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Rita Whittall's Blog Page

A big thank you to everyone in helping to give Rita a good send off. The day went well with a beautiful service by Father Ian Cook, and a good chat after with family and friends. Donations in Rita's name have totalled over £650 and have been forwarded on to the three charities. Thanks again to those who donated, and hopefully your money will go on to help someone else.

Rita's ashes will be scattered, as she requested, on Penkridge Canal.

Just incase you missed my eulogy....

Rita Valerie Whittall

"It’s difficult to know where to start, so I might as well start at the beginning.
There’s no way I am going to be able to tell the full story, and I apologise now for anyone I miss out, but the important thing is that you all have your memories of Rita, and they are all good memories.

Rita was born in Lye 1941 during the war, the first of two daughters to Reg, a plasterer, and Rene a tailoress. The family moved to Stourbridge, where Reg built a bungalow in a beautiful area surrounded by fields. Holidays were spent with the family, and her best friend Myrtle to Torquay in the days when food was still scarce and you had to take your own for the owner of the bed & breakfast to cook for you.

Rita having finished school started her working life in the laboratory of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She met Peter in her late teens, and it is said she threatened to leave if he didn’t propose to her by her mid twenties! Needless to say they were married in Old Swinford church on the 10th February 1965, just after Rita’s 24th birthday. As newlyweds they escaped to the country, finding a beautiful location in Penkridge, where new bungalows were being built on the side of a canal, overlooking green fields, and the M6 motorway was yet to be built. Peter obviously took charge at this point and picked one near the Cross Keys pub.

When she was 27 she gave birth to Jane with Myrtle as godmother, and then Kate after a short break, as Jane was a bit of a screamer. While the children were growing up and both were at school Rita returned to work, ending up at Northicote School in Bushbury, as a technician in the school laboratory. As a young family they enjoyed three camping holidays a year, with Peter building a wooden sailing boat to add to the enjoyment.

It’s very strange to be writing about someone’s life in such circumstances, in such a matter of fact way.  Rita was obviously much more than this. She was a real people person, devoted to her family, and her friends.

I have known her for half of my life.  After university, when Rita and Peter thought they were able to relax with both daughters having left home, Jane and I moved in while I looked for a job and we looked for a house. Then, two years ago we moved back in again for 5 months while our house was renovated, but this time we brought our 2 children with us!

She was someone who loved a party, loved a gin & tonic, loved to holiday, and loved to talk, all four of which she passed on to her daughters. She also loved to iron and sew! She loved her garden, and introduced her grandchildren to the delights of home grown vegetables. She was also famous for her geraniums and fuchsias, and would make the most of any window ledge to expand her collection.

She was very active, all the time.
Well, all the time “Deal or No Deal” wasn’t on.

She was always doing something with her time, whether it was Yoga, Swimming or going on holiday. When she retired from Northicote she worked at Shugborough in the living museum, making bread and cheese the old fashioned way for visitors to see.

While on the subject of food, she was famous for her home cooking. When enquiring what the meal was, if Rita started with “Well, ...” you knew it was going to be interesting! Her puddings were just as famous for taking a few attempts before she got them right, but she really did love a good pudding. On one occasion she announced pudding to be an apple pie with custard, only for it to turn out to be a meat pie that hadn’t been labelled in the freezer! It is also rumoured, according to my children that she makes better porridge than me, but I won’t hold that against her!

We all thought she had a long life ahead of her, and we were all guilty of taking her for granted, but she had a good life, she made the most of it, and she was loved by a lot of people. She was always very pragmatic, just getting on with it and never making a fuss. She will be remembered by a lot of people, because she made good friends everywhere she went. She was more than just our Granny Whittall, she was everyone’s Granny Whittall."

A funeral service is to be held for Rita at

St Michael & All Angels Church, Penkridge

Thursday 3rd September 2009

3pm.

Followed by Committal at Bushbury Crematorium (West Chapel).

The service will be conducted by Father Ian Cook.

Rita requested no flowers, instead donations will be forwarded to Rita's favourite causes;

Macmillan Nurses

Marie Curie

and

Compton Hospice.

The Latest news;

Please send me an email using the link at the bottom of the page to receive an email notice when this page is updated, or if you want us to pass a message on to Rita. Elliot.

Saturday 22nd August. It is with great sadness that I have to pass on this news. Yesterday evening Rita died peacefully at home, in her own bed with Jane and Kate at her bedside. Over the last few days she has been comfortable in bed, and just getting more and more tired. Yesterday her breathing became very erratic, and having called out the district nurse we knew Rita was not expected to last the night.

