Monday, January 22, 2007
19th 20th January. The Hospital experience
I always feel the need to put life's experiences into words - and going into hospital is always an experience.
Fortunately this last time it was just a short experience but as ever an intense time and details remain fixed in my brain.
So, lets go back to Friday morning.
We woke early and I showered and washed my hair.
I then phoned the hospital, as requested to check the availability of a bed. Actually, for this operation that was planned to entail just a day at the hospital, it had not occurred to me that there wouldn't be a bed.
But there wasn't.
I was asked to phone again at 9 o'clock.
So, I had to sit around idly for over 2 hours, not knowing what would happen - and of course there was no chance of any breakfast.
At 9 o'clock there was still no bed.
The ward sister asked me to wait and she would try and sort something.
So, more sitting around - and still no breakfast.
By 10 o'clock I was assuming that I wouldn't be going. I even began thinking about describing some books for EBay.
Then the phone rang - what was my fate?
The sister had cobbled together a plan. If I was agreeable I could have no bed, but be admitted to the recovery ward and be taken to the theatre from there and the plan was that I would be discharged from there.
So, we grabbed our coats and my bag (which I wouldn't need) and presumed that I would be home that evening.
Bill carried my bag to the ward and gave me a hug and then left me there, sitting in the Day Room - which also had a couple of beds in it.
There was an elderly couple waiting there too - somebody came to look at his wound and said it needed re dressing so he sat with trousers open, waiting.
The ward sister came and said that I could have a bed if I would accept one in the men's bay. I guessed it might be best to have a base on the ward so said I didn't mind.
Then a fairly fragile man was brought to the day room and given his dinner - I was hungry! I think this man might have been going home and perhaps it was his bed I was taking.
Anyway I went along to my bed and sat and did a crossword puzzle for a while. I chatted with the wife of the man in the next bed. I was right that I recognised her - she had been a secretary at Gossops Green School where I had done a lot of supply teaching. It was nice to see a familiar face from the real world.
I then pulled the curtains round and donned my robe and dressing gown and sat on the comfortable bed and listened to the radio - well I had the TV sound on for a while and I listened to the day's episode of Neighbours.
The porters came for me at about quarter past 2.
The bed was wheeled along the long network of corridors and into the theatre complex.
Various bits were done - pulse and blood pressure monitors were set up. People chatted idly with me, asking me what I would normally be doing on a Friday afternoon. Somebody told me I had nice fingers and nails. Its not the first time I have been told that - but I do very little to look after them. Then the anaesthetist came and a canula was put in the back of my hand - drugs started filtering through.
Then I was in the recovery room, feeling drowsy but OK. There were quite a few people there and people being wheeled about on beds.
When I was told I had a catheter I knew I would not be going home.
When you first come round you are on pain killers and drugs which make you feel a bit high.
Soon I was being taken back to my men's ward.
Then suddenly they said they had a space in the women's bay and so off I went again.
I still felt fine.
They brought me some food. Although I normally avoid bread I tucked greedily into to some good tuna sandwiches.
It seems such a short time that is needed for a group of women in hospital to get to know each other. I had 5 companions. The lady to my left didn't really count because she had no speech and I gathered not too much brain. Her name was Margaret and she tried to get up sometimes so somebody had to call a nurse. Opposite was a glamorous Granny who had kidney stones - she had also thought she might be out after one day. She talked for England! There was Edith, an elderly lady who I guess had been bed ridden for some time and had the most painful bed sores. She was a genteel lady and I felt very sorry for her. I felt sorry for a young woman in the corner. She was in pain and things were not being put right and she didn't know how to handle the situation at all. She got angry with doctors, telling them that she knew best about what was happening in her body and that she had to be home by Monday. She was waiting for an ultrasound scan - and of course the doctors couldn't magically get that for her, especially at the weekend. Next to me was a friend, Marissa. We talked all of Saturday morning and we made each other feel better, sharing hospital and life experiences. She had been rushed in last Monday with a very sudden gall bladder problem.
I gradually started to feel more uncomfortable. That ulcerated area had been interfered with, cut about and now had a catheter irritating it. Moving and weeing was hell. I could control the moving, but not the weeing.
I didn't sleep too well at night. I had the head phones on and listened a lot to the BBC World Service. I did drift in and out of sleep, but also listened to ward activities.
We had a male nurse on with the sister and the staff nurse - I think he was a bank nurse. I had little to do with him actually. He wore big clompy shoes and so each time he came in the ward you were aware of him. He seemed a bit unsure of himself and slow. He had to deal with old Edith a lot and I really felt bad for her that he didn't know how to handle an elderly woman with bed sores.
He was with me at quarter to six doing blood pressure etc. After that I seemed to sleep for a while.
I realised that I hurt a lot when I woke up so had pain killers with my breakfast - my own rice cakes, banana and of course my own tea bags. I have to say cups of tea were brought round often and they soon got to know that I just wanted a cup of hot water.
