Friday 12 December 2008

Carted off to hospital 2+

My regular readers (both of you, thank you for your patronage) will have realised I have not posted for about ten days. This is because I have been detained at NHSs pleasure in Sandwell Hospital. The first emergency visit and subsequent diagnosis and treatment were way off the mark and I was taken by paramedic car this time, back to Sandwell A&E and this time admitted. Amongst other things after a lot of prodding, stabbing and a CT scan they discovered I had a blood clot in my right lung. When giving me the prognosis the young doctor said “oh and by the way one of the treatments for this is complete bed rest” This had to be explained to me in more detail I’m thinking I’m in here what more do you want. Well it means just that virtually confined to bed and bedside chair for at least four days. I was banned from even drawing the curtains around the bed and from leaving the space bordered by the curtain. I never realised how tiring it can be doing nothing. Pee bottle delivered and taken away, commode delivered, well you get the idea. I’m pleased to say that the treatment is now working and I’m back home on ward leave for now.
Some comments on Sandwell Hospital and its staff. Well run, efficient, friendly and spotlessly clean wards. The staff are totally dedicated and once on the ward I felt safe. I met some wonderful people. Sister Kelly Cooper is an inspiration to her team, leading from the front she demonstrates the best of the best in NHS care. This was the first time I had been in hospital for a protracted stay and I became the longest serving patient. Great camaraderie with other patients.
Sadly it was not all good the gents bathroom had a cracked loo which leaked onto the floor and a broken window catch which meant the window could not be closed. It’s been pretty cold during my stay so nobody lingered in the loo.
Food was good, typical canteen stuff but warm and tasty. The menu is designed so that all options give you a balanced diet. The staff were so helpful. Cleaners, health care assistants’ student nurses, staff nurses, junior doctors and med students. We are going to have some great doctors and nurses coming through in the next few years.
With just a little more tender loving care of the infrastructure we could have a first class hospital here. Why should we be planning to close it for a hospital with less beds and many miles further away?

This is also a significant day for me in that it is exactly one year since I started to blog. So a very happy birthday to Bob the Black Country Brummie. My thanks to all those people who have commented during the past year and passed on you views by phone.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to have you back bob, and
happy birthday blog
Gerry

Anonymous said...

happy birthday blog.so sorry to hear about the clot.Having had several in the lungs some 15 years ago I can fully sympathise.Having seen casualty on t'telly I was very surprised when ambulance sat outside the house as opposed to rushing through doors with lights flashing! A friend ambulance driver told me later that they would have been waiting for me to die so it wasnt in transit!!
Anyroad the point in all this is that I was told that it had been inactivity that had caused them anyway-in my case after having my appendix out and lying in bed attatched to drips and all.So I'm surprised you had the rest Bob but good for you.Glad you are well again.Will you have regular trips to Hallam for the ratpoison?If so do you get a reduced charge for car parking?

Bob the Black Country Brummie said...

Yes Margaret it looks like regular trips for the rat poisin. The night before diagnosis I had been very active indeed. So it was a bit scarry