Just back in from visiting Xylia in the hospital. She's being plied with intravenous antibiotics and they keep taking blood samples. She seems to be a lot more comfortable now I've taken in more of her own clothes and some consumer electronics. She likes plenty of iPhones and iPads in her life. One of the nurses said that it looked like some of the swelling and inflammation had gone down. Maybe it has - some of the affected areas seemed a little less congested and a bit softer. Anyway, we'll see how she's doing tomorrow.
One good thing is that they're looking after her pretty diligently. One thing that worried me a bit about her going into hospital was that there might not be anyone to take care of her. My mother had several spells of hospitalisation in the 1990s and early 2000s and you never saw the staff at all. People's relatives seemed to do a lot of the caring, coming in with dustpans and brushes to clear the fluff from under the beds and sterile wipes to clean the bedstead and trays. The WRVS ladies used to come round with a trolley with tea and coffee, chocolate bars and miniature cakes each afternoon, and they did quite a lot of work in looking after the patients. That was 20 odd years ago. But this is a different world. The nurses and care assistants are busy, but they're certainly looking after the patients. If they're not taking temperatures and blood samples they're going round asking people if they want a cup of coffee.
Thanks again to everyone who's been offering good wishes. Everybody's being so nice!