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"My Wife’s nightmare"

About: Community Services - North Devon / Community Rehabilitation

(as a carer),

We older folk spend every day from morning to dusk talking about getting old or its effect on our abilities. However, this was different.

In early 2023 we had been on a cruise to one of my top bucket list venues.  Whether there were still types of COVID, we started in the early summer feeling ill, feeling sick and feeling every other miserable cloak that life dropped on us!

I was damned with blood disorders which prevented my second knee operation; my wife was struggling with her inability to do normal things. Then, she was diagnosed with polymyalgia, which completely messed up her mind. From then on, things just spiralled downwards, and more and more pain, plus her long-term back muscle kept flaring up. Each day got harder and harder for her until she hardly ever wanted to get up in the morning. 2024 was a daily grind, me taking over the home and caring for a demanding patient. 

Where and how the months went by we know not we were wallowing in misery daily. Then, Bideford Hospital got involved; we knew little about the NHS and less about the care and rehabitation schemes. We were entirely out of our depth and beginning to think it was time for us die.

But then things started to change. A wonderful lady, Paula, began to reform our lives, sorting this, that and everything. She knew everyone, everything and even more. The Care at Home was transformed by her and her team. Material aids were obtained where they were appropriate, and they were shown how to be used.

Alongside the hospital team were sections and organisations we didn’t know existed, but all took part in my wife's recovery. My wife struggled through each phase, especially the hospital operation to replace her hip after months of investigations into why things were so bad. It was a difficult journey that tested everyone’s patience to re-habit her life.

Still, the great team of nurses who were always gentle and understanding with her depths of despair, all her care and assistance, have paid off as hurdles are being slowly mastered. Still, it was really how much effort Paula made to befriend the lost soul that we both will be forever thankful for. This year has targets to strive for, but we see the glass half full, not notice half empty.

We admire and thank Paula and the professional team at the Bideford Hospital’s rehab section.

Thank you.

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Responses

Response from Susan Izzard, Specialist Physiotherapist (Northern Services), Community Health & Social Care - Rehabilitation Bideford (Northern Services Therapies Team), Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 5 months ago
Susan Izzard
Specialist Physiotherapist (Northern Services), Community Health & Social Care - Rehabilitation Bideford (Northern Services Therapies Team),
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Submitted on 24/01/2025 at 09:34
Published on Care Opinion at 09:34


picture of Susan Izzard

Thank you so much for taking the time to write your story. I am so sorry you and your wife have been through some extremely tough times over the last 2 years and had reached such a low point. I am sorry that your situation had not been escalated and support had not been put in place sooner.

It is wonderful to read that the support and help you got from Paula has transformed your lives and everything is looking brighter for you both. Paula is indeed a wonderful lady with a lot of knowledge and expertise to help support and rehabilitate patients, and we are also grateful she is part of our Bideford Community Rehab Team. I will pass on your very kind words to her and the rest of our Rehab Team.

I hope that 2025 will be a better year for you and you may be able to enjoy another holiday. I hope you are better resourced to know what services are available to help you now and the Community Rehab Team would be pleased to help you both at any time if you require further support.

Many thanks once again for taking time to provide feedback.

Kind Regards

Susan

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