Rita will be greatly missed by all her family and friends, but we are all grateful for the time we have had with her. If you would like to get in touch with the family, please send an email for me to pass on, as the phones are very busy at the moment.

Thank you for all your lovely messages and cards. They have given us much needed support through this difficult time.

Lots of love from

Jane, Elliot, Kate & Al. Isaac & Esme. xxx

Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

Monday 17th August. Rita is constantly surprising us! Over the last couple of days, she has been watching TV and chatting. She is still in a very confused state though. She hasn't eaten since Thursday, but if you ask her she says she's had something. Rita still seems very comfortable in bed, and is on constant medication of painkillers etc.

Friday 14th August. Rita is believed to have entered what is called the 'terminal phase'. Yesterday Rita stayed in bed all day, with a headache and after sitting up, or getting up to go to the loo was sick. Jane, Kate and Deb stayed up with her all night, frequently changing the bedsheets etc, but by 5am Rita was unable to respond. She is now unconscious but still moveing about slightly. Rita does not seem to be in any pain, apparently it would show on her face, and is currently being given painkillers, and anti-nausea drugs. Dr Grocott visited her again this afternoon, and commented that the sudden radid deterioration may have been due to a small bleed in the head increasing the pressure. He also stated this phase may last up to a couple of weeks, but more likely a couple of days. Compton hospice are again being excellent, and are providing lots of support. They are providing a sitter tonight to provide some respite.

Thursday 6th August. Rita has been fairly stable over the last couple of weeks. Just getting slightly more moody and tired. Yesterday we went out for lunch to the Bull & Bladder in Dudley, but Rita was very tired on the way back. This morning Rita's right leg was quite swollen, and on the advice of Rita's Doctor, Kate took her to Stafford A&E. Rita was quite insistent that she be taken in (we think she's missed the hospital food!). It turns out she's got a large blood clot in her hip, and up into her stomach, so she's been given Clexane and Warfrin to treat it, and been told to stay in bed so as not to dislodge it. Rita seems in very good spirits despite all this, and still has a very big appetite. The hospital say they need to keep her in for a couple of days to get the dose of Warfrin correct, but then she doesn't need to stay in hospital. We think she'll probably be in 'til Monday, but what happens then we'll have to wait and see. Having spoken to the doctors, the first thing they asked when it looked like Rita had a clot was "Has she got a tumor?" Apparently clotting is a major side effect due the the tumor causing the blood to go 'sticky'. It's a shame no-one told us this when Rita left hospital last time, so we could have taken preventative action, or even kept a better lookout for signs.

Sunday 19th July. It's been a busy week! Alan's birthday on the Thursday, last weekend was Penkridge football tournament, then parents evening, and Marshbrook school sportsday. Yesterday was the dad's football match, and I'm pleased to say we won 7 1. Rita also saw the doctor last week to get some steroids for the next couple of weeks. She was asking Dr Grocott what was wrong with her, and when she would get better. He managed to avoid answering her questions, so Rita doesn't really understand what is wrong with her, and seems to think she will get better at some point. She is very tired most days, and a couple of days this week she has stayed in bed nearly all day. She's better in the mornings, but is easily tired if she goes out for the day.

Wednesday 8th July. Not much in the way of news for the last couple of days. Rita is still having help in the morning and at night, and is generally feeling tired. Still bossy though! She has requested a telly in the bedroom, and so has Kate who's moved into the front room. Upstairs was getting a bit too hot during the mini heatwave/summer. We had a bit of a problem with Rita's phone yesterday morning, but managed to fix it by re-setting the handsfree sets. Rita has had an emergency key box fitted just outside the front door, and some more handrails fitted about the place. Kate's getting quite intimate with Jamie Oliver lately, but I think Al's going to get some attention tomorrow as it's his birthday! Happy birthday Al.

Monday 6th July. It's been a few days since the last update, but we've been very busy! Thursday Rita had an hour at home, which went well, and on Friday at 5pm Rita was discharged with enough drugs to last a couple of weeks. It was then back to our house for some nice lamb chops, before Rita went home with Kate.

Every morning and evening the McMillan nurses are helping Rita to get ready, and doing an excellent job of it. Saturday morning Rita was at her usual hairdressers ready for the party. And then round to ours for some lunch, and get her toenails painted!

