The last bit of food I ate was on Saturday late morning and was ice-cream designed to soothe the throat. It was now Monday morning and I'm sitting with Ruth S awaiting my RT session.
Our visit of the previous evening has hit the notes and Ruth N and Kate want to talk to me before the session. At least this time I know I followed protocol.
I think it is fair to say that my sudden deterioration caught the hospital of guard, as it had done me, and they were rather concerned.
The next couple of hours was all about stabilising the pain control protocols and trying to get it to a stage where I could actually swallow liquids again.
End result of all of this was increased volume of morphine every 2 hours and we collectively decided I'd go home and see how it worked overnight. The options were clear and simple - it either works, or we go back and get admitted during the night.
We were very thorough Monday night. Ruth S stayed and we both got up at the 2 hourly intervals to assess progress and administer the next round, etc. It became clear by the 11:45pm session, that it wasn't giving me the relief and we agreed in writing (I was not talking at all by this stage as it hurt too much) that if the 1:50 am session confirmed lack of relief, we'd pack up and get our butts into Wgtn A&E. Bits of me wanted to just get admitted so we could get me relief, other bits of me wanted the relief to kick in and keep me out of the hospital.
So, after turning Jake into a drug dependent peg one more time, I start packing for a couple of days in the ward. What will I need? choices, choices. Stick with the basics - including the laptop.
We arrived at just before 4am and after going through pretty much the same routines already gone through, we're shown through to our little cubicle to wait for a bed to be sorted on the ward. Then it seems the handover can't be done until after the ward staff start at 8am, so we're "managed" until then. Morphine is administered (using our stock), paracetemol likewise and I continue to try to drink water, but duly bring most of it straight back up via the coughing.
Transfer to the ward is smooth and painless, but then starts their battery of tests, etc.
Coming in Part 3 - Thickened Water is the Drink For Me
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