I knew one of the day nurses - Chris was in charge of the ward and I remembered her from Vanguard Ward in Crawley. She is lively and seems to have a her finger well on the pulse of things. The young Korean nurse was efficient - but she forgot to smile.
I tried not to move too much during the morning. I wanted that catheter out.
The doctor came round and said it should have been out first thing!
He had very little else to say to me - certainly no clues about what he had seen. Only the biopsy results will tell that. I now have to wait for the results to come back and they will work out the next course of action - and then tell me! I don't know how long I will be waiting.
He did say that I could go home.
The catheter came out and I then had to prove three times that I could wee independently and not store urine in the bladder. Well I could not stop weeing independently - my body thought it could carry on behaving as if a catheter was dealing with it. That situation carried on long after I got home, but is more controllable this morning.
I had some lunch - cod in a sauce with olive oil mashed potato and mixed veg; it was tasty.
I had spoken with Bill during the morning and he was going to come in the early afternoon and be ready to take me home when I was ready.
The nurse had to run a scan over my body and was able to tell that I had 49mls of fluid in the bladder, which she thought was excellent - no retention at all. Quite the reverse!
She also gave me a supply of an antibiotic. Silly girl she seemed to pat me on the head and tell me that the tablets will clear up my condition. If they had thought that was possible then they would have thought of it earlier!
Though there still is a chance that my only treatment will be a long term use of a low dose antibiotic.
So I quickly said goodbye to my friends on the ward and we drove home in the sunshine.
I had only been away for just over 24 hours so home coming was not too strange - and yet coming out of hospital is always strange. The security cords have been cut and nobody ever tells you just how things will be on your own.
I was happy that people were phoning up - but after a while I was too tired to deal with the calls.
I spent a while writing messages to Jamie and Ashley who came onto Skype together. What a marvellous thing that I could have the whole family with me in that first hour out of hospital.
Bill went to the local chip shop and I tucked into a few chips and a cup of tea.
I was exhausted - too many attempts at running upstairs to the loo in time I guess. I felt a lot of pain too. I went to bed for a while and slept for a couple of hours.
I had another cup of tea downstairs and then went back to bed. I was up every 2 hours to go to the loo - but at least I got there!
This morning has been leisurely. The sun is shining - hey I should have been out there hunting for bargains!
I realise that my muscles ache round my hips and groin - I guess I was man handled under anaesthetic. Bladder control is returning - but I still feel very sore.
So that little episode in life is now in the past. I don't what the next instalment will be. I might have to do it all over again.
I will potter about for the day and very soon I will be back to normal - whatever normal actually is. Bill is in the shop this afternoon, so I will give myself a quiet few hours.
Fortunately this last time it was just a short experience but as ever an intense time and details remain fixed in my brain.
So, lets go back to Friday morning.
We woke early and I showered and washed my hair.
I then phoned the hospital, as requested to check the availability of a bed. Actually, for this operation that was planned to entail just a day at the hospital, it had not occurred to me that there wouldn't be a bed.
But there wasn't.
I was asked to phone again at 9 o'clock.
So, I had to sit around idly for over 2 hours, not knowing what would happen - and of course there was no chance of any breakfast.
At 9 o'clock there was still no bed.
The ward sister asked me to wait and she would try and sort something.
So, more sitting around - and still no breakfast.
By 10 o'clock I was assuming that I wouldn't be going. I even began thinking about describing some books for EBay.
Then the phone rang - what was my fate?
The sister had cobbled together a plan. If I was agreeable I could have no bed, but be admitted to the recovery ward and be taken to the theatre from there and the plan was that I would be discharged from there.
So, we grabbed our coats and my bag (which I wouldn't need) and presumed that I would be home that evening.
Bill carried my bag to the ward and gave me a hug and then left me there, sitting in the Day Room - which also had a couple of beds in it.
There was an elderly couple waiting there too - somebody came to look at his wound and said it needed re dressing so he sat with trousers open, waiting.
The ward sister came and said that I could have a bed if I would accept one in the men's bay. I guessed it might be best to have a base on the ward so said I didn't mind.
Then a fairly fragile man was brought to the day room and given his dinner - I was hungry! I think this man might have been going home and perhaps it was his bed I was taking.
Anyway I went along to my bed and sat and did a crossword puzzle for a while. I chatted with the wife of the man in the next bed. I was right that I recognised her - she had been a secretary at Gossops Green School where I had done a lot of supply teaching. It was nice to see a familiar face from the real world.
I then pulled the curtains round and donned my robe and dressing gown and sat on the comfortable bed and listened to the radio - well I had the TV sound on for a while and I listened to the day's episode of Neighbours.
The porters came for me at about quarter past 2.
The bed was wheeled along the long network of corridors and into the theatre complex.
Various bits were done - pulse and blood pressure monitors were set up. People chatted idly with me, asking me what I would normally be doing on a Friday afternoon. Somebody told me I had nice fingers and nails. Its not the first time I have been told that - but I do very little to look after them. Then the anaesthetist came and a canula was put in the back of my hand - drugs started filtering through.
