Yesterday catch up
Sat in chair waiting for the bed mattress, which arrived and nurse struggled to get it on bed, strapped down and inflated.
Put into bed at around 9.30, and blood sugars were 21.2 at 9.
Settled properly at about 10. Listened to radio but very tired, so swapped tv and big headphones for radio and earbuds.
A good night’s sleep. Not woken up for obs or sugars; other ward companions much quieter and the air mattress is really good – it inflates and deflates at regular intervals and so is quite soporific.
Wednesday
Firstly, I’d like to apologise for the negativity that might have come over yesterday, but it was the lowest I’ve been yet. Today I feel much better.
Woke around 5.30. Usual dozing and listening to radio. All about George Martin, Nicky Campbell going on and on about it.
Obs – blood pressure ok at 97/60, but sugars were 2.9 so orange juice, cornflakes and tea arrived fairly soon afterwards! Lay in bed quietly as I was actually feeling a bit light headed.
Later (about 9) had “proper” breakfast of tea and toast. Blood sugars now up to 4.2 but nurse not happy about giving me the insulin as too low. She rang someone to check (not sure who as presumably no doctors available so might have been the diabetes team). Said she would wait a bit then test again.
Physio arrived at 9.30 with a bed exercise sheet. It was the intensive physio I have been waiting for – and boy, was it intensive!! However, the good news is that there is beginning to be some muscle tone and I had more movement (and a bit more control) than before. I have been left the exercise sheet, a stretchy thing that I need to put under my sole to push against and a towel to put under my knee for some of the exercises. I need to do at least 3 sessions a day, but I am doing some most of the time. Some exercises need someone to help, so I will be roping Julio and Sian in when they come in.
Whilst the physio was going on, the nurse came and checked my blood sugars and as they were now 8, she was happy to give me the insulin. It wasn’t at the optimum time (with or immediately after food), but should be ok.
I asked to be put in the chair, but everyone was very busy, so I stayed in bed until lunchtime.
Pre-lunch sugars 8.6. Lunch arrived and I spilt my water everywhere. I think we managed to rescue everything, but the exercise sheet suffered quite a bit – it’s drying out and I hope I won’t have to ask for another one.
No one came to put me in the chair so I ate lunch in bed. I had chicken in gravy, mash (I ordered boiled), mashed swede (I’d ordered seasonal veg) and a lovely Cox’s Apple.
Still in bed at 2, I’ve asked again to get up, but am using the time to do next lot of exercises.
Got into the chair and the air cushion was plugged into the air compressor so that it worked the same as the bed. The unfortunate thing about this was that as it was going up, as I’m short, I wasn’t sitting as far back as I’d like, so as it inflated, I moved forward. As I didn’t feel very safe, they found me a footstool so I had my feet up.
M, the elderly lady in the bed opposite was visited by her son, and then a visit by a social worker from the discharge team. I know that curtains aren’t soundproof (naturally) but at least drawing the curtains around indicate that something private is going on. No curtains were drawn. I put my big headphones on. They discussed all sorts of private things Including whether her savings exceeded the limit. Although she is 103, she had been living at home with careers going in until recently. I was appalled.
There may not have been any junior doctors at work today, but I was visited by a consultant. Dr Makerjee (I’m not sure that’s his name and if it is, whether that’s how it’s spelt). Actually, he did have a junior with him. He did some testing of my legs and asked lots of questions. He explained that nerves regenerate at around 1mm a day, and that I have around 3’ to go. When Julio and Sian arrived, we worked this out at about 3 years before all is back to normal, but I can’t believe it will be anywhere near that long before I get workable movement back. On with the physio!! He again said that I’d be moving to Savernake or Swindon, and that it could take anything from 2 to 10 days. I really want it to be sooner rather than later. I don’t get off the ward for exciting trips to get tea and I often wait for anything – I asked to get out of bed before lunch and it took 6 times of people coming and saying they would be here soon but had to deal with more urgent things.
I then had a bit of a panic. Refer back to the bit about needing a footstool above. I suddenly realised that I wasn’t actually sitting on the chair but the stool as I had slid off. Called the call button. Waited and panicked. Clung on to the arms of the chair. Aux arrived, and I explained the situation. She went to get someone to help. We tried wriggling me back on, but it didn’t work so they went to get the rotor and we managed to get me back on. Mutual decision to turn off the pump.
Pre supper sugars 18.9, so not bad for late afternoon. Made “sod it” choices again for supper – Scotch broth as the soup (very nice), cheese and pickle sandwich and fruit salad.
Sian and Julio arrived. They have had a bad day. Julio went to get us tea from Costa.
Talked about the day they’d had. Julio had been making a fuss about the treatment here so spoke with the NMO team at Oxford again. I think things are going on in the background.
Sian may have done something reckless that will involve going to Aberdare at some point in the not-too-distant future, but I’ll leave her to tell you about that when the time is right.
I went back to bed at around 19:30 and Sian said that that was the best she’d seen me move for ages, which was encouraging. I am now in bed, Sian and Julio have left and I am doing the catch up. All that remains tonight (I hope) is tv, my milky coffee with sweetener, blood sugars and meds then settling.
