Hiatus - Back To Normality?

Facebook Tuesday 15 April 2025 at 13.18

Ferretfingers and I finally got out of the RVI last night with a bagful of medication and discharge letter.

Below is an image of my notes to myself as to what to take when. Any medics who'd like to advise on what to give when let me know, I've gone off reading the boxes. 

In hospital they put them all in one little pot and gave them to him at mealtimes so I'm doing the same; and have brought home some little paper pots to do so.

The discharge letter says we have a 10 week supply of antibiotics so we've a way to go.

The District nurse is due to call sometime today to fit him with a new community/portable VAC machine/dressing. She will be coming twice a week to check on it and the wound - which is much healthier looking but still open.  He will also have fortnightly appointments with the consultant at the Freeman.

Obviously I won't be going to the Coven in Portsmouth next week, or to visit The Niece and The Griblings in Bournmouth afterwards.

Ferretfingers' respite weekend in May will depend, amongst other things, on whether Emil is allowed to supervise/give him his medication.

The ten weeks ends just before we are due to go away in June, so that's not 100% certain either.

I'm going to try and spend the next couple of weeks being kind to myself, get the house into some semblance of decency and pottering about the garden. Distractions welcome.

There may be blogging if the spirit moves.

Mrs Burney  Hope things go as smoothly as they can for you both x

Ms DB  Hi Ben, would something like a medibox be helpful?  You can sit down once a week to organise them.   They come in different shapes and sizes for different times of day. Dx

Mr Whyte  Yay

Mrs Lasagne  Poor Ferretfingers and poor you Ben  It’s taking a long time xxxx get well soon Ferretfingers xxxx

Paganess  Sending hugs and healing    

Ms LNR  I’m so glad Ferretfingers is home Ben. I pray you both keep well. Sending much love to you all. 

Dulcima  Perhaps a meet up at the H@H cafe with Ms Telyn ?

Henlady  Sending you both big hugs. What a time you are still both having.   

Poor Ferretfingers, he must be so uncomfortable.  Have you cabin fever with being in hospital so long?  It’s so nice to be home again though.  Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Bentonbag  It got to the point where I just longed to be in my own home, surrounded by my own things and do ordinary stuff like make myself a cup of coffee.  

Ms Exlibris  So glad you're home. It's been a long haul. I hope the home care isn't too stressful and you can get some rest xxx

Woolerwoman  There'll be such a lot for you to do so I hope you get some time off now and again.  I had a vacuum thing on my leg for 6 weeks - it does restrict mobility considerably! Does Ferretfingers need a downstairs bed?  At least you'll be able to get a coffee when you want one and get out into the garden - as you say.  Sending love and good wishes.xxxx

Ms Saints  Just take it slow and steady.

 

Hiatus Day Twenty - Part Two - Texts and Journal

Texts Monday 14/04/2025

12.00 Text to Many – Staff Nurse chasing District Nurses and Senior Sister for discharge medication & papers.  The glacier moves.

12.15 to Mrs Leftfoot – U couldn’t make it up.  We’re still waiting.  Mobile rings.  It’s freaking Northumberland WI Federation advisor about a membership enquiry.   

She’s ringing Jesmond WI’s secretary now.  Nearing hysteria.

Monday 14 April 2025 12.45 - RVI

Fester just rang the mobile so I could tell him what little is happening.

I haven’t washed Ferretfingers today and don’t intend to until I know we’re putting his day clothes on.

He’s lying flat on his bed, headphones on, laughing at whatever he has on his tablet.

Fester says a box of flowers have arrived but “They’ll keep until tomorrow”

and he has no idea who they’re from.  

My money's on Henffrind.  (I was wrong – it was DrE on behalf of the Coven)

Newcastle United beat Manchester United 4 nil last night.   

How things have changed since I was a girl.

It would appear there are some medical students and/or new house officers on the ward today.  It’s very busy.

14/04/2025

13.42 Miss Doozer – I hope Staff Nurse has their hobnailed boots on for kicking of arses.

14.06 Pearl – Hi Ben, how’s it going?  Can you let Fester know I will call by for my hat around 7.30pm please.  Thanks xxx

14.30 to Bazoukiboy – We’re not home yet.  I won’t believe it until we’re in the taxi.

14.44

Staff Nurse Mercy reports that the District Nurses are happy and now she’s chasing the Senior Sister and doctors for medication and paperwork.  A request has gone down to the pharmacy for the antibiotics they don’t have on the ward.  It should take three and a half hours.  Then we can get Ferretfingers ready to go,

15.05

Clare the Community Nurse has rung.  They have a vac-machine and will call tomorrow between 8am and 8pm.

