Saturday morning after I returned to the ward I was quite sleepy, I wasn't aware of anything more than that but sue in the bed opposite said that they had been quite concerned about me and muttering about ketamine. I remember being woken by the nurse calling me and opened my eyes to see her looking at me quite intently, I had it seemed gone pinpoint and Jenny the nurse called the junior doctor to have a look at me. They decided to stop giving it to me and up the fentonil doses that I was getting. The hallucinations were still happening when my eyes were shut, the consultant anesthetisist came to see me and just before he arrived I told him that I had just seen people walking round but that they were drawn with a pencil, he said that this was a typical ketamine reaction and agreed I should come off it. Not sure why anyone would take it recreationally on the basis of my experience.
The night before sue in the opposite bed had realised that we had a mutual friend in suze from the beating bowel cancer forum so we became chatty very quickly. As we talked I could hear a voice from the end of the ward complaining about it is, later I could clearly hear her complaining to the nurse that she won't be bullied and she wanted to go home, she knows staff are busy but she needs them and she had enough and wanted to go, I realised that she was talking about me. The atmosphere became a little tense until Adam and Zak came to visit that afternoon, after they left pat suddenly exclaimed from her bed oh aren't your boys lovely, beautiful hair, lovely lovely boys. From that point I decided that it was better to work with her than against her.
Wednesday 30 January 2013
Monday 28 January 2013
Post operative opera.
So I was wheeled down in the morning but later than expected as they had not taken bloods for cross matching so one of the doctors had to come down and take it before I went down. It turns out I have a particular antibody and they had to check that they had compatible blood in case I needed it, they thought that maybe I received it in a previous transfusion.
So finally head down around 10am and am wheeled into the pre op room. It was really cold in there, but I met with the aneasthetist again and her colleague both ladies and both lovely. I had to have the epidural again given awake sitting in the edge of the bed, not the best feeling but manageable. They were pleased with where it was sited. We chatted away whilst all this was being done and they answered any questions about the procedure including one about my allergy to chloramphenicol eye drops. I didn't think that this was particularly relevant in terms of my op but she y do said that actually it really was as during the op my eyes would not be blinking and can dry so they would inset eye drops and usually chloramphenicol to hydrate them.
So then then they do the knock out injection and as happened before the next thing I know I am waking up in recovery.
As I woke in my stupefied state I could hear people asking how I was and there seemed to be some concern, I remember feeling a strong urge to pass a motion which I knew I couldn't but there was this huge pressure down below and also that my stomach felt like it was covered in bee stings. I drifted in and out and then gradually woke up more fully, for the second time my epidural hadn't worked properly so they set my up with a pump with fentonil.
I had one to one nursing through the night and towards the early morning, two of the nurses were concerned about my pain relief, they still thought that the epidural was delivering some pain block to the abdomen, but they were not too sure now, I should have not been feeling anything but I was. They sprayed a cold spray onto my abdomen and I nearly went through the roof, on each spot the feeling was the same as the next. They mumbled to each other and said that someone needed to come and look at this.
I can't remember who came next but they did the same with the same result and they came to the conclusion that the epidural hadn't worked at all.
At handover in the morning a lovely nurse called Dora came to look after me, she usually worked in itu but they were short in recovery so she was working there for a bit to help out. She couldn't have been nicer and more professional. One of the staff nurses questioned my continued placement in recovery as the other patients had left and was told it was because that had to sort out my pain control.
Dora washed me, got me drink checked the dressing and removed the epidural. Did my observations and chatted through the day.
Someone came to see me from the pain relief team, they suggested that ketamine was a good pain reliever if I didn't have hallucinations.
After they gave it to me I felt fine whilst my eyes were open but when I closed them It would be like watching a movie screen, I saw ants marching in line down a rock and remarked to myself at how the
high definition, there were other little scenes all completely different to each other, but as I was fine when asleep or when my eyes were open I didn't worry.
