Monday, 15 October 2012
We left the appliance department and
walked up to Sarah ward. it felt very strange going back. In normal
clothes and feeling well. The first nurse I saw was a young man who
had looked after me a bit after my operation. I immediately started
chatting away to him, asking him how his daughter was and being over
familiar. I soon realised he had no idea who I was. To start with I
couldn't believe it, I actually thought he was joking and then it
dawned on me that just because having a mastectomy was such a huge
event in my life, these guys see it all the time. In the 6 weeks
since my operation these nurses have looked after hundreds of women,
and thousands before that. How could they possibly remember each
one.
I sat on my bed, facing my original bed. I had the cannula put in my arm at the elbow. It felt bruised and sore after the constant intrusion of needles, blood tests and cannulas over the last few weeks. I couldn't bend my arm and couldn't even do my own belt up after I went to the loo. SIL stayed with me for an hour or so and then finally had to return to her family. The ward doctor visited me and I managed to talk her into moving the cannula to my right hand, the veins were already weak but she agreed to give it a go. I promised to hold still while she dug around for my vein and I kept my word. She finally finished but not before covering the bed with blood and unfortunately collapsing the vein. I then had to keep both cannulas in until they decided whether the one in my hand was viable. Exhausted by it all I tried to doze off.
I woke up to see a dear male friend marching through the ward. I can tell how much he hates hospitals but he always comes to see me. I think one of the reasons he hates them is because he can't smoke, which would normally be his response to a stressful situation. He was very kind about my hair especially considering I know that short hair is definitely NOT his thing! We were soon joined by a dear girlfriend and then My Husband. By this time I had received the first two doses of antibiotics and was feeling pretty rubbish. It's a bit odd to walk onto the ward feeling fine, well and healthy, then within the space of a few hours feel tired, sick and sore.
Husband had brought my PJ's which I donned. I walked up to the nurses station and they joked that they could now remember me. Even the male nurse asked me if there had been some trouble with my low blood pressure, when I nodded, he said it was all coming back to him. I had the 6 bed bay of the ward to myself which is lovely for two main reasons, the first is obvious but the second is the thought that there were no women having breast surgery which is a nice thought.
Husband finally left an hour after visiting time finished and I grappled with the TV/radio/internet machine. I had a good night's sleep and endured another dose of antibiotics in the morning. When I looked in the mirror I saw Justin Beiber looking back and realised my hair was going to take a little bit more styling than I'd hoped!
By mid-day I had seen two doctors, a pharmacist, the ward sister, my cancer nurse and various other nurses. The redness hadn't changed. My blood tests had come back clear which suggested no infection but I've been given a 3 week course of antibiotics none-the-less. I have an appointment to visit the surgeons again on Thursday and they can decide whether I need to continue taking them. If so my chemo will have to be delayed until the course has finished.
I took the train home alone and met husband at the station. The children were off for a sleepover in Faversham so I booked a B&B nearby as a treat. I wanted a spa hotel but couldn't find one in the area. When we got to the sleepover house, the Mummy who has been my friend for nearly 20 years presented me with a large box of spa goodies, smellies and pampering products - it couldn't have been a more perfect present. We left the children found the B&B, enjoyed a pub supper by the fire and an early night. http://www.beautifuloldhouse.co.uk/bed-and-breakfast-accommodation
On Sunday we went to the premiere of Frankenweenie with our friend who painted the puppets. We all followed it with a Dim Sum banquet lunch in China Town and finished off with a stroll through Covent Garden in the sunshine.
I sat on my bed, facing my original bed. I had the cannula put in my arm at the elbow. It felt bruised and sore after the constant intrusion of needles, blood tests and cannulas over the last few weeks. I couldn't bend my arm and couldn't even do my own belt up after I went to the loo. SIL stayed with me for an hour or so and then finally had to return to her family. The ward doctor visited me and I managed to talk her into moving the cannula to my right hand, the veins were already weak but she agreed to give it a go. I promised to hold still while she dug around for my vein and I kept my word. She finally finished but not before covering the bed with blood and unfortunately collapsing the vein. I then had to keep both cannulas in until they decided whether the one in my hand was viable. Exhausted by it all I tried to doze off.
I woke up to see a dear male friend marching through the ward. I can tell how much he hates hospitals but he always comes to see me. I think one of the reasons he hates them is because he can't smoke, which would normally be his response to a stressful situation. He was very kind about my hair especially considering I know that short hair is definitely NOT his thing! We were soon joined by a dear girlfriend and then My Husband. By this time I had received the first two doses of antibiotics and was feeling pretty rubbish. It's a bit odd to walk onto the ward feeling fine, well and healthy, then within the space of a few hours feel tired, sick and sore.
Husband had brought my PJ's which I donned. I walked up to the nurses station and they joked that they could now remember me. Even the male nurse asked me if there had been some trouble with my low blood pressure, when I nodded, he said it was all coming back to him. I had the 6 bed bay of the ward to myself which is lovely for two main reasons, the first is obvious but the second is the thought that there were no women having breast surgery which is a nice thought.
Husband finally left an hour after visiting time finished and I grappled with the TV/radio/internet machine. I had a good night's sleep and endured another dose of antibiotics in the morning. When I looked in the mirror I saw Justin Beiber looking back and realised my hair was going to take a little bit more styling than I'd hoped!
By mid-day I had seen two doctors, a pharmacist, the ward sister, my cancer nurse and various other nurses. The redness hadn't changed. My blood tests had come back clear which suggested no infection but I've been given a 3 week course of antibiotics none-the-less. I have an appointment to visit the surgeons again on Thursday and they can decide whether I need to continue taking them. If so my chemo will have to be delayed until the course has finished.
I took the train home alone and met husband at the station. The children were off for a sleepover in Faversham so I booked a B&B nearby as a treat. I wanted a spa hotel but couldn't find one in the area. When we got to the sleepover house, the Mummy who has been my friend for nearly 20 years presented me with a large box of spa goodies, smellies and pampering products - it couldn't have been a more perfect present. We left the children found the B&B, enjoyed a pub supper by the fire and an early night. http://www.beautifuloldhouse.co.uk/bed-and-breakfast-accommodation
On Sunday we went to the premiere of Frankenweenie with our friend who painted the puppets. We all followed it with a Dim Sum banquet lunch in China Town and finished off with a stroll through Covent Garden in the sunshine.
No comments:
Post a Comment