I have phoned home and told Fester not to expect us before 8pm.  

“You’ll have had your tea then.”  

Hell we’ll have filled in the menus for tomorrow’s lunch and dinner so as not to tempt fate.

I’ve also phoned Middlesister.

I may take home the little pot of hydromol and scissors left on the side (they’d have only gone into the sharps box).  There’s also some dressings that they may be unable to use that might be useful to have.

That poor man is shouting something terribly this afternoon.  

Lots and lots of new patients being wheeled past and auxiliary nurses hunting for supportive bean bags and pillows.  

I said my pillow would be spare, but they refused to take it saying they couldn’t bear the thought of me sleeping without it.  

I said I hoped never to sleep here again.

14/04/2025

15.20 Text to Many – District Nurses on board, have machine and will call tomorrow.  Medication ordered from pharmacy & should be here in 3+ hours.  The vac can be removed, a dressing put on and a taxi ordered.  Everything crossed.

19.00 Text to Many – We’re home

 

Hiatus Day Twenty - Part One - Journal

Monday 14 April 2025 10.56 - RVI

Still here.  

Right Royally fed up.   

We could have gone home on Friday or perhaps even Thursday evening.

On Thursday morning the plastics specialist nurse turned up and said she was happy for him to go home with a portable dry vac dressing.

HUZZAH

BUT

We live in North Tyneside so the North Tyneside District Nurses have to be organised.   

Also we can’t take the hospital dry vac with us because:- 

a) we live in North Tyneside 

and/or

b) they use a different one in the community.

AND 

It was Thursday with the weekend coming up and North Tyneside had to order the dry vac machine.

So we have had an extra three or four nights in the RVI for no good medical reason at NHS expense.  At least he’s getting his medication given, and observations taken, in a timely and regular fashion.   

When we eventually get the call it will take me 5 minutes flat to get our stuff  packed.  

I have run out of books to read and can’t bring myself to look at Ferretfingers’ tv listings.  

I have finished my knitting, the light is too poor in here for sewing up and besides I have no buttons for finishing off.

There is a man on the hip unit around the corner who is quite disturbed and does a lot of crying out, especially at night.  

It reminds me of Dad’s night terrors.   

Dad would go to bed early as he had to be up at 05.30 to do the post.  Mum was a night owl.  They once famously passed each other in the passage after she dropped off in her chair and didn’t notice the telly going off (that was in the days when it used to).  

As a child I would hear him starting to scream, get up and tell Mum.   

After enough times of her saying “Go and tell him to wake up” I would go without involving her.   

The noises would start quite low and I’d lie and hope they’d stop.  They seldom did so, as they increased in intensity and terror, I would get up, open his bedroom door and say, kindly but firmly, “Wake up Dad, you’re having a nightmare.”  There would be a sudden movement as he turned over and a relieved “Thanks pet.”

He told me once that he dreamed there was someone standing at the foot of the bed that he wanted to get at but just couldn’t move.  So he screamed because he knew if he screamed someone would come and wake him up and it would be ok.   

I wonder now what happened in the days when Mum and Dad went to bed at the same time.  Did she poke or kick him as soon as she was aware of the noises, like she used to when he snored?  

Dad once told me his grandfather, Dada, used to get night terrors too and he would go and wake him up.  

Tommy used to get the terrors when he was a toddler, but thankfully they seem to have gone away.

Fester is suffering with Ferretfingers being away.

I have a feeling of utter impotence.   

I don’t know how to make anything happen.  

I don’t know who to contact, push, nag or make a nuisance of myself with.   

Not that I want to but if that’s what it takes I will.   

Not knowing is demoralising.   

Plus the ward phone keeps going and nobody answers it so I keep wondering if it’s about Ferretfingers.

There was talk that we might be home last Monday.   

So that’s another seven nights and days gone.  

Had I known I could have planned.   

Could have got Fester in every day for two hours.   

Could have got breaks, got things done at home.   

As it is I’m permanently waiting around for information that never comes; and if it does is tiny and not what I want to hear.

Someone Somewhere Please Get Things Moving!

I’m tempted to phone our GP to see if they can shift things from their end.

I think I shall soon scream or cry.

There is a Geordie blurke across the corridor with a carrying voice, an unending source of conversation and comment, and one leg.  I’m having the uncharitable though that he talked the other leg off.

Staff Nurse Mercy has been in.  

She has been tasked with chasing the District Nurses and the Senior Nurse re Ferretfingers’ medication and discharge papers.   

 

The glacier is moving.