The party went really well, lot's of G&T's all round, and the roast pig was very tasty. We forgot the cake, which we found in the garage the next day, but nevermind! Rita & Shashi stayed over the night, and after a good lie in and a lot of cleaning up, we all went off to the Bridgehouse for really nice mid afternoon carvery. We're still tidying up today, but at least the hang over has gone.

Wednesday 1st July. It's getting a bit too hot, especially in the hospital. Fortunately Rita is coming out tomorrow afternoon for a monitored visit home. We might have a big job to get her back to hospital that day! She is still planned to be discharged on Friday, and Caroline is arranging for the drugs Rita will require over the weekend to be made available as soon as possible. Yesterday, Caroline visited Rita's house, and gave it a big thumbs up in terms of safety and suitability. Only a few minor additions and alterations are required. Rita has been stable for a few days now, with no noticeable changes. We have noticed that she is now very direct, and will say what she thinks to anyone. This has been providing lots of entertainment for everyone this week. Just to warn you, Rita has her mobile phone back now, and if she hasn't called you yet, she probably will soon!

Monday 29th June. First of all a big thank you to everyone who has sent in their messages for Rita. Secondly, some good news at last. Today we met with Caroline Gilbert, a Macmillan Occupational Therapist, who is sorting out Rita's care package. It looks like Rita will be getting the full works as and when she needs it, with support from Compton Hospice. Tomorrow Caroline will be visiting Rita's house with Jane & Kate, in order to make a house assessment. Then she will monitor Rita on a home visit, either Wednesday or Thursday, and then hopefully Rita will be discharged by Friday. We all had a good chat today, and Rita seemed very pleased to meet Caroline, especially when she introduced herself as 'Head of the escape committee'! Rita is still very confused, and keen to get home, and also feels that this is all a bit unnecessary. I don't think she really understands how ill she is (or will be). It is obvious that Rita will need 24 hour care, at some point, but we are going to have to take it one step at a time, and at least let Rita have as much support as she needs to do the things she wants to do.

Saturday 27th June. Well what a day. Last night at Stoke we had a dissagreement with the doctors. On arrival at Stoke, while Kate and Alan were with her, the consultant came into the room and told Rita that she had a tumor and they were going to operate to get a biopsy. Kate obviously put the doctor in his place, and told him that we had already decided she didn't want this. He agreed that it wasn't in her interest, confirmed that there was definitely nothing they could do that would be of any benefit to Rita, and arranged for Rita to get transferred straight back to Stafford. She got back late last night and settled in OK. Today she is in great spirits. Her notes sum it up perfectly as "Pleasantly Confused"! We had a very nice afternoon with lunch in the canteen, with Rita stealing most of the chips, followed by an ice cream outside in the sunshine on a nice grassed area. The photo's below sum it up well. Rita took the one of me and the kids. She's now got a note book which she's filling up with lists for shopping, and for my party next Saturday. We're rather hoping that we can get the care in place, or at least get her out for the day next Saturday to enjoy a good party.

Friday 26th June. Rita has been moved to Stoke-on-Trent Royal infirmary Ward 23. We saw the Consultant at Stafford this morning (Dr Elizabeth) and he thought we would benefit from talking to the consultants at Stoke. There is no neurology department in Stafford. Rita's scans did not show any other tumors, so we are only dealing with one tumor. If the consultants at Stoke are still adamant that nothing can be done then we will be talking to social services to sort out a care package for Rita, so she doesn't have to stay in hospital longer than necessary. Rita's state of mind does seem to be deteriorating slowly now. She has been slightly confused all the time, but by Wednesday was able to do Sudoku on her own. By yesterday she was filling them in with just the number 2, and today the number 1. Also she is getting very confused now with how to get dressed. She is slightly unsteady on her feet, and did fall over last night in the bathroom, but is only slightly bruised. Kate and Alan have gone to Stoke this evening to see how she is settling in. Jane, Elliot, Isaac & Esme will be visiting on Saturday (2-4pm). We are not expecting to speak to any consultants until Monday, but hopefully we will see one over the weekend.

Visiting Times: Week days Afternoon 3.30pm – 4.30pm Evenings 6.30pm – 8.00pm Weekends Afternoon 2.00pm – 4.00pm Evenings 6.00pm – 8.00pm

http://www.uhns.nhs.uk/comingintohospital.aspx

Thursday 25th June. The Consultants in Stoke have analysed the scans, and decided that removing the tumor is not as option due to its extent. The only procedure they would offer is a biopsy to find out what cancer it is to enable the appropriate radiotherapy to be given. It was stated that this procedure would carry a lot of risks, and radiotherapy would not prolong Rita's life. The only option appears to be Palliative care. Tomorrow morning we will be speaking with a consultant in Stafford to try and arrange this care as soon as possible. Hopefully we can get Rita back into her home. The main concern for us now is that she gets the support she needs when she needs it.

