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Arachnids
Still no cover note, still no road tax. I'm stranded, Hubby has gone away on another golf weekend and I'm housebound.
Spiders, little and medium sized ones don't cause me a problem, catch them under a glass, slide a postcard underneath and deposit them outside, easy. Its the big, thick legged variety that cause my adrenaline to start flowing, you can't kill them you see. When I was little my Mother told me that if you killed a spider, even those that were nesting at the bottom of your bed clothes because you hadn't made the bed properly, their relatives would come back and get you. I did catch a big spider, once, but my throwing outside action was not good and it ended up on my arm, when I tried to brush it off it bit me, well not bit exactly but pricked me. Now I'm nervous.
This year seems to be a good year for big spiders. It started 2 weeks ago when I was sorting out my parentcraft bag. Parentcraft? Antenatal classes, those meetings where midwives try and put the fear of God into couples, who are already starting to realise that having a baby is likely to cause pain and confusion, and then offer little gems of comfort about pain relief whilst tempering it with 'but, there are side-effects'. During these sessions we also flash around a model of the pelvis, demonstrating the journey baby has to make through this obstacle riddled structure and how tight the fit is. Well, the coccyx on my model had become too floppy, it lessened the difficulty with which baby ground through the outlet, so I had brought the bony structure home to tightened things up. Unfortunately I had knocked the pelvis onto the floor and the whole thing had flown apart, really impressive as the symphysis pubis had separted and the replica cartilidge buffer had catapulted across the room. Anyway, got home, fished pelvis out of bag and then put hand in bag to fish out the buffer, as I did this I felt something tickle across my hand, looking down I saw a multi-legged form scuttle into the dark recesses. Hubby dealt with it and had to check that it hadn't left a family there. 2 days ago, sitting on the sofa and I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. mega-spider, sitting in the middle of a cream cushion, Hubby to the rescue again. Then last night, just walked into the shower room and virtually bumped into an arachnid, there was hardly any room for both of us in the room it was so large. I called Hubby, warning him that this was scary stuff, even he commented about the size.
With Hubby away what do I do? If they are on the floor fine, put a glass over them and await his return, if they are on the wall though I will just have to close the door, but then they could go anywhere. Can't even summon son, he's away on a stag weekend, one son-in-law is at the golf weekend and the other is still in hospital, we are a male-free family this weekend. Sorry, there is Jack, mmmmm, no, his hands are too small.
We have drive off
Yes, the cover note arrived yesterday so I am now all legal. Due to prior commitments, going to local village county show, I didn't get to drive her yesterday, but I have given her a quick run around today, I'm sure that when I have got used to braking, and her standing on her nose, we will get on fine. There are too many distractions though, a display tells me mpg, range, momentary consumption etc. and I can't resist the temptation to watch it. There is also ESP, what is that? The manual tells me it's Electronic stability program, right, mmm, it then tells me that I have ABS, EBC, EDL and TCS but that they 'cannot overcome the physical limits of the vehicle....and the increased safety offered by EPS must not induce you to take risks with your safety'. I don't think that will be a problem as I have no idea what it does. The one dangerous feature is a rev counter. The last time I drove a car with one of these dials I had just passed my test, and had only ever driven a 1964 mini. We had gone out with friends to a club in London and I was driving someones new Granada Estate, slightly bigger and more powerful than my 800cc mini. 3 am and I'm negotiating the back streets of the capital, 'There is a speed limit' says Hubby, 'I know, I'm only doing 30' I responded tetchily, ' You are doing 80' everyone shouted, whoops, I had been watching the rev counter!
The county show was a big hit with Jack, there was a fie-engine (nee-naw) there, and a lively fireman let Jack sit in it and put the siren on. After that we came back to my house and his Mummy lay him on the sofa to have a nap whilst she went to visit his Daddy in hospital. Other daughter had put Amy down in the cot upstairs and was told not to go into the sitting-room. Amy didn't settle so she came back downstairs and we stayed in the family room. After a while daughter decided to check Jack was OK, no sign of him in sitting-room. Nanny raced upstairs, calling him, all the bedroom doors closed, opened the 'babies' door, pitch black as blinds and curtains closed, and heard a little voice go 'Nanny, Jack, lost'. Poor little boy was huddled in the corner behind the cot, doing that horrible shuddering, gulping sound that lets you know they have been sobbing for ages. We snuggled on the sofa together whilst Jack recounted his experience ' Jack, room, Amy. No. Dark. Lost. Nanny, nanny, nanny'. Enormous guilt, the mournful way he kept repeating his saga, shaking his head sadly as he said nanny, nanny, nanny, such pathos from one so young.
