Wednesday 25 June 2008

Released into the wild

I got released from hospital last night.
I went in on sunday, to A&E, with a temperature of 39c. I was taken in and a lovely doctor checked me out and put in the usual needle. Blood was taken and I was given IV anti-biotics.
After a few hours, my blood results came back and I was not neutropenic, but I had an infection and they were going to keep me in. After some more loitering, I was taken for a chest x-ray, which came back clean and I then got allocated a bed.
Didn't sleep too well first night and still had a temp the next morning, when woken up at 6 to have blood taken!
Time there pretty much involved: several hospital meals (which actually weren't bad), lots of IV fluids and trips to the bathroom - dragging a top heavy squeaking drip stand which wanted to fall over (had to more or less waltz with it to keep it upright) and taking of more blood.
Finally, after tracking down a doctor, I asked when I could leave (if I hadn't I think I could have just stayed as long as I wanted). They said that they did not know where my infection had come from and probably wouldn't let me go until they did. After a bit of negotiation and several more hours they said I could go but would need to come straight back if I felt unwell again.
I forgot to mention, while I was in hospital my left hand swelled up. Most likely due to the blood clot but it looked like the false hand of that bloke in the comedy bowling movie Kingpin. It looked fake and kind of freaked me out when I saw it out of the corner of my eye!
Anyway, I'm back home now. Just had the nurse over to give me my latest fragmin anti-coagulant injection (ooh, sweet). The one good thing about being in hospital this week was the constant fluid from the drip meant that I havn't had the steroid dry mouth/dying to pee thing going on...oh, until now. Back in a mo.... There, that's better. Need another drink now though.

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