Wednesday 24th June. Rita thinks she's living upstairs in our house at the moment, but apart from that, knows what day it is, and what's happening at Wimbledon. She's quite comfortable, and has only been told by the nurse that she has a swelling in her head, and that's what the drugs are for. The Consultants at Stoke Hospital (The only place for neurosurgery) are in possession of the results of Rita's scans, and are deciding whether to admit her to Stoke for treatment, or not. If not we will be seeing what other options are available when we speak to a consultant at Stafford.

Tuesday 23rd June. Rita had her MRI Scan at Cannock Hospital today. And is up and about and chatting.

What's happened so far;

Rita has been very tired over the last few months. Everyone has noticed this and has been concerned that she may have been under the weather, or over doing it a bit (As she does).

Around Monday 15th June Rita was starting to get a lot slower and mixed up over what day it was, and what she had planned for the day.

By the Wednesday she had missed Yoga, and was definitely not herself, with many of us thinking she needed a good nights sleep, which was probably lacking due to her arthritis pains.

On Thursday morning she was up early with a night bag packed and off to Somerfield on her way to supposedly babysit for Bill Powell.

Jane and I had called her on her mobile trying to find her, so we went straight to somerfield and took her home. We rang Bill to try and help Rita get her memory straight, who thankfully came straight round, and it was decided we should get Rita to see a doctor and get to the bottom of this. An emergency appointment was made with Dr Braready that afternoon in Penkridge.

The Dr gave Rita a thorough check over, and seemed slightly concerned with Rita's confused state, but discovered only a minor urinary infection for which he prescribed anti-biotics. There are many factors which can cause confusion, and a simple infection is one of them. We made an appointment for some blood tests, and a repeat appointment for next week with the Dr.

We were slightly concerned that Rita may have missed some meals, as she was convinced she had eaten today when she had not, so Rita came home to our house for Pasta. Later we took her home for some well deserved rest. Also we called Kate to see if she would come over for the weekend, as we were so concerned.

On Friday Rita was very late getting up, at 11am, which is very unusual for her. And after lunch Jane decided to take her swimming, which we know she loves. That evening Kate came over and we all had dinner at our house before Kate took Rita home, and stayed with her.

Saturday was the day of the Church Fete over at the Haling Dene, and is a great day out for all, and not something that Rita would normally miss, but Kate was unable to get her up in the morning. We all thought she just needed plenty of rest, but by lunchtime she was getting up, and then just going back to bed. After calling NHS direct we were advised to book her in to Stafford clinic, which we did, but by late afternoon we still could not get her out of bed. Eventually an emergency Dr was called who came very quickly, and after extensive assessment of Rita advised we get her to Stafford A&E as soon as possible.

On arrival, at A&E Rita's condition was getting steadily worse, with her in a very sleepy state, and complaining of a terrible headache. A&E were excellent, and took her straight off for a CAT scan to see if there was any internal bleeding in the head.

We were all completely stunned at the results.

Fortunately there was a very good Neurosurgeon in A&E who was able to talk us through the results. Rita was shown to have a Malignant Tumor growing across the front portion of her brain, with a lot of swollen tissue also showing up. He explained that the prognosis was not good, ie too extensive to operate on, and too aggressive a tumor for her to have long.

Rita was given steroids to reduce the inflamation, and pain killers, and moved to the Emergency Assesment Unit for monitoring through the night. Having been almost unconscious at this point, by 5am Rita was awake again and talking. Which for us at the time was a minor miracle.

Throughout the day on Sunday Rita was talking, and comfortable, but still confused as to what day it was etc.

Monday saw more improvement, with her being moved to Ward 2, with less monitoring, but a continuation of the steroids. Rita is now sitting up and walking about. More scans and test are arranged for Tuesday, with hopefully the results by Thursday.

Continued at the top.

Other Information;

MRI scanning takes advantage of the natural magnetic properties of the tissues in your body. The scanner is a strong magnet that sends radio waves through the body. The magnetic tissues in the body then send a faint radio signal back. The receiver collects all those signals and the computer builds a picture of what is inside. It produces no radiation and has no cancer risk.

