24 hours in Room 7 - part 2
May. 25th, 2020 01:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dimity_blueI woke up (again) at 7.45 and buzzed for a nurse. When I asked about getting up, I was told the hoist was broken so they couldn't hoist me. They'd told the ward manager. I asked if they couldn't get an emergency hoist from somewhere. "No, I don't think so." Then the nurse ran away.
Faced with the thought of A) Being stuck in bed until Tuesday/day the hoist was fixed/Doomsday, I decided to stand my ground. I buzzed again and asked to speak to the ward manager.
Suddenly, it wasn't necessary! They were calling other wards to find a hoist. Now they had one! And here it was along with some nurses to hoist me.
But they weren't sure. This could go wrong. They're not trained in hoisting. I pointed out I'm an expert in being hoisted so I'll know if it's going wrong
Next up: The sling. The one with the white trim was too big, as was the one with the green trim, therefore we needed the one with the blue trim.
Nurse #2 (whose name I didn't get) objected. "It's too small."
Nurse Kath overruled her. "They used the other two last night and they were too big."
I said, "No, they used the one with the white trim."
Kath insisted they'd tried both, even though she'd gone by the time I was hoisted.
Finally, I said to put the sling over me and they'd be able to see if it'd fit. The one with the green trim fit.
After all that, I was back in my wheelchair again. Despite her earlier arguing, Kath turned out to be lovely. She washed my face for me and organised my toothbrush while another nurse combed my hair. All I'd taken was my toothbrush and toothpaste so they gave me a washbag/contents. (I went to Chorley Hospital and all I got was...)
I had porridge for breakfast and then rang my evening care agency to say I was going home today but didn't know the time. The hospital staff told me they were confident patient transport could get me home today. After lunch, the pharmacy sent up the box of injections for the district nurses. I didn't even think about the antibiotics they'd started me on but I didn't get any to take home. I'll have to call my GP tomorrow about them.
At 2pm patient transport arrived. \o/ But they were in a converted ambulance and there wasn't enough room for my wheelchair. I was going to have to wait for another ambulance. /o\
At 5.30 the 2nd ambulance arrived and I could go. We got here only to find the drop kerbs to the road were both blocked. Once I was off the ambulance, I wouldn't be able to to reach the stretch of pavement outside my front path. Steve, the ambulance guy, had to knock at my neighbour's to ask whose the car was. Fortunately, it was hers and she came out and moved the car and I could finally get home.
I'd already contacted my evening carers but it was too late for them to provide a dinner call. Elaine had agreed to come and make me some food for the evening, and she was inside waiting for me. She heated up a small quiche for me and gave me some drinks, then hurried off as she was working a night shift. (Bless her long-suffering cotton socks.)
It really brought it home to me just how many food restrictions I have. They've been added one by one, so it never really hit me before. I'm vegetarian, allergic to celery and celeriac, intolerant to yeast, and possibly intolerant to barley. And that's before we get to dislikes and preferences.
Faced with the thought of A) Being stuck in bed until Tuesday/day the hoist was fixed/Doomsday, I decided to stand my ground. I buzzed again and asked to speak to the ward manager.
Suddenly, it wasn't necessary! They were calling other wards to find a hoist. Now they had one! And here it was along with some nurses to hoist me.
But they weren't sure. This could go wrong. They're not trained in hoisting. I pointed out I'm an expert in being hoisted so I'll know if it's going wrong
Next up: The sling. The one with the white trim was too big, as was the one with the green trim, therefore we needed the one with the blue trim.
Nurse #2 (whose name I didn't get) objected. "It's too small."
Nurse Kath overruled her. "They used the other two last night and they were too big."
I said, "No, they used the one with the white trim."
Kath insisted they'd tried both, even though she'd gone by the time I was hoisted.
Finally, I said to put the sling over me and they'd be able to see if it'd fit. The one with the green trim fit.
After all that, I was back in my wheelchair again. Despite her earlier arguing, Kath turned out to be lovely. She washed my face for me and organised my toothbrush while another nurse combed my hair. All I'd taken was my toothbrush and toothpaste so they gave me a washbag/contents. (I went to Chorley Hospital and all I got was...)
I had porridge for breakfast and then rang my evening care agency to say I was going home today but didn't know the time. The hospital staff told me they were confident patient transport could get me home today. After lunch, the pharmacy sent up the box of injections for the district nurses. I didn't even think about the antibiotics they'd started me on but I didn't get any to take home. I'll have to call my GP tomorrow about them.
At 2pm patient transport arrived. \o/ But they were in a converted ambulance and there wasn't enough room for my wheelchair. I was going to have to wait for another ambulance. /o\
At 5.30 the 2nd ambulance arrived and I could go. We got here only to find the drop kerbs to the road were both blocked. Once I was off the ambulance, I wouldn't be able to to reach the stretch of pavement outside my front path. Steve, the ambulance guy, had to knock at my neighbour's to ask whose the car was. Fortunately, it was hers and she came out and moved the car and I could finally get home.
I'd already contacted my evening carers but it was too late for them to provide a dinner call. Elaine had agreed to come and make me some food for the evening, and she was inside waiting for me. She heated up a small quiche for me and gave me some drinks, then hurried off as she was working a night shift. (Bless her long-suffering cotton socks.)
It really brought it home to me just how many food restrictions I have. They've been added one by one, so it never really hit me before. I'm vegetarian, allergic to celery and celeriac, intolerant to yeast, and possibly intolerant to barley. And that's before we get to dislikes and preferences.