the english patient

Categories: ouch

Tags: Accident, Pain, Hospital, physioterrorists

Date: 03 February 2012 22:50:38

The English Patient

Diary of an accident victim Part 5

Friday 17th March

Huddersfield Royal Infirmary is situated about two miles outside the town centre. Built on a ridge, it is constructed in that late '60s, early '70s architectural style known as butt ugly. And it's white . It stands out for miles around like a blot on the landscape. From inside things can be different. I'm lying on no ordinary bed, it's superbed! equipped with an electronic control I can raise and lower the top part from lying to sitting position, elevate and lower my legs, and best yet, I can raise the whole bed so that I can see out of the 7th floor windows, over the roof tops of a Nortern town to the Pennine moorland beyond. A room with a view. Friday starts well: I can eat. Not only that, by gripping the sides of the bed I can raise my shoulders a couple of inches from the bed. The first movement I've made by myself in 2 1/2 days. I've also been moved onto oral morphine from the injections, I begin to make a little sense in conversations to my visitors. Progress has it's down side. In the late afternoon I get moved to an ordinary ward. No more superbed, no more view, no more constant attention from the nurses, Worst of all, no more bed baths, But at least I have TV and internet access, at a price. I have to pay to watch more than one hour of free to air TV a day, and what else is there to do in hospital? On the plus side the Commonwealth Games are on, so there's something to watch in the daytime and when the pain keeps me awake at night. Internet access is more expensive, slower than dial up, and there's no Java or flash, CoF cafe is out. At least I manage to post how I am on a few boards. More progress has been made, I go to sleep happy.

Saturday 18th March

Today the physioterrorists make another visit. I'm shown how to get myself out of bed and given walking lessons on a Zimmer frame. Of course this is a source of great amusement to my daughter when she visits. But there's no dignity in hospital. Trying to lower myself from the Zimmer to a sitting position, I slip, weight goes over onto my broken ribs. I scream and black out from pain. This happened in the toilet. I come round being helped into a wheelchair, pyjamas still around my knees.

Sunday 19th March

The best news: It seems I may be able to go home soon. All that is needed is that I need to be off morphine and on crutches. The physios don't think I'm ready for crutches today, though I'm getting better at the Zimmmer. I miss the service in the hospital chapel as this clashes with the time of the physio's visit.

Monday 20th March

The morning sees me off morphine. It's only when it's taken away that you realise just how powerful a drug it is. I now take a cocktail of three different painkillers. In the afternoon the pysios arrive with the crutches. I get to walk up and down stairs. Home tomorrow.

...to be continued

This was first posted on St Pixels blog on 18 May 06 To see the blogs about the accident and recovery together please use the “ouch” link under Categories.