It turns out that sleep is not coming easily to me today and my oramorph is wearing off, so I thought I would use this morning’s annoying twilight efficiently, and fill in some gaps. Actually, they are not really gaps, it is just an excuse to show a photograph of myself that is so hideous it looks warranted mugshot, after a drug fuelled crime spree and orgy.
Such was my fever when I arrived at the hospital, that my clothes were drenched. I was actually thankful for the hospital gown. It was embarrassing when I first met people, I was convinced the the people waiting patiently in reception, looked at me and thought, why does that stereotypical obese person get to push in? It’s probably why I opted to walk it instead of an ambulance.
I felt somewhat stupid on our arrival, that although I was in a lot of pain, my temperature had gone down to 37. When I heard that, I thought that the Medically Trained People there and the haematologists were going to think I was a complaining weakling, who could not handle a teeny bit of diarrhoea. It was a thought that has been following me, how bad, was bad enough? Is it really that bad if I can take photographs?
Fortunately, or actually unfortunately, the extent of my stomach cramps was clear on my face, my bloods showed that in the time it had taken for me to leave the clinic earlier in the day and then, I had actually become neutropenic sepsis. So, I was not making it up. Phew. A second temperature reading had it near to what I made it at 38.2.
I managed to get some witty banter in during my examination, my so called graphic measurement of the number of wipes required to describe stool consistency is an example of why I am an exemplary patient. Despite, trying to win the staff over, I still feel like I could have gone through the night, not required special treatment in A&E and been able to walk into the Haematology department this morning. Less fuss, less dramatic.
As much as I would like my treatment in the NHS to only be undertaken by haematology or oncology nurses, I must admit that the nurse who treated me in A&E went above what I would expect. Perhaps she was just thankful that I got her out of cleaning up somebody else’s poo, but either way, she made sure I was as isolated as I could be, and when there were no porters, she escorted me myself, even after she had handed me over. That’s nice.
And then I went down memory lane to the Acute Medicine Unit, where the room alone is making me itchy, and they cannot locate a second pillow. I don’t ask for much really, I am neutropenic and I have lytic lesions. These things have to be considered by the staff in this faceless ward I am in.
Now, if I could only just be sick, I would be very much obliged.
EJB x