So that’s all for now.
Sat in chair waiting for the bed mattress, which arrived and nurse struggled to get it on bed, strapped down and inflated.
Put into bed at around 9.30, and blood sugars were 21.2 at 9.
Settled properly at about 10. Listened to radio but very tired, so swapped tv and big headphones for radio and earbuds.
A good night’s sleep. Not woken up for obs or sugars; other ward companions much quieter and the air mattress is really good – it inflates and deflates at regular intervals and so is quite soporific.
Wednesday
Firstly, I’d like to apologise for the negativity that might have come over yesterday, but it was the lowest I’ve been yet. Today I feel much better.
Woke around 5.30. Usual dozing and listening to radio. All about George Martin, Nicky Campbell going on and on about it.
Obs – blood pressure ok at 97/60, but sugars were 2.9 so orange juice, cornflakes and tea arrived fairly soon afterwards! Lay in bed quietly as I was actually feeling a bit light headed.
Later (about 9) had “proper” breakfast of tea and toast. Blood sugars now up to 4.2 but nurse not happy about giving me the insulin as too low. She rang someone to check (not sure who as presumably no doctors available so might have been the diabetes team). Said she would wait a bit then test again.
Physio arrived at 9.30 with a bed exercise sheet. It was the intensive physio I have been waiting for – and boy, was it intensive!! However, the good news is that there is beginning to be some muscle tone and I had more movement (and a bit more control) than before. I have been left the exercise sheet, a stretchy thing that I need to put under my sole to push against and a towel to put under my knee for some of the exercises. I need to do at least 3 sessions a day, but I am doing some most of the time. Some exercises need someone to help, so I will be roping Julio and Sian in when they come in.
Whilst the physio was going on, the nurse came and checked my blood sugars and as they were now 8, she was happy to give me the insulin. It wasn’t at the optimum time (with or immediately after food), but should be ok.
I asked to be put in the chair, but everyone was very busy, so I stayed in bed until lunchtime.
Pre-lunch sugars 8.6. Lunch arrived and I spilt my water everywhere. I think we managed to rescue everything, but the exercise sheet suffered quite a bit – it’s drying out and I hope I won’t have to ask for another one.
No one came to put me in the chair so I ate lunch in bed. I had chicken in gravy, mash (I ordered boiled), mashed swede (I’d ordered seasonal veg) and a lovely Cox’s Apple.
Still in bed at 2, I’ve asked again to get up, but am using the time to do next lot of exercises.
Got into the chair and the air cushion was plugged into the air compressor so that it worked the same as the bed. The unfortunate thing about this was that as it was going up, as I’m short, I wasn’t sitting as far back as I’d like, so as it inflated, I moved forward. As I didn’t feel very safe, they found me a footstool so I had my feet up.
M, the elderly lady in the bed opposite was visited by her son, and then a visit by a social worker from the discharge team. I know that curtains aren’t soundproof (naturally) but at least drawing the curtains around indicate that something private is going on. No curtains were drawn. I put my big headphones on. They discussed all sorts of private things Including whether her savings exceeded the limit. Although she is 103, she had been living at home with careers going in until recently. I was appalled.
There may not have been any junior doctors at work today, but I was visited by a consultant. Dr Makerjee (I’m not sure that’s his name and if it is, whether that’s how it’s spelt). Actually, he did have a junior with him. He did some testing of my legs and asked lots of questions. He explained that nerves regenerate at around 1mm a day, and that I have around 3’ to go. When Julio and Sian arrived, we worked this out at about 3 years before all is back to normal, but I can’t believe it will be anywhere near that long before I get workable movement back. On with the physio!! He again said that I’d be moving to Savernake or Swindon, and that it could take anything from 2 to 10 days. I really want it to be sooner rather than later. I don’t get off the ward for exciting trips to get tea and I often wait for anything – I asked to get out of bed before lunch and it took 6 times of people coming and saying they would be here soon but had to deal with more urgent things.
I then had a bit of a panic. Refer back to the bit about needing a footstool above. I suddenly realised that I wasn’t actually sitting on the chair but the stool as I had slid off. Called the call button. Waited and panicked. Clung on to the arms of the chair. Aux arrived, and I explained the situation. She went to get someone to help. We tried wriggling me back on, but it didn’t work so they went to get the rotor and we managed to get me back on. Mutual decision to turn off the pump.
Pre supper sugars 18.9, so not bad for late afternoon. Made “sod it” choices again for supper – Scotch broth as the soup (very nice), cheese and pickle sandwich and fruit salad.
Sian and Julio arrived. They have had a bad day. Julio went to get us tea from Costa.
Talked about the day they’d had. Julio had been making a fuss about the treatment here so spoke with the NMO team at Oxford again. I think things are going on in the background.
Sian may have done something reckless that will involve going to Aberdare at some point in the not-too-distant future, but I’ll leave her to tell you about that when the time is right.
I went back to bed at around 19:30 and Sian said that that was the best she’d seen me move for ages, which was encouraging. I am now in bed, Sian and Julio have left and I am doing the catch up. All that remains tonight (I hope) is tv, my milky coffee with sweetener, blood sugars and meds then settling.
So that’s all for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment