Life Expectancy

At Robin's grave with a dear friend recently....offering daisies and rose petals from the garden.

Today I learned that one of my oldest friends - we met in 1976 when we were both teaching English as a foreign language  - is in the later stages of Alzheimers' disease. Her family have just been given a life expectancy prognosis and are in deep shock and grief. I was so saddened when I saw her on Sunday - so frail and thin - but her blue blue eyes still so sparkly and mischievous. Like she has always been.

Today

The doctor says the solar keratosis spot on my back is a basal cell carcinoma. And it should be removed. But as it's not serious the waiting time is 2 months or more.

 I've had one removed on my leg before.She asks if there is anyone at home to keep an eye on it for me. No, not now. 

But I can always get a dear friend or sister to take a photo on my iPhone at regular intervals to see if there is any change in it.

  

This Mediterranean heat is burning me up. My feet and ankles are little fat cushions.

It's burning up the garden even more - the flowers in their pots  on the patio are being cooked all day.

The kingsize sheets get dry on the spinner in an hour.

I take our kingsize, cream coloured bed spread to the dry cleaners at Morrisons and buy tomatoes and asparagus for supper.

I spend hours on the phone getting buildings and contents insurance quotes for my new home.

And I can't stop thinking about my lost friend ....and remembering when I found out that the average life expectancy for Robin's condition of semantic dementia was 8 years.That was when I turned to ice inside.

Later the consultant said he could have 15 - 20 years.

After the MND diagnosis it was 3-5 years

Then it was a year to 18 months.

But it was only 5 months in the end.

He had 6 years altogether.

 Even when everyone else could see it, I always thought we'd have more time. I still haven't de-frosted.