Un scheduled visit to A&E Sunday 9th Dec 2012

I’m writing this post from my phone in an isolation room of the RPH medical assessment unit, so I will be brief.

yesterday started as normal, In fact I had been feeling pretty good the last week really. About 09:30 I started to feel a little off, nothing spectacular, just very tired and a bit grim. This is unfortunately not all that unusual, and so far I’ve found that a day of rest usually resolves the problem.

I took myself off to bed about 11:00 and tried to sleep it off, I struggled snoozing as I was having to make regular toilet visits!!!

at about 4:30pm, a friend of mine popped round for brew (cup of tea) and a chat, I tried to get out of bed to do this but didn’t have the strength. my friend made us Both a cup of tea and he brought a chair into my bedroom to have a chat.

After about an hour, I finally gave into my mates suggestion that I should really come to the hospital to be looked over, upon arrival at A&E I explained I was an ESRF patient and that I was feeling very very poorly. I was seen by triage almost immediately and upon seeing I was running a temperature of 38.9C I was taken through for tests, these included:

Blood tests

Urine samples

Blood cultures

Stool samples

I was so tired, I can hardly describe the feeling! My friend stayed with me until late in the night, approx. 11pm! I feel terrible as I mostly just kept falling asleep on him! I was given IV paracetamol and broad spectrum antibiotic’s. Then apart from the routine blood pressure and temperature checks left to sleep.

today I feel much better, still very very tired, but I expect that’s not helped by the fact I didn’t eat anything at all yesterday, the consultant today said she thinks I have a stomach infection, so they intend to keep me in tonight, assuming I’m no worse tomorrow, I should be allowed home.

This incident has left me thinking if it is wise for me to continue living on my own as my CKD enters it’s final phase, perhaps I need to look at finding a temporary lodger to move into Parry Palace…

UPDATE

Wednesday 12th Dec 2012

Hi All,

Just wanted to give you all a quick update on the above post. I was released from RPH yesterday afternoon, it seems I was suffering from nothing more than a viral stomach infection. Blood tests taken early yesterday shows my WBC (white blood cell) count was back down to within the normal range which suggested the infection had receded. However, my Creatinine had shot up from 716 to over 760 giving my new eGFR at 7%.

This meant that the doctor doing the rounds on the Medical Assessment Unit was happy for me to go home due to my infection but wanted me to be seen by a renal doctor before being discharged. I was seen by a Dr Soloman early in the afternoon and we discussed my current situation, including my rather depressing visit to the dialysis unit last friday.

He inspected my abdomen following this discussion and told me he could see no reason why PD would not be possible with my existing surgeries and said he would speak to the relevent people later that day, I was discharged from RPH and headed home.

Earlier today I received a call from the RPH dialysis unit, informing me that following discussion with Dr Soloman, they wanted to re schedule my PD catheter insertion operation for the 2nd Jan 2013 This is great news!, it means I start the new year with a positive tangible step towards feeling better and returning the to the ever so elusive normal life.

I have also concluded my thinking about having someone move in with me and I think it’s a good idea. I am quite a proud chap, but, as I have already written in previous blogs, I have come to realise that I simply need to accept the help of others, so I am now in the process of arranging for a cousin of mine to move in.

Though she may change her mind when I give her my list of house rules!!! ha ha

About these ads