...drugs & rock n'roll

WARNING - Lengthy blog alert! Apologies.

So I thought I best blog this time around as I always seem to block out what happened the last time I was in hospital.

This is the 3^rd time I’ve had iloprost in Chelmsford’s Broomfield hospital under the watchful eye of my consult Dr Mukherjee (love his name – reminds me of Mr Majeeka. He’s a little ‘off the wall’ like him too). First time was November 07. I saw him in an out-patient appointment and he took one look at me and told me to go home to get my PJ’s, he was getting me in as an ‘emergency’. Well that didn’t freak me out too much!?! I was in a right old state though, have to admit. Exhausted, gammy fingers, washed out, just generally knackered (sound familiar?)

The second time was pre-arranged. Initially for the beginning of January (08) but they told me a few days before that I couldn’t go in cos Dr Mukherjee was on his hols (how dare he?). Well that gave me the right hump for the whole of the month; I’d got myself all geared up to go in and deal with all the depressing stuff and then they bloody postponed it!! Grrr. Wasn’t impressed. Ended up going in at the end of Jan. Things I remember from that experience; at the beginning of my treatment my blood pressure kept dropping and they kept having to stop the drug infusion, so I ended up hooked up to it for 10 hours rather than 6 so that we could get a good amount into me on the second day. And then after 3 days of having the canula in my right hand (v sore), they couldn’t get a new one in me so I had to take the iloprost via nebuliser for the rest of my stay. Boo. (I’m not convinced about the nebuliser – I’m sure you can just breathe the damn stuff out just as easily as you breathe it in… I didn’t get the same side effects either. Some of you may think is a good thing, but to be honest, if I get the bad headaches, flushed face, dodgey tum then at least I know the stuff’s doing its job. After all, it is supposed to force open all the blood vessels in your body so you can’t really expect anything less)

Day 1 – Monday 7^th July
So here I am, sitting in the same ward and room that I was in the first time at Broomfield (I’ve had this treatment about a zillion times before at Addenbrookes but Chelmsford is so much closer for visitors). It’s 16.38 and I’ve been here an hour and a half… waiting….. I’ve spent the whole damn morning waiting! I got at call at 8.20am to say that they were booting an old lady out of my bed and that they would need to leave a bit of time in case the old dear’s transport didn’t pick her up on time, and time for them to do a ‘“Gordon Brown” deep clean’ of my room – I wouldn’t mind but they missed a few bits. Anyway, I sat around all morning waiting for the next call…. I called them at 1pm, only to be told to come in around 3pm….. urgh.

I’ve seen Dr Mukherjee; he wanted to give me some anti-biotics for a suspected chest infection. I told him no. I’ve been on some tough old pills since the end of April, I refuse to have more. We’re gonna see how the week pans out. I’ve pressed my buzzer once already – just to try and hurry the whole process up and remind them that the drug’s got to be on for 6 hours and that I don’t want to be sitting with it on all night, only for them to come in at 6.30 tomorrow morning to wake me up and take my blood pressure!

Still nothing. Lex has rang, that cheered me temporarily. Amanda has text’d too. She asked how I was feeling. I replied ‘well I’ll cry if I think about it all too much’ – which is the truth. So I’m not thinking, I’m just typing.

Did I tell you that the weather is absolutely shocking (currently storming)? Well it is and I’m glad cos if it was hot and sunny I’d be even more pissed off. I can just about see the sky from my room. There’s dark low clouds and now I’m watching for lightening….I’ve cracked open my first bag of Jelly Babies. If I keep up with all this typing this blog is gonna be sooooo long. I’ll try and keep it short. The dvd watching (Gavin & Stacey series 1) should ensure that I’m otherwise occupied.

Oh great, the gutter outside my window must be blocked, water is pouring down the side of the building/ my window and onto the ground. If I listen to water like this all day every day I’m gonna be pee’ing for England.

It’s 17.02 a nurse has just been in. She took one look at me and said ‘I’m gonna send Helen in to do your canula, as I know I attempted it loads of times on you last time… she won’t be long…’

17.29 - Helen is an angel sent from heaven. 1st attempt and a pain free canula is in – I love her. I’ve told her that she can come back on Wednesday to do the next one. She mentioned the ward is closing in a few weeks – I need to find out why and where I’ll go next time. I’ve ordered tuna salad for dinner and I’m finishing writing up my Vegas blog from last year… I’m feeling like there’s been some progress.

17.55 - All my admission forms have been completed, I’ve been officially admitted now. Found out that they are closing 2 wards, losing 150 beds, all in preparation for the ‘new PFI’ whatever that is? Private Funded sthg or other, which is due to open here in 2010. Due to be NHS but this nurse (Rach) thinks the whole of the NHS will become private soon anyway…. Interesting….

18.13 - I’m 55.8Kgs. No idea what that is in stone, so I’ll have to wait til I get out to find out but I know that’s better than the last couple of times I’ve been in. (8st 8lb – actually not that good)

18.36 – Dinner was unimpressive. Dry tuna salad; dry cucumber, dry tuna, 2 weenie bits of tomato and dry potato salad.