I the afternoon my middle son Adam arrived to see me with a paper and my favourite Lindt chocolates, my appetite was quite gone and at that point they were not sure whether I could eat or not as a care plan hadn't been put together. So I asked the nurse to pass them round the recovery team, ther was no polite refusal they went within minutes with squeals of delight and 'oh just what I need!' It was quite satisfying. After staying for an hour or so Adam headed home and I waited further whilst they got me sorted.
Finally around 7pm I was ready to go up onto the ward, Dora came with me and I felt quite emotional saying goodbye to her after she had spent the day caring for me so well.
On arrival at the ward Leon and tash my two salsa friends were there in he corridor as they wheeled me in in my bed then Alyson a neighbour , Trevor who I used to work with and my cousin sue appeared. Alyson and sue had made friends in the day room whilst waiting. It was nice to have such a welcome.
They all remarked on how well I looked which I guess was true, for someone who had been through such major surgery I felt quite awake and with it, more so than I did last time, there was a mention that I might not be morphine tolerant which would explain why I was so out of it after my last op.
After a while equine left and I settled down for my second night on the ward. I was to be woken at around 3am by pat calling for the nurse, I told her they were busy and later asked why she didn't use her call button......this didn't go down too well as I was to find out later.
So finally head down around 10am and am wheeled into the pre op room. It was really cold in there, but I met with the aneasthetist again and her colleague both ladies and both lovely. I had to have the epidural again given awake sitting in the edge of the bed, not the best feeling but manageable. They were pleased with where it was sited. We chatted away whilst all this was being done and they answered any questions about the procedure including one about my allergy to chloramphenicol eye drops. I didn't think that this was particularly relevant in terms of my op but she y do said that actually it really was as during the op my eyes would not be blinking and can dry so they would inset eye drops and usually chloramphenicol to hydrate them.
So then then they do the knock out injection and as happened before the next thing I know I am waking up in recovery.
As I woke in my stupefied state I could hear people asking how I was and there seemed to be some concern, I remember feeling a strong urge to pass a motion which I knew I couldn't but there was this huge pressure down below and also that my stomach felt like it was covered in bee stings. I drifted in and out and then gradually woke up more fully, for the second time my epidural hadn't worked properly so they set my up with a pump with fentonil.
I had one to one nursing through the night and towards the early morning, two of the nurses were concerned about my pain relief, they still thought that the epidural was delivering some pain block to the abdomen, but they were not too sure now, I should have not been feeling anything but I was. They sprayed a cold spray onto my abdomen and I nearly went through the roof, on each spot the feeling was the same as the next. They mumbled to each other and said that someone needed to come and look at this.
I can't remember who came next but they did the same with the same result and they came to the conclusion that the epidural hadn't worked at all.
At handover in the morning a lovely nurse called Dora came to look after me, she usually worked in itu but they were short in recovery so she was working there for a bit to help out. She couldn't have been nicer and more professional. One of the staff nurses questioned my continued placement in recovery as the other patients had left and was told it was because that had to sort out my pain control.
Dora washed me, got me drink checked the dressing and removed the epidural. Did my observations and chatted through the day.
Someone came to see me from the pain relief team, they suggested that ketamine was a good pain reliever if I didn't have hallucinations.
After they gave it to me I felt fine whilst my eyes were open but when I closed them It would be like watching a movie screen, I saw ants marching in line down a rock and remarked to myself at how the
high definition, there were other little scenes all completely different to each other, but as I was fine when asleep or when my eyes were open I didn't worry.
I the afternoon my middle son Adam arrived to see me with a paper and my favourite Lindt chocolates, my appetite was quite gone and at that point they were not sure whether I could eat or not as a care plan hadn't been put together. So I asked the nurse to pass them round the recovery team, ther was no polite refusal they went within minutes with squeals of delight and 'oh just what I need!' It was quite satisfying. After staying for an hour or so Adam headed home and I waited further whilst they got me sorted.
Finally around 7pm I was ready to go up onto the ward, Dora came with me and I felt quite emotional saying goodbye to her after she had spent the day caring for me so well.
On arrival at the ward Leon and tash my two salsa friends were there in he corridor as they wheeled me in in my bed then Alyson a neighbour , Trevor who I used to work with and my cousin sue appeared. Alyson and sue had made friends in the day room whilst waiting. It was nice to have such a welcome.
