hospital food

Categories: ouch

Tags: Accident, Hospital, morphine, physioterrorists

Date: 01 February 2012 10:26:55

Hospital Food?

Diary of an accident victim Part 4

Wednesday 15th March

1 am. I'm woken by the nurse, who wants to check me over. She wants to take my blood pressure, and temperature and pulse. I've only been here an hour. She asks me to raise my right arm, I can't lift it. She can't use the left, as there is a drip going in it, I use my left arm to help raise the right - it hurts. I take a sip of water. The same happens at 2 am. And 3. Looks like they're worried about me, fortunately this does not occur to me at the time. Never mind, it's not as if I won't have time to catch up on sleep later. Day breaks, a cup of tea. Breakfast is about to come around, good, I havn't eaten since 12 noon the previous day - but first the consultant along with others makes his rounds. A group gathers round the bed, very Carry On Doctor like. He wants me to have an abdominal ultrasound, so the whole of the abdominal area must be empty. No breakfast then. Bugger. At least I know the extent of the injuries - broken right ankle and 5 broken ribs. They're worried about the chest cavity - I'm being kept under a medical surgeon rather than an orthopaedic one in case complications occur. The morning goes on, a bed bath (don't tell Linda, my wife, I quite enjoyed this) I see the physiotherapist, who tells me to do some breathing exercises, to prevent the lungs from collapsing, and some arm raising exercise. Both hurt. I come to dread the physio's visits, every time I'm getting used to something she finds another way to make me hurt. Now I know where the nickname physioterrorist comes from. More x-rays, at least the chest cavity isn't collapsing, one of the big worries. I watch as lunch goes past. Visiting time. It's good to know you've got friends. Late afternoon: I'm told that I won't be having the ultrasound today. I could have eaten. Dinner time. At last I can eat, I'm more ravenous than a really ravenous thing. I bolt down the food. Big mistake. The combined effects of shock, drugs, and not having eaten combine to make the food not want to stay down. I'm still hungry Night falls, ultrasound scan due tomorrow, from Midnight I'm on Nul by mouth again. However I can lift my right arm, with help from the left, and can even move it a little on its own. Progress. A good day.

Thursday 16th March

More of the same: More drugs, more x-rays, more pain, no food. Linda and youngest daughter visit. I'm so spaced out I sit propped up in the bed, eyes shut, and just want to listen. At least the morphine works - perhaps a little too well. At last the ultrasound. All that wait for something so simple. Back to the ward, I've missed the last meal of the day. A sympathetic nurse gets me a cup of tea and two slices of buttered toast. It tastes wonderful. By the end of the day I have a lot more movement, I can raise my right arm fairly high on its own for a short time, and they're only checking on me every two hours. More progress. Another good day.

... to be continued

This was first posted on St Pixels blog on 17 May 06 To see the blogs about the accident and recovery together please use the “ouch” link under Categories.