I felt really good as I walked home with Barbara on Saturday
(February 22). A friend rang soon after
I arrived home and I felt very up while talking with her. However, by late afternoon I was feeling
“OK”. Had a good sleep and 7.30 Sunday
morning walked down to the harbour. Had
breakfast at the Black Wattle Bay Café. I then walked home by the easiest route. At 2 pm friends arrived for afternoon tea.
Barbara and I had arranged for more friends to come around at 4.30
pm, such was our optimism.
 |
| Barbara and I with our 2pm round of friends |
But at 3.30 pm I had a short sharp sneeze. The pain flashed across my abdomen. I took a milk drink to the front room, sat down in the rocker recliner seat. Next thing I know is Barbara and our son are talking to me. I was looking at them, not responding. I had fainted. We reclined the chair horizontal but that was too uncomfortable. I crawled from the chair and lay on my right side on the floor. It was comfortable but I could not get my mind to get me up from the floor – I was a ‘beached whale’!
Will called Dr Sean Griffin (gastroenterologist), as I could
not remember where I had Dr Chris Young’s (colorectal surgeon) mobile (cell)
number. Sean advised we call for an
ambulance. Due to my non-urgent
situation, it was an hour before the ambulance man arrived on a motorbike. He talked with me and established I needed an
ambulance, which soon arrived.
Our front steps are steep.
So it was decided I would walk to the ambulance. The three ambulance people helped me sit up
and then stand. I was able to walk
unassisted to the ambulance. I was
feeling faint as I climbed into the ambulance and was very glad to lie down
again. All my vitals were checked as we
drove the short distance to the hospital.
At RPAH I was quickly admitted and allocated a bed and received
immediate attention. They admitted me,
which was relatively easy as my records were right up to date. They had to ask me if I was coming in as a
public or private patient. It is to the
public hospital’s advantage if I use my private health fund membership, which I
did. Once this was done, they then got
me the pain relief I had requested. I
think the system needs improving if you cannot be given pain relief until they
know how you are admitted. Surely, they
can tag the medicine usage so that it can be entered as public or privately
provided later.
In the early evening I fainted again while lying in a reclining
position in my bed. Barbara and Will got
me some immediate attention. They put me
on a drip. They had already decided that
I would not be fed or given drinks as they thought I would need an
operation. The drip gave me much needed
liquid.
After a few hours our son let his siblings and my brother know what happened. Barbara and I were so glad to have our son as a calm and steady help. Barbara stayed
and came with me when I was transferred to 9 West 1 colorectal ward, bed 10 at
midnight – seven hours in emergency and back to my previous ward but in a
different bed.
In emergency they monitored my vitals, did an ECG and CT scan. They did put in a fluid drip after a
while. Barbara and I were very glad we
had been trained in use of the colostomy bag.
Doctors and staff did not seem to know much about it. My bowels were active and it needed emptying,
twice. We could manage this ourselves
from our supplies we had brought with us.
There are less than 100,000 Australians using colostomy bags and only about 3 million in the world. So, we are
a small minority in 7 billion people.
Our family has an unusual statistic in that one of my cousins also has a
colostomy bag – 2 of 7 cousins!
The quality of the emergency care was mixed. I would have sacked two of the day shift
nurses on the spot: one wore only one glove when taking blood and the other was
arrogant. Doctors were generally
good. The person who did the CT scan was
fantastic, replacing the sheets I had unwittingly wet. The night nursing crew seemed much more
professional than the evening crew.
I was glad to arrive in the colorectal ward. I was in a part of the hospital that knew the
drill for my condition. I was given two
more Panadol and Endone (equivalent
of morphine) and slept comfortably.
Monday morning the doctors, including Dr Chris Young advised I had torn
some of my stomach lining, the stoma was OK and that I would not need an
operation. I was allowed to eat and
drink. I would be kept for observation
and allowed home when my blood and other signs were more normal. I was discharged Tuesday 25 February, feeling
worse than when I left the previous Saturday.
I am still feeling uncomfortable.
I cannot walk as easily. I need
to walk to help the heeling.
As you know, it is not just me who is under strain but Barbara
too. We both need good night
sleeps. Thus, I have moved to the back
bedroom, which is on the same level as the bathroom. This has helped both of us.
Since coming home I have had a mixture of OK to bad times. Friday 28 I hardly did a thing due to severe
discomfort. Wednesday I caught up on
emails and Facebook and arranged some appointments. Thursday, Barbara and I walked to the
Colostomy Association to collect my supplies.
It is next door to Stanmore McDonalds where we had coffee and a toasted
ham, cheese and tomato sandwich before walking home.
We worked out that I need pain relief during the day as well as
at night. Saturday, I went to my GP for an
Endone script, then the pharmacy and had a coffee with a toasted ham, cheese
and tomato croissant. Barbara looked
after Laura while Pete had lunch with a friend who is getting married
soon. Sunday started well with Barbara
and I walking out to coffee with some sourdough toast but by the time the
family was here for an early dinner I was feeling low. One of our children was concerned that my liver was not
functioning well and that I might be jaundiced and advised me on things to ask Dr Lisa.
Monday March 3, Barbara and I went to a 9.45 am appointment
with Dr Lisa Horvath. Lisa was thorough
with her questions about how I am. I
asked her my list of questions. Lisa said I am doing very well for what has
happened to me in the last month or so.
Lisa is scheduling me to start chemotherapy next week. I will provide a blog update after my first
round of chemotherapy. It is 1 year, 10
months since I last had chemo.
Meanwhile, Barbara and I are going to Port Stephens for a few
days holiday. One of our plans is to go
to WorlMark (our holiday accommodation timeshare) in between some of the
chemotherapy treatments.
How do I feel with this setback? My reality check has been much greater than I
anticipated. I am wondering if all that
is happening and ahead in treatment terms is worth it. We are making significant decisions that we
will let you know over the next few weeks.
I was comforted by Dr Lisa saying that my three days chemotherapy each
fortnight treatment will be less demanding and less likely to cause nausea than
the previous treatment. This is good
news considering how vulnerable I feel at the moment.
Finally, I would like to thank you all for your love and
support you have provided in dozens of emails.
With how I have been feeling, this has been an excellent way of being in
touch. So, feel free to keep the email
or Facebook messages coming.
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