My BIL has posted this and I now have no free time!
I have just spent a fruitless hour trying to insert an image. Does anyone else experience the same difficulties trying to upload, and then insert, an image? I know I have just had 2 bacardi's and coke, I need it after having Grandchildren, and a daughter, for the day, but even so.....it's hardly rocket science.
The image was of my fecund passion flower. It has loads of fruit on it, which is just going to go to waste, unless anyone has a recipe for doing something with them, I am thinking of Stroppy who is always cooking up a storm. Save my passion-fruit!
NHS
I'm ashamed to admit that I work for the NHS. My son-in-law was discharged 3 days ago following his bowel resection. Yesterday daughter asked me what I thought about his wound being inflammed and firm one side. I asked if it was dry, yes. Is he well? Yes. When are his staples being removed? Nurse was coming round today. Wouldn't worry too much was my verdict. WRONG. This morning I received a call from daughter. Nurse had come round, looked at the wound, pressed it and cups of foul smelling pus dripped out of it. The nurse went off and returned with more gauze, the exudate was so copious that she had used up all her supplies. G.P immediately contacted the surgeon who requested that SIL return to hospital - by ambulance as now the flow had started it was unstoppable.
Two hours later daughter phoned. He had been seen by the triage nurse and was sitting in a wheelchair, in the corridor waiting to see the docs. The wound was still draining, daughter was having to repeatedly ask nurses for new gauze, and SIL had not been given any analgesia because the Docs hadn't seen him. I was fuming, but effectively ineffective, I was looking after Amy and 15 miles away from the hospital.
An hour later, he had now been there 3 hours, he was seen. Daughter had spent this time mopping up pus from SIL, and from the floor around him. The Docs removed half the staples from his wound, it opened up. It took them an hour to clean inside it, then pack it with special gauze. They have left it open, given him one dose of intravenous antibiotics, told him there were no beds available, sent him home with 3 different types of antibiotics and told him the nurse will visit daily to re-pack and re-dress it.
When, how and why did the situation become this bad?
Back to basics?
Quick update on SIL. Re-admitted yesterday as his condition had deteriorated ++, he was very poorly, only bed they could find was in a private room, with the infection he has rampaging at the moment that is the best place for him.
Son has gone off to USA on holiday with rumours rife that he and partner of 7 years will return a married couple. Yes, I'm rather tearful, but it's their life, their wedding and I would be tearful if I was there, at least this way we escape the traumas of the wedding arrangements. I went round yesterday with the video camera and told them to do what is best for them, as long as they film it! Anyway, they know I'm just an old weepy and we can have a celebration when they get back.
Work on Friday was sad. Clinic in the morning is always busy, and this week was no exception, nothing out of the ordinary though, but then I started my visits. One of them was to a 16 year old who had a baby last week, 2 weeks after finding out she was pregnant. She cannot remember having sex but her Mother remembers an incident around Christmas when T arrived home extremely drunk and very dishevelled, they believe she may have been attacked. Baby went immediately for adoption, very sad really, I question whether the decision was made too hastily, but it's not my daughter, or my life. Anyway, round I went to check that T was recovering OK from the birth. Emotionally she appeared in good spirits but commented that her stitches were more painful so I asked if I could check them out. Ouch. They had performed an episiotomy, cut her, for the ventouse delivery and the sutures had gone and the wound was broken down. I explained gently what had happened and that I was returning to the hospital and would contact them when I had spoken to the Docs. After discussion with Docs she was asked to come in for them to assess and decide on a course of action. I wnt off, did another couple of visits and returned to the hospital so that I could be there when she was reviewed. They have put her on antibiotics, but also taken a swab, as there is an infection, and initially they said lets just see what happens. I wasn't happy, this is a 16 year old girl, who is already under huge psychological stress, you don't just tell her that the cut we made to help get the baby, she has given up out, has not healed, give her antibiotics and cast her adrift. After a little chat with the Registrar it was agreed that the situation shopuld be reviewed in a week and that if the infection has cleared they will resuture if the wound requires it. I'm visiting her tomorrow, support as much as anything else.
Whistleblowing
Tomorrow I just