, which amounts to much the same thing.

Finally, done with phone calls and messages, I made homemade calzones. These are just my standard homemade pizzas¹, but folded over. Mum doesn’t really like pizza, but found the calzones interesting enough that she ate half of her one (plain cheese and tomato) without the normal complaining. I ate all of mine (cheese, tomato, and salami), because I’m a

And on that note, goodnight. If you want me, please send a message to my Facebook page, so I at least have some messages that I will look forward to receiving.

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1. Well, homemade except for the dough. I bought that. ↩︎