Day 2
So I got switched on at 19.15 yesterday and came off at 01.30. Blood pressure stayed above 100, headache kicked in about 4 hours in and I got to the max amount for the day. Funny jaw thing happened about half way through too… I took a sip of lemon squash and it freaked me out, it’s a really weird feeling. Thankfully they put a ‘do not disturb’ on my door this morning and I woke at 7 then 9.

A man from the chaplaincy popped by to say hello earlier – I’ve seen him the other few times I’ve been in but not really chatted before. He’s a lovely chap, we had a good natter. I didn’t give him my full sob story but he did comment on how smiley and cheery I am despite my condition. It’s only when strangers speak with you for a few minutes and then comment on things that it makes me realise what I do have to put up with. He gave me a god-squad card telling me how special I am – very sweet. So I gave myself a pat on the back for a few minutes, then remembered that there’s thousands worse off than me.

After yesterday’s dinner experience, I was pleasantly surprised with my roast chicken lunch. The chicken was plump and succulent, there was stuffing, and fresh cauliflower and broccoli, and plenty of gravy. Now I’m not saying it was great but it was definitely an improvement on last time. I think the new pre-ordering system is working.

The plan was that they’d start me off a few hours earlier they did yesterday so they could gradually work me back to a 12 noon start on Friday so I can get out on time for dinner at Amanda’s. They switched me on at 16.50 but it’s 21.18 now and it’s had to be stopped for 3 half hours already cos of low blood pressure – grr!

On a positive note I had some visitors today, yay! Vix and Christopher came to say hi in the afternoon – Christopher takes great pleasure in getting his mum grubby, he’s so cute. He had a biccy-peg to chew on, it didn’t look overly appetising (much like a small dog chew if you ask me) so I stuck with the delicious chocs they bought me! Jo popped a long for a few hours too, and bought me some clear nail varnish as requested – well I may as well try and make part of my hands look nice amongst all the bruising I will come out with. Then Mat and Manda came in the evening. We played doctors and nurses and found Mat’s blood pressure to be quite high (166/107), which of course, is worrying me now cos I have nothing better to worry about!

Wednesday – Day 3
Blood pressure dropped to 88/53 at midnight, so I got the hump and told them to switch it all of and give up for the night – I hate being beaten! An hour later they checked my bp again and it was the same – damn it!

They put the ‘do not disturb’ on my door and I got woken at 9, so that was good. But I was woken to be told that I’m being kicked out of my room and am going onto the ward cos there’s a patient with and infection and my room is the only room with an ‘uninfected’ patient in. So we’re waiting for the ‘“Gordon Brown” deep clean’ to be done, then I’m on the move.

It’s 13.33, I’m in a ward bed on an end with 2 old ladies – don’t get me started on how I don’t want to get old. I think I’ll get away with my tv and dvd watching without headphones; I think they’re all deaf. It was third time lucky with the new canula, but even then it didn’t quite got to plan – when they attached the drip it didn’t connect properly and half way through my sausage and mash I had to be reconnected cos blood was pouring out of my hand (dam canula’s at the base of my thumb/wrist, making any left handed action tricky). But on the plus side, I’m switched on and providing all goes well (fingers crossed, as well as they can be), I should be done by 7pm…..

Just seen Mr Majeeka. Told him I’d had funny feeling in my neck and shoulders, he’s put that down to the iloprost. Told him again about my chest so he listened to it and said that it does sound like I have limited capacity lower down and that’s because of the fibrosis I have in my lungs, which is because of the condition, and sthgs just irritating it. He’s gonna send me for a chest x-ray and has written up for some inhalers. It could be asthma or the fibrosis making it like it is but either way they should help. He also wants to see me before Spain to review my finger and chest. Said he’d like me to see a hand surgeon for a ‘sympathectomy’ or to just open up my wound, get the gunk out and for it to heal.

Thursday – Day 4
I’m over half way!! Yesterday went without a hitch. Sal and Andy swung by at 7pm and managed to stay til 9, so that was really nice.

Today has also been hitchless. Apart from another bed move. Claire popped by around 11 ish, I had my chest x-ray , they switched me on at 12.30 and mum popped by. Then Kate rocked up at 2.30ish and stayed for a bit. I got switched off at 6.30 then Mat and Manda came in.

Friday – Day 5
The ward was supposed to close today but 9 patients got bought in last night from other places – the poor nurses were having a shocker. The lady that came in next to me had sliced her thumb artery and nerve with some scissors. She’d been to Queens (the new hosp in Rom) and said it was horrendously unorganised, and then they didn’t have the facilities to operate on her, so had to be bought here. Her description of her injury made me wanna spew.

It was 4^th time lucky with today’s new canula so my arms are looking a patchy green colour with all the bruising but hey. They switched me on at 12.15 and all went well so I was out by 7pm to get to Amanda’s for dinner with the girls – horay!

Until next time…