Followers

Friday, 15 January 2021

The hospital experience

 Thank you so much for comments, it is lovely to read them.

Firstly, I want to say how impressed I was with the whole hospital setup, from a covid safety point of view.  Each new patient is asked to gel their hands and then has their temperature taken with a forehead thermometer before being allowed in the ward.  One patient in every other bed, so more than adequate social distancing.  All nurses wore full PPE, of course, and changed it after interaction with every patient, every single time, they must get through literally dozens of aprons/gloves etc each per shift.  And they gelled their hands every time they changed gloves too.  Every bit of equipment (blood pressure monitor, blood oxygen tester, diabetes glucose meter, etc) sterilised immediately after every use.  Cleaning staff on the ward the whole time constantly cleaning the toilets and wiping down all door handles, surfaces etc every few minutes.  I felt as safe as it was possible to be from a covid point of view.  My assigned nurse was called away at one point to go and have her covid jab in a big tent in the car park - personally, I reckon all medical staff should have had the jabs first.  After all, they're putting themselves at risk every working shift, and we as patients need them to stay healthy as they're looking after us.  Without exception, all the medical staff were wonderful.

The surgeon and anaesthetist were both very nice chaps, they explained quite clearly what they would be doing.  I've had general anaesthesia twice before and both times I had a bad reaction to it....it makes me violently sick and I feel like I've been run over by a steamroller for a week afterwards, whereas my husband, who's had loads of ops, is never sick and feels fine after 24 hours.  The anaesthetist said it's pants to be so sick and assured me he wouldn't let it happen - he was right, I wasn't sick at all, so well done him.

As for the procedure itself, I was having a camera in my bladder, the surgeon said he would have a good look round, check for diabetic nerve damage which is what he thought the problem was, or anything else - stones eg - and deal with it there and then.  Well, when he came to see me back on the ward, he said he found nothing, my bladder appeared normal.  At least, I think that's what he said, I was still very woozy then.  It does say bladder normal on my discharge notes though.  So whilst it's good that my bladder seems fine, essentially it means that I've had nothing done to treat the problem and it's still there.  I don't know what happens next, I think he said he will write to me, I have to go back for a follow up appointment in a few weeks.

*WARNING GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION*

The paperwork you get prior to going in said I may experience some passing of blood and some minor discomfort when peeing for a day or 2 afterwards....bollocks to that (excuse my language) - it was agonisingly painful.  There was quite a lot of blood, which thankfully stopped fairly quickly, but the pain when peeing was terrible, it felt like I was peeing burning broken glass or razor blades.  It's no longer that painful, just stinging now, and only when I pee, whereas yesterday my entire nether regions felt like they'd been chewed by a piranha and I seemed to be bleeding from everywhere down there, front to back.

Now, 2 days after the procedure, I still feel like I've been beaten up by a gang of hooligans, I'm tired all the time, stuffy head, and I have some very odd muscle aches and soreness.  E.g. my shoulders feel like the anaesthetist (a big bloke) must have been kneeling on them (I don't suppose he was!), the left side of my jaw is very sore for some reason, and my ankles are sore...from being in stirrups, I guess.  Strangely, I also have some small cuts, like paper cuts, on the fingers of my right hand...no idea about those but they weren't there when I went in hospital.  It's of no consequence, I'm just curious as to how they got there.  I'm feeling weepy and subdued, but I expect that will pass, although I am a bit upset that my problem hasn't been resolved.  I guess I'll have to speak to my GP next week.  For now, I'm just resting and doing nothing except reading and sleeping, husband is keeping me fed and watered.

18 comments:

  1. Gosh it sounds as though you have been through the wars. The small cuts like 'paper cuts' sound weird I can think of no reason for them! Everything else though I guess is explainable. Make sure you DO rest, I know how easy it is to start doing things way too soon, it's time for your hubby to look after YOU.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha - maybe Bill Gates had her chipped :)

      Delete
  2. Well, at least you know there's nothing wrong, but that doesn't help if you still have symptoms. I guess it's a case of ruling things out. The sore shoulders is probably from the anaesthetic, and the jaw from the intubation. As for the paper cuts - no idea! Take things easy, and wishing you a speedy recovery. Our NHS staff are marvellous and I hope, once all the madness subsides, the government recognises their dedication with a HUGE pay rise. xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hope you feel better soon. So frustrating when you have symptoms and they tell you everything is normal. But good that they didn’t find anything.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Did you go to Musgrove in Taunton, I was born in that hospital. Glad your waterworks are beginning to feel better, sounds painful, whilst good news they found no issues, you still have to sort your problem, rest and get fully fit.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Frustrating but I suppose knowing what is isn't can be helpful. All those covid precautions sound amazing and the staff absolutely fantastic. I'm glad things are easier today (not great, I know, but considerably better than before) and I hope that continues to improve. Lots of love and many gentle hugs.
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Frustrating not to know what's wrong but good to hear all the safety precautions. The only thing I can think that they do with fingers in hospital is that thing like a peg that measures oxygen(?).
    Hope you get plenty of rest and heal soon

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pleased everything was okay and you have to realise now that there is nothing wrong with you. Rest and keep your self well.
    Hazel c uk🌈🌈

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well there is actually, as the problem is still there and nothing has been resolved!

      Delete
  8. Glad you're home even a bit battered and bruised. When I had my tonsils out as a child in a private hospital I woke up from the anaesthetic with a very swollen and bruised finger. No one was interested in it and I expect it was a touch of negligence whilst I was asleep that did it and they swept it under the carpet. As I was at boarding school and my parents were abroad there was no-one to fight my corner! They didn't keep checking your blood sugars whilst you were under, did they? Might that be like the paper cuts? Just a thought but very odd. Have worked in theatres and cannot think what else it could be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought testing blood sugar as well with the finger cups.
      Surely there is an option 2 and 3 and more on what it could be.
      Pain transfer is a possibility and hard to know exactly where the pain actually is coming from.
      I've touched a place on me and felt the pain totally somewhere else.
      Good luck.
      Take advantage of the waiter!

      Delete
  9. That sounds flippin awful Sooze. I hope you are feeling better and have managed plenty of rest since you came out.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Whilst I am pleased they couldn't find anything, the mystery of what is wrong continues. Hope you feel better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I do hope you feel more comfortable soon. Its rotten when something is designed to make us feel better actually makes us worse initially but I'm sure it will pass. Its reassuring to hear the hospitals are keeping safety first.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The shoulder pain is from being positioned on the table. The arms are strapped down and out. Think straight out.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Glad everything went OK and you are on the mend - hopefully you will start to feel better and lose all the nasty side effects from the op and anaesthetic. Kepp warm and have a good rest now. xx

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for comments, however please note that rude ones won't be published. Nor will anonymous ones now.