Isobel was very poorly today.

She was sick before breakfast and remained on the verge of vomiting until the afternoon. She ate no food during the morning and afternoon. Only with a lot of difficulty was she given her medication, and the small amount of fluid with this was all that she drank before the evening. She was coughing and retching at intervals.

I arrived at 5pm to find that the nurse who had started to try to feed her tea was clearing up the mess after the first few mouthfuls had been sprayed back. I took over feeding but the first mouthful was coughed up (rather neatly without much mess), as was the second. It was clear that at that time Isobel was not able to eat anything. Even when not given food she was retching every few seconds. I abandoned the idea of tea and allowed Isobel to go to sleep. The doctor will see Isobel tomorrow. She seems to have a runny nose again, maybe a bit of a cold. There were noises from her chest consistent with phlegm from a cold, they would also be consistent with a chest infection. She is at risk from lung infections caused by taking food or drink into the lungs, but has not been observed to misdirect food or drink. My own view is that she does not have a chest infection.

I woke Isobel just after half six with the aim of giving her some fluid in the most easily managed and palatable form - thickened squash. Over the course of forty minutes she drank all of a beaker of blackcurrant squash; with long pauses between mouthfuls. She had no problems and only retched once, slightly, towards the end.

By the end of the drink Isobel appeared more awake. She was able to confirm that she did not have any pain. She also confirmed that she would like some of The Hobbit read to her; I did this for over half an hour during which time we reached the half way stage in the book. Isobel dozed for a few minutes while I re-arranged some items in the room. Isobel confirmed she would like another drink. I gave her a beaker of orange squash. Once again it was drunk slowly and carefully, but this time there were a few coughs and more retching during the second half of the drink, however it was finished and kept down. I was keen to get as much fluid into her as possible, but think that she was too close for comfort to being sick again.

I put some football on the television but Isobel paid no attention to it, her rather odd interest in sport certainly seems to have ended. After a few minutes she fell restfully asleep, with no retching. The night shift nurse was very relieved that she had taken fluid. She will try to get Isobel to eat a pot of balanced supplement later. I left at half past eight.

There is no doubt that for much of the day Isobel cannot have been comfortable. In the evening she was relaxed and able to say what she wanted.