They all remarked on how well I looked which I guess was true, for someone who had been through such major surgery I felt quite awake and with it, more so than I did last time, there was a mention that I might not be morphine tolerant which would explain why I was so out of it after my last op.
After a while equine left and I settled down for my second night on the ward. I was to be woken at around 3am by pat calling for the nurse, I told her they were busy and later asked why she didn't use her call button......this didn't go down too well as I was to find out later.
Wednesday 9 January 2013
Admission day
So finally the admission date comes around. I had been told to wait until two pm and then someone would call to tell me what was happening. Three came and I decided to call, they still can't find a bed, at five they phone back and say you might as well come in to page ward although a bed still hasn't been found. I don't head in until 7 when I get there I am told that originally a bed was found on the other side of the hospital but that someone had just been discharged so I could stay he which is the digestive system ward.
I wait another couple of hours in the day room with a sweeping vista over Westminster and Big Ben and the London eye. Nurse comes in with a goody bag, two protein drinks, two pre op drinks and two sachets of picolax. Lovely!
I bolt down the picolax and then try one of the the fortisip drinks...tropical... Yuk!!!!! Unpalatable I don't make the black current either but they manage to find a caramel shake one, very nice.
Finally they lead me to the ward and the first thing that hits me is the stench!!!! I guess of people with wounds and no baths for a little while, it was truely awful. I immediately just wanted to go home, but instead I sat on the bed and unpacked. I ended up in tears I was hoping for something more like I experienced at Lewisham the wards there are fine but theses beds are too close together and as I said the smell!
I asked for the curtains to be drawn and after a while I was much better, managed to tether my I pad to my phone but it means that I will be constantly going over my data, I cannot believe that the hospital doesn't have wi fi access for the patients. They have one of those prepay tv,s over the bed but I will still to my I pad.
Lights went out at 11 and then this woman in the bed at the end started, nuuuurse eye please oh dear no nurseesss in a very winy woe is me tone. Constantly!!!! For an hour nuuuuurse, however much sympathy you have for someone who has had surgery it wears thin as does her voice.
I have another picolax and wait for the results nothing as yet, I have been given an undulating bed I assume for pressure sores and to keep me moving after the op, it's like being on a boat! So now I am going to try and catch a bit of sleep I am to be woken at 6am if the bowels don't get me first for my pre op drinks, and then the old me will depart and this new model will appear nuuuuuurssseeee!!!
I wait another couple of hours in the day room with a sweeping vista over Westminster and Big Ben and the London eye. Nurse comes in with a goody bag, two protein drinks, two pre op drinks and two sachets of picolax. Lovely!
I bolt down the picolax and then try one of the the fortisip drinks...tropical... Yuk!!!!! Unpalatable I don't make the black current either but they manage to find a caramel shake one, very nice.
Finally they lead me to the ward and the first thing that hits me is the stench!!!! I guess of people with wounds and no baths for a little while, it was truely awful. I immediately just wanted to go home, but instead I sat on the bed and unpacked. I ended up in tears I was hoping for something more like I experienced at Lewisham the wards there are fine but theses beds are too close together and as I said the smell!
I asked for the curtains to be drawn and after a while I was much better, managed to tether my I pad to my phone but it means that I will be constantly going over my data, I cannot believe that the hospital doesn't have wi fi access for the patients. They have one of those prepay tv,s over the bed but I will still to my I pad.
Lights went out at 11 and then this woman in the bed at the end started, nuuuurse eye please oh dear no nurseesss in a very winy woe is me tone. Constantly!!!! For an hour nuuuuurse, however much sympathy you have for someone who has had surgery it wears thin as does her voice.
I have another picolax and wait for the results nothing as yet, I have been given an undulating bed I assume for pressure sores and to keep me moving after the op, it's like being on a boat! So now I am going to try and catch a bit of sleep I am to be woken at 6am if the bowels don't get me first for my pre op drinks, and then the old me will depart and this new model will appear nuuuuuurssseeee!!!
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