Today was another difficult day for Isobel.

I went in to the Centre a few minutes after 5pm. I just missed Dallas who had left just a few minutes before I arrived, en route to a cultural evening in Blackheath. Catherine (the nurse) was having a very difficult time trying to give Isobel a cocktail of paracetamol, water and supplement. I took over and was only able to get her to take about 60ml (out of 200ml) in over an hour. Isobel had only eaten half a pot of balanced supplement earlier in the day. She had taken the phenytoin orally and plans for a syringe driver have been postponed. Isobel was having trouble swallowing and was holding drink in her mouth for prolonged periods of time - after I had given up trying to get her to take the medication and cleaned her up, a mouthful of medication was spat out almost half an hour later. She was very tired and kept falling asleep.

For the first time ever, I sent back Isobel's tea when it arrived as there was absolutely no chance of getting her to eat it. A further attempt to get her to take the medication will be made later in the evening - at least she had taken the more more important phenytoin earlier. Isobel had taken a couple of small drinks.

Dawn Dark from the Ellenor trust is coming in on Monday afternoon and I will see her then.

Isobel's eyes seemed a little better, although still not completely back to normal. Her right arm was not too swollen. She was not able to speak. She could still hear, and would try to swallow in response to my request. Her eyes sometimes focussed on objects or people and followed them.

I went home at a quarter past seven.