EBT and CT scans of the entire body are a sophisticated form of traditional X-ray technology. They take about 1000 X-rays of the body at different depths and angles over a 45 second period, and use a computer to compile these into a three dimensional image. (These are not the same as MRIs which do not expose the body to radiation). EBT may have a slightly lower dose of radiation but is still dangerous.

The leading medical manufacturers – Philips and Siemens advise the use of MRI only for total body scans. They invented the Total Imaging Matrix which is a new technique to have a precise look into the human body without the use of dangerous X-ray. The Radiation Advisory Council of NSW, Australia, the NSW Environment Protection Agency, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists, the Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council of Australia and the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment all say the same thing : having full-body CT or EBT scanning as a screen when you are unwell is unnecessary and even potentially dangerous.

Their reasons? These scans have a very high incidence of false positives. In other words, when the scan does find something (which can be as high as 90% of the time), it has to be investigated with further costly and often invasive procedures. The finding is usually a benign tumour, cyst or scar tissue but the person has incurred the cost and the discomfort of further tests – plus the stress of waiting for results.

These scans also have a high incidence of false negatives. That is, they may give the person a clean bill of health, even though the person may have a hidden cancer. That’s because full body CT scans are not as effective at detecting cancers as more traditional screening procedures e.g. colonoscopies to detect bowel cancer. The person may end up with a false sense of security; convinced they don’t have cancer and therefore do not need to see their doctor or have the screening procedures recommended by health authorities. The end result is that they may be putting themselves at increased risk.

Brain tumor

(March 2009) Cancer Classification and external resources A coronal CT scan showing malignant cancer of the lung sac. Legend: → tumor ←, ★ central pleural effusion, 1&3 lungs, 2 spine, 4 ribs, 5 aorta, 6 spleen, 7&8 kidneys, 9 liver. DiseasesDB 28843 MedlinePlus 001289 MeSH D009369 Cancer (medical term: malignant neoplasm) is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood). These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, and do not invade or metastasize. Most cancers form a tumor but some, like leukemia, do not. The branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer is oncology. Cancer may affect people at all ages, even fetuses, but the risk for most varieties increases with age.[1] Cancer causes about 13% of all human deaths.[2] According to the American Cancer Society, 7.6 million people died from cancer in the world during 2007.[3] Cancers can affect all animals. Nearly all cancers are caused by abnormalities in the genetic material of the transformed cells.[4] These abnormalities may be due to the effects of carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke, radiation, chemicals, or infectious agents. Other cancer-promoting genetic abnormalities may be randomly acquired through errors in DNA replication, or are inherited, and thus present in all cells from birth. The heritability of cancers are usually affected by complex interactions between carcinogens and the host's genome. New aspects of the genetics of cancer pathogenesis, such as DNA methylation, and microRNAs are increasingly recognized as important. Genetic abnormalities found in cancer typically affect two general classes of genes. Cancer-promoting oncogenes are typically activated in cancer cells, giving those cells new properties, such as hyperactive growth and division, protection against programmed cell death, loss of respect for normal tissue boundaries, and the ability to become established in diverse tissue environments. Tumor suppressor genes are then inactivated in cancer cells, resulting in the loss of normal functions in those cells, such as accurate DNA replication, control over the cell cycle, orientation and adhesion within tissues, and interaction with protective cells of the immune system. Diagnosis usually requires the histologic examination of a tissue biopsy specimen by a pathologist, although the initial indication of malignancy can be symptoms or radiographic imaging abnormalities. Most cancers can be treated and some cured, depending on the specific type, location, and stage. Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As research develops, treatments are becoming more specific for different varieties of cancer. There has been significant progress in the development of targeted therapy drugs that act specifically on detectable molecular abnormalities in certain tumors, and which minimize damage to normal cells. The prognosis of cancer patients is most influenced by the type of cancer, as well as the stage, or extent of the disease. In addition, histologic grading and the presence of specific molecular markers can also be useful in establishing prognosis, as well as in determining individual treatments.

Palliative care (from Latin palliare, to cloak) is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms, rather than striving to halt, delay, or reverse progression of the disease itself or provide a cure. The goal is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for people facing serious, complex illness. Non-hospice palliative care is not dependent on prognosis and is offered in conjunction with curative and all other appropriate forms of medical treatment. It should not be confused with hospice care which delivers palliative care to those at the end of life. In the UK, this distinction is not operative; hospices and non-hospice-based palliative care teams both provide care to those with life limiting illness at any stage of their disease.

Email Jane and Elliot