I was met by Matt who informed me that grandad had been taken in to hospital with pneumonia, that spooked me a bit due to W asking if I had rang him.
I decided not to tell W that grandad was ill as he had to concentrate on getting himself better.
I was ringing the hospital every day morning and night, each time it was the same answer, W is stable.
W returned to the original room on the Thursday, they had stopped giving him plasma but he was on constant oxygen. At least now W could text me and I could ring him. I managed to complete Thursday and Friday at work, don't know how I did it but I did.
At this stage W is catheterised and has 2 drains in plus a line in his neck, they had removed the tube from his throat before I left on the Wednesday, that was a bile tube.
We still didn't know when he would be home. On the Saturday off I went to London with S to visit him.
He looked so much better since I left him on the Wednesday so that put my mind at rest. He desperately wanted me to wash his hair, until the neck line was out we weren't allowed. Whilst we were there they came and took it out, so shave and hair wash he was feeling 10 times better. The physio, Diane had been coming to him about 4 times a day, she was a fantastic person and W got on very well with her even though she was going to cause him pain!! He was walking about a little but it was the fact he had to carry the drain and the catheter that put him off! We left at about 9pm but again not knowing when he would be discharged, also S had booked 4 days off the following week to look after him.
Sunday morning Matt rang me very upset, grandad was very ill he had multiple-organ shut down and may only live for 48 hours, Matt thought I was still in London so I could tell W. Dilemma, W was on his own and a bit depressed now, Codey had gone home so who would be there for him if I told him over the phone? I decided not to tell and just hope he would be home before anything happened. They removed the catheter and one drain, they said if he had less than 50ml on the Monday morning they would take it out, when I rang him they had 90ml so it had to stay in.
Tuesday morning W rang me at 8am, very excited, could I come and pick him up, they had removed the last drain, he was still bleeding slightly but they said no concern his body would absorb it but if his stomach swelled like he was pregnant then we had to return to have it syringed. I had just parked my car at work, a quick conversation with my boss and I was on my way home waiting for S so we could go. I rang Matt and he said there was no change in grandad, fingers crossed. I just needed to get him home so I could break the news and he could visit him later. We arrived at the hospital around 1.30. W was more mobile than I expected so we drove to Stanmore tube station and it's a straight through tube to St Johns Wood. We collected his stuff and made the journey back, got on the M1 and my sat nav stating an expected arrival home at 5.30pm. I could breathe a sigh of relief at least this bit was going to plan, he could see grandad.
Not to be, 10 minutes driving and the M1 was at a standstill it was shut in both directions a fatal crash, people walking up and down the motorway. Thank goodness for the sat nav, we eventually got off luckily we were very close to an exit. A detour and an extra hour and a half on the journey, we would be home. Eventually we got home, W was very agitated not a great journey when you are in pain and discomfort.
Now to break the news, next thing I am driving him to the hospital to visit grandad, Matt met him there, I was very concerned as his dad was there too, I sat and waited on the car park, about 50 minutes later W came out. Dad was OK with him, he just talked about grandad, he didn't have a clue that W had just come out of hospital. W went to the hospital with S on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at least a couple of times a day, sadly he died this morning, but W is at peace that he did see him.
W has the staples out tomorrow, as of yet I have not seen any of the result, not sure if he will show me, he has the stitches out a week on Monday. All in all W quite mobile, there is a slight swelling in the stomach, we have spoken to Mr Christopher he has suggested he makes an appointment and pops down to have a syringe in, we will see what the district nurse suggests tomorrow, hopefully she may be able to do it.
What a fortnight I am exhausted my feet haven't touched the ground, this is the first chance I have had to update my blog.
Sunday, 29 June 2014
(90) Hospital...
Not sure where to start with this post, I'll keep it short and simple...
Plan was, arrive Sunday at St John's and St Elizabeth's hospital, admit Will at 6pm, operation 8am Monday, come home Tuesday evening, drive back on Friday to bring W home - jobs a good 'un!!
What actually happened...
Sunday admission went to plan, my hotel was perfect, very bog standard but excellent location for a lone women to be walking late at night and a simple tube ride away.
Monday I arrived at the hospital at 7am, W was taken down to theatre at 8.40am. During this time I sat with Codey, a friend W had made through a forum he is on, Codey was back in due to a severe infection from his surgery, this didn't help with my fear for W. I then wandered around London to pass the time, when I returned W was not yet back from surgery. W arrived back at 2.10pm, totally out of it.