Then I was in the recovery room, feeling drowsy but OK. There were quite a few people there and people being wheeled about on beds.
When I was told I had a catheter I knew I would not be going home.
When you first come round you are on pain killers and drugs which make you feel a bit high.
Soon I was being taken back to my men's ward.
Then suddenly they said they had a space in the women's bay and so off I went again.
I still felt fine.
They brought me some food. Although I normally avoid bread I tucked greedily into to some good tuna sandwiches.
It seems such a short time that is needed for a group of women in hospital to get to know each other. I had 5 companions. The lady to my left didn't really count because she had no speech and I gathered not too much brain. Her name was Margaret and she tried to get up sometimes so somebody had to call a nurse. Opposite was a glamorous Granny who had kidney stones - she had also thought she might be out after one day. She talked for England! There was Edith, an elderly lady who I guess had been bed ridden for some time and had the most painful bed sores. She was a genteel lady and I felt very sorry for her. I felt sorry for a young woman in the corner. She was in pain and things were not being put right and she didn't know how to handle the situation at all. She got angry with doctors, telling them that she knew best about what was happening in her body and that she had to be home by Monday. She was waiting for an ultrasound scan - and of course the doctors couldn't magically get that for her, especially at the weekend. Next to me was a friend, Marissa. We talked all of Saturday morning and we made each other feel better, sharing hospital and life experiences. She had been rushed in last Monday with a very sudden gall bladder problem.
I gradually started to feel more uncomfortable. That ulcerated area had been interfered with, cut about and now had a catheter irritating it. Moving and weeing was hell. I could control the moving, but not the weeing.
I didn't sleep too well at night. I had the head phones on and listened a lot to the BBC World Service. I did drift in and out of sleep, but also listened to ward activities.
We had a male nurse on with the sister and the staff nurse - I think he was a bank nurse. I had little to do with him actually. He wore big clompy shoes and so each time he came in the ward you were aware of him. He seemed a bit unsure of himself and slow. He had to deal with old Edith a lot and I really felt bad for her that he didn't know how to handle an elderly woman with bed sores.
He was with me at quarter to six doing blood pressure etc. After that I seemed to sleep for a while.
I realised that I hurt a lot when I woke up so had pain killers with my breakfast - my own rice cakes, banana and of course my own tea bags. I have to say cups of tea were brought round often and they soon got to know that I just wanted a cup of hot water.
I knew one of the day nurses - Chris was in charge of the ward and I remembered her from Vanguard Ward in Crawley. She is lively and seems to have a her finger well on the pulse of things. The young Korean nurse was efficient - but she forgot to smile.
I tried not to move too much during the morning. I wanted that catheter out.
The doctor came round and said it should have been out first thing!
He had very little else to say to me - certainly no clues about what he had seen. Only the biopsy results will tell that. I now have to wait for the results to come back and they will work out the next course of action - and then tell me! I don't know how long I will be waiting.
He did say that I could go home.
The catheter came out and I then had to prove three times that I could wee independently and not store urine in the bladder. Well I could not stop weeing independently - my body thought it could carry on behaving as if a catheter was dealing with it. That situation carried on long after I got home, but is more controllable this morning.
I had some lunch - cod in a sauce with olive oil mashed potato and mixed veg; it was tasty.
I had spoken with Bill during the morning and he was going to come in the early afternoon and be ready to take me home when I was ready.
The nurse had to run a scan over my body and was able to tell that I had 49mls of fluid in the bladder, which she thought was excellent - no retention at all. Quite the reverse!
She also gave me a supply of an antibiotic. Silly girl she seemed to pat me on the head and tell me that the tablets will clear up my condition. If they had thought that was possible then they would have thought of it earlier!
Though there still is a chance that my only treatment will be a long term use of a low dose antibiotic.
So I quickly said goodbye to my friends on the ward and we drove home in the sunshine.
I had only been away for just over 24 hours so home coming was not too strange - and yet coming out of hospital is always strange. The security cords have been cut and nobody ever tells you just how things will be on your own.
I was happy that people were phoning up - but after a while I was too tired to deal with the calls.
I spent a while writing messages to Jamie and Ashley who came onto Skype together. What a marvellous thing that I could have the whole family with me in that first hour out of hospital.
Bill went to the local chip shop and I tucked into a few chips and a cup of tea.
I was exhausted - too many attempts at running upstairs to the loo in time I guess. I felt a lot of pain too. I went to bed for a while and slept for a couple of hours.
I had another cup of tea downstairs and then went back to bed. I was up every 2 hours to go to the loo - but at least I got there!
This morning has been leisurely. The sun is shining - hey I should have been out there hunting for bargains!
I realise that my muscles ache round my hips and groin - I guess I was man handled under anaesthetic. Bladder control is returning - but I still feel very sore.
So that little episode in life is now in the past. I don't what the next instalment will be. I might have to do it all over again.
I will potter about for the day and very soon I will be back to normal - whatever normal actually is. Bill is in the shop this afternoon, so I will give myself a quiet few hours.
