I took Euan in to see his mother just before mid-day. Iona joined us a few minutes later. Isobel was asleep when we arrived. She had not been sick again since my visit yesterday. She ate and drank little yesterday. Today she had eaten only a small part of her porridge for breakfast but had eaten a pot of balanced supplement later in the morning and had drunk well in the morning.

Before lunch arrived I tried to to wake Isobel but it was very difficult. After a few minutes she was able to take a couple of spoonfuls of blackcurrant squash; then lunch arrived. I fed Isobel the first course of puréed meat and veg; she ate this slowly but without major difficulties, taking some spoonfuls of blackcurrant squash along with it. While she was eating this her medication arrived and the paracetemol was blended with the remains of the blackcurrant squash - this produces an interesting colour change but the result is not unpalatable. After I had given her a little of this, she needed a rest and then Iona took over. Iona got her to drink her dose of steroids as well as the rest of the paracetemol/blackcurrant mixture. After Isobel had a little rest, I fed her about a quarter of her yogurt dessert. She was unable to stay awake enough to safely eat any more. Isobel was unable to appreciate the Mother's Day cards the children had brought, did not speak at all and only opened her eyes a few times for less than a minute. When her eyes were open they did not seem to be focused on anything or to be directed towards any object or sound.

It appears that there has been a breakdown in communication as the medical opinion that Isobel would not not benefit from the stomach tube had not reached me. It was not entirely unexpected that her weakened condition would not offer good prospects for a surgical intervention however minor, but it would have been nice to have been told this directly. I will see the Doctor on Thursday to discuss future feeding options which will be very limited. We left the Centre at a quarter past one.