Thousend times thanks!


To all the followers of the blog, to anyone who has been supportive of Frank or us in the last months and especially after his untimely death we want to say thanks from the bottom of our hearts. In the week after his passing we received so much warmth, stories, care and love, hardly describable. To us it was a very precious and valuable week and it was so good to have Frank at home where so many of his friends could visit him. And all the help, stories and info shared in that week led to a beautiful goodbye ceremony on a beautiful sunny autumn day. For those of you who could not attend, or those of you who wish to reread the funeral speeches, we publice them here (in dutch and english) with some pictures in grateful memory of, and tributed to Frank.We will miss him dearly, thanks for being with him and with us, one way or another,

On behalf of my family and his closest friends, Esther

Foto's Frank

zaterdag 16 april 2011

The power of hicups

Somewhere around 11.00 AM Frank started to hicup and when I was there tonight around 10.00 PM he stil did. I counted 8 hicups per minute which is 480 hicups per hour which is around 5000 hicups this day. How awful!
His major complaint about it: I can't sleep, (but in a way that's terrific, it's so important that he becomes awake more, that his alertness and attention improves). So he was very much awake, listened to some music, watched television with Andre tonight (sharpe) made a phonecall to a friend whose husband suffered a stroke some years ago. So quite some activity. Let's hope that something else than hicups can create the same effect.
I'm going to bed now and hope that frank has a good night sleep and that the hicupping will subside.
Esther

5 opmerkingen:

  1. Not to hickup or to hickup, that is the question.

    No doubt about it, today Frank was not only as clear as ever, including some not to mention periods from way before this blog started, but also not dozing off all the time. Great!

    Well... not so. Yes, it is a good thing that he is awake all the time. But I dont know if you ever had hickups for more that an hour? It is no fun, it is tyering, iritating, annoying! Oh, and you can't drink anyting while you have the hickups, it will only give additional problems. And Frank was thirsty.

    Considering the circumstances Frank was in a good mood, again, *considering the circumstances*. We watched the first of ´sharp´, the series, Sharpe's Rifles.

    It was as if we have gone back in time for only 2 weeks (which looks like forever if I think about it!) Just watching a good film together. Only e few differences, no white port and a constant hickup!

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  2. Nearly 24 hours later and Frank is still watching Sharp. It is a set of 15 DVDs and he is now watching the fourth.

    His hickups were gone, but his senses were sharp and he is not dozing off all the time. Good improvement if you ask me!

    Frank was thirsty and wanted cola, sinas (a fizzy orange juce), coffee, anything to drink. 'No' was the verdict from the nurse, 'no oral food or drinks for the moment'.

    As yesterday, I joined and watched too. And as yesterday, I was kicked out by the nurse (Sir, visitors had to leave hours ago!). And also as yesterday Frank was not pleased with that.

    My guess is that no patient ever agrees with his/her nurse and Frank is no exception on that rule. I'll better not repeat his words.

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  3. I do hope SO that Frank is hiccuping himself into recuperation!

    Hang in there Frank, keep marching on!

    Bernadette

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  4. We visited Frank yesterday and warmed his heart with our 11-month-old daughter (she waved and smiled to him and played on his bed), it was good to see that inside there is still the old Frank.

    Frank wants everyone to know that tube feeding tastes like Belgian dredging!

    Robert, Saskia and Emily

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  5. I'm tempted to ask how he knows that, but knowing Frank I'm not sure I want to know the answer... (It does explain the taste of Belgian beer though).

    Walter

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