W was still knock out late afternoon, I was getting concerned but was told not to worry, he was still asleep and had only opened his eyes a couple of times and mumbled. At around 8pm I told the nurse I didn't like his colour, his lips were white, they informed me his blood pressure was low and his pulse rate high, they did an ECG, was told nothing to worry about he had had a lot of anaesthetic.
I returned to my hotel just after 10pm, thinking a good night sleep for W and he will be chatty and full of life in the morning, after all he was in good hands!
Tuesday, I telephoned the hospital and was told W was comfortable and had had a good night. I stayed and had a breakfast and chatted to tourists in the hotel, I then checked out and returned to the hospital at around 10am.
I was met with somebody telling me the nurse and Mr Christopher were looking for me, they then appeared on the corridor. I was told that W had lost a lot of blood during the night and they had given him 3 pints, Mr Christopher then discussed that he was bleeding internally and he was going back in to surgery to be opened up to see where the bleeding was coming from.
Another 3 hours in surgery, Mr Christopher came to me and said they had given W a transfusion, the bleed was an ooze coming from where they had removed the uterus. I was then told W would be in the High Dependency Unit for the next 24 hours. Hospital staff were fantastic they found me a room so I could stay overnight.
The next few hours are a blank, W was bought into the unit, tubes coming out of everywhere he was still out of it.
After a while he began to come around but he was very tired and exhausted, the tube down his throat was causing him grief so he was not able to say much. his first words were, have you rang my grandad, a little later he was asking the nurses, have I still got my willy!!
The next few hours he was coming around a bit more the nurses and doctors were excellent keeping me informed of everything they were doing.
Wednesday, W was stable they were now sorting the plasma and other technical blood things out to get the blood to clot. Mr Christopher had come to see him and was happy with the recovery.
My nightmare, I had to return home on the Wednesday evening. Saying goodbye to W was one of the most difficult things I had to do, they couldn't tell me when he would be coming home, luckily he had Codey to talk to, so off I went on the 9pm train and was met by my other son at the other end...
Plan was, arrive Sunday at St John's and St Elizabeth's hospital, admit Will at 6pm, operation 8am Monday, come home Tuesday evening, drive back on Friday to bring W home - jobs a good 'un!!
What actually happened...
Sunday admission went to plan, my hotel was perfect, very bog standard but excellent location for a lone women to be walking late at night and a simple tube ride away.
Monday I arrived at the hospital at 7am, W was taken down to theatre at 8.40am. During this time I sat with Codey, a friend W had made through a forum he is on, Codey was back in due to a severe infection from his surgery, this didn't help with my fear for W. I then wandered around London to pass the time, when I returned W was not yet back from surgery. W arrived back at 2.10pm, totally out of it.
W was still knock out late afternoon, I was getting concerned but was told not to worry, he was still asleep and had only opened his eyes a couple of times and mumbled. At around 8pm I told the nurse I didn't like his colour, his lips were white, they informed me his blood pressure was low and his pulse rate high, they did an ECG, was told nothing to worry about he had had a lot of anaesthetic.
I returned to my hotel just after 10pm, thinking a good night sleep for W and he will be chatty and full of life in the morning, after all he was in good hands!
Tuesday, I telephoned the hospital and was told W was comfortable and had had a good night. I stayed and had a breakfast and chatted to tourists in the hotel, I then checked out and returned to the hospital at around 10am.
I was met with somebody telling me the nurse and Mr Christopher were looking for me, they then appeared on the corridor. I was told that W had lost a lot of blood during the night and they had given him 3 pints, Mr Christopher then discussed that he was bleeding internally and he was going back in to surgery to be opened up to see where the bleeding was coming from.
Another 3 hours in surgery, Mr Christopher came to me and said they had given W a transfusion, the bleed was an ooze coming from where they had removed the uterus. I was then told W would be in the High Dependency Unit for the next 24 hours. Hospital staff were fantastic they found me a room so I could stay overnight.
The next few hours are a blank, W was bought into the unit, tubes coming out of everywhere he was still out of it.
After a while he began to come around but he was very tired and exhausted, the tube down his throat was causing him grief so he was not able to say much. his first words were, have you rang my grandad, a little later he was asking the nurses, have I still got my willy!!
The next few hours he was coming around a bit more the nurses and doctors were excellent keeping me informed of everything they were doing.
Wednesday, W was stable they were now sorting the plasma and other technical blood things out to get the blood to clot. Mr Christopher had come to see him and was happy with the recovery.
My nightmare, I had to return home on the Wednesday evening. Saying goodbye to W was one of the most difficult things I had to do, they couldn't tell me when he would be coming home, luckily he had Codey to talk to, so off I went on the 9pm train and was met by my other son at the other end...
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