Mum's Heart Attack

Last Sunday, Mum had a heart attack. She told me about in Monday evening, and we called 999. The paramedics arrived, and after an EKG scan, they decided she needed to go to accident & emergency at the hospital. After sitting in the "pit stop" queue for about two hours, we asked a nurse about the next steps. Since it looked like Mum would be there for some time, I went home, and left Mum in the care of the hospital staff.

Over the next few days Mum had a barrage of tests, and some stents put in which should help in future. She came home on Thursday evening, and is getting used to the new lifestyle restrictions. She cannot smoke, drive, do any kind of physical activity, and must have as little sugar, salt, and alcohol as possible.

While the nurses were all very friendly, the organisation was a bit less so. Mum is supposed to have a follow-up appointment at the doctors later this week, but the hospital still hasn't transferred the paperwork. Her "release notes" were also riddled with inaccuracies. So we're not out of the woods yet.

Roman Holiday

All roads lead to Rome!

Well they did for us last week. Jen and I went to the Eternal City for a holiday. I got to see the Sistine Chapel, which I had heard about ever since I was a little boy. It's absolutely incredible, and the entire Vatican Museum is a trip in itself. We then went to the Colosseum, and I recreated the scene from Gladiator, where Maxmius yells at the crowd: "Are you not entertained!?"

Our hotel was in a lovely quaint part of the city with narrow streets and designer stores. Every night, dinner was fantastic. But we only learned on our last day that you're not supposed to eat the beard first! You're supposed to have it after you've finished your pasta. Live and learn, I guess!