Yesterday (Friday), Carol was finally discharged from Milton Keynes Hospital. We had known that there was not much point in her remaining on Ward 20 any longer, because they had managed to control the pain she has been experiencing; she had recovered sufficiently from the operation to remove the blockage in her bowel; she had managed to master the stoma which she now has since the operation and she was generally feeling stronger to make the transition from hospital to home. She had a doctors' visit during the morning (as part of the usual round the doctors make of all the patients in their care.) but, unfortunately, they arrive earlier than normal so I was unable to be there with Carol. (This is usually around 8.30 a.m.) Unfortunately Thursday's journey to and from Oxford didn't exactly help Carol's health problems. As I've described in fairly fine detail of that day, with the uncomfortable conditions experienced by both of us on that minibus (and, no doubt, the other patients who were transported.) Carol seems to have suffered considerably.
A range of different health-professionals visited Carol in the side-room, such as the stoma nurse, various doctors as well as the lady in charge of the ward (not sure what her title is, but probably equivalent to a matron in days gone by.) and checking throughout the day to make sure that her discharge was going to go ahead without excessive pain and discomfort. I recall when I was last in hospital, having had an angina attack which wouldn't stop, how long it took before I was discharged. Something like five hours, because it needed a doctor to sign off the paperwork required. In Carol's case they not only had to get a doctor to sign the paperwork, but she had a very extensive collection of medication to be prescribed and then bought from the hospital pharmacy. it was very difficult to just wait in the room, Carol trying to find a position on the bed to be comfortable or moving to sitting on the edge of the bed or on the armchair in the room. Also, whenever she got comfortable, virtually asleep, there would be a great deal of noise elsewhere on the ward, patients being moved around in beds, and the constant sound of alarms going off and people talking loudly. The worst of all, the constant sound of mobile phone ring-tones.
We knew it was likely to be around 4 p.m. before Carol and I could actually leave the ward. I took a couple of carrier bags full of belongings to the car in the multi-storey carpark, in an attempt to make life easier when the actual time came. A long walk through the corridors back to the front entrance and out to the carpark. Then, when all was done, a nurse came to go through the final bit of paperwork as well as going through the bag full of medication (all I can say it's just as well we don't have to pay for any of these medications. The bill would be quite large, a real strain on our finances.) Just when it was time to leave, the nurse in charge had rung for a porter to come with a wheelchair for Carol, but after several attempts to get through on the telephone, the porters department didn't respond. After several more attempts a porter arrived on the ward and Carol was ensconced in the wheelchair and some of the many bags of belongings were hung on very convenient hooks on the wheelchair and I carried a couple more and we began to leave the ward finally.
We think now that the porters might have been busy elsewhere because we had heard through various media that there had been an air crash near Waddesdon Manor (one of the many National Trust properties we visit, and is a few miles from Aylesbury.) and they might have been involved with those that were injured. As it now appears, two people died unfortunately, but no more people were injured and required hospitalisation. No doubt if they did, they'd have gone to Stoke Mandeville Hospital near Aylesbury. But anyway, we arrived at the hospital entrance and the porter left us, because, basically the final few yards to the carpark wouldn't be suitable for a wheelchair, and if Carol was pushed the surface of the path was too rough and would have made the pain she was in worse. So I helped her that short distance to the car as well as caring the bags of belongings.
We arrived back home at around 5.15. Carol went into the house first, to surprise Alfie, whom I had left in the kitchen when I'd left the house earlier in the day. To say he was excited to see Carol again, for the first time in nearly three weeks. Barking, running around the house, jumping up and wanting to lick her face and generally showing a lot of affection. What a lovely return home for Carol!
A range of different health-professionals visited Carol in the side-room, such as the stoma nurse, various doctors as well as the lady in charge of the ward (not sure what her title is, but probably equivalent to a matron in days gone by.) and checking throughout the day to make sure that her discharge was going to go ahead without excessive pain and discomfort. I recall when I was last in hospital, having had an angina attack which wouldn't stop, how long it took before I was discharged. Something like five hours, because it needed a doctor to sign off the paperwork required. In Carol's case they not only had to get a doctor to sign the paperwork, but she had a very extensive collection of medication to be prescribed and then bought from the hospital pharmacy. it was very difficult to just wait in the room, Carol trying to find a position on the bed to be comfortable or moving to sitting on the edge of the bed or on the armchair in the room. Also, whenever she got comfortable, virtually asleep, there would be a great deal of noise elsewhere on the ward, patients being moved around in beds, and the constant sound of alarms going off and people talking loudly. The worst of all, the constant sound of mobile phone ring-tones.
We knew it was likely to be around 4 p.m. before Carol and I could actually leave the ward. I took a couple of carrier bags full of belongings to the car in the multi-storey carpark, in an attempt to make life easier when the actual time came. A long walk through the corridors back to the front entrance and out to the carpark. Then, when all was done, a nurse came to go through the final bit of paperwork as well as going through the bag full of medication (all I can say it's just as well we don't have to pay for any of these medications. The bill would be quite large, a real strain on our finances.) Just when it was time to leave, the nurse in charge had rung for a porter to come with a wheelchair for Carol, but after several attempts to get through on the telephone, the porters department didn't respond. After several more attempts a porter arrived on the ward and Carol was ensconced in the wheelchair and some of the many bags of belongings were hung on very convenient hooks on the wheelchair and I carried a couple more and we began to leave the ward finally.
We think now that the porters might have been busy elsewhere because we had heard through various media that there had been an air crash near Waddesdon Manor (one of the many National Trust properties we visit, and is a few miles from Aylesbury.) and they might have been involved with those that were injured. As it now appears, two people died unfortunately, but no more people were injured and required hospitalisation. No doubt if they did, they'd have gone to Stoke Mandeville Hospital near Aylesbury. But anyway, we arrived at the hospital entrance and the porter left us, because, basically the final few yards to the carpark wouldn't be suitable for a wheelchair, and if Carol was pushed the surface of the path was too rough and would have made the pain she was in worse. So I helped her that short distance to the car as well as caring the bags of belongings.
We arrived back home at around 5.15. Carol went into the house first, to surprise Alfie, whom I had left in the kitchen when I'd left the house earlier in the day. To say he was excited to see Carol again, for the first time in nearly three weeks. Barking, running around the house, jumping up and wanting to lick her face and generally showing a lot of affection. What a lovely return home for Carol!
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