It was a very strange hospital stay. I either had loads of visitors or none and time went very quickly.
A lot of the other patients were very ill and one lady died next to me which was rather distressing. The lady diagnally opposite me came from Jersey. She had come over originally for a week's course of radiotherapy but went down hill and had ot be admitted. The hotel being paid for by the Jersey equivalent of the NHS were prepared to pay for the hotel whilst she was being treated as an outpatient but then refused to pay when she was in hospital so he was effectively homeless!! Eventually, the liaison officer found him a shared room in hospital accomodation but what an awful situation to think that they will pay for your partner when being treated as an outpatient but if you are rreally ill and in hospital, they refuse to pay for your hotel!!!
There was also a patient who had funny turns at 7am by which I mean very violent turns. He threw a dripstand through a window and tried to attack the nurses with it onne day and another day, he threw a glass and water jug and the other day, he just swore and became very verbally abusive. It was very scary and security took a long time to come up. The rest of the time he was OK but it was something about 7am which made him flip.
I did not see the consultant at all and my own registrar 3 times and other days saw the duty registrar. My registrar kept talking about a 'limited window of opportunity' to get on top of this cancer and desparately tried to get hold of the marsden to give a decsion about tykerb.
I did have a bone scan which showed I had slightly more spread in my rib bones but not much else.
I was still having trouble with swallowing but as I wasn't that hungry it didn't seem that much of a problem. I thought it was still to do with the gastroenteritis so wasn't concerned.
We had to organise the home oxygen which wasn't a problem but they would only give us one unit to do up and downstairs. They did not deliver any portable oxygen or a carrier or a conserver so that you only use the oxygen when you breathe in and it is not puffing out all the time.
I had to come home with the hospital's portable oxygen but before i did I checked out with the respiratory nurses who I had to let know about having home oxygen. They did not know!!! I then asked my friend to google it and found we had to notify the home and car insurance, have stickers in the car and notify the fire brigade!!! Surely the respiratory nurses should know that or there should be a leaflet telling you what to do!!
I came home with a huge supply of pills but not the painkillers - sensible aren't they. I did not come back with my new packet of lorazepam or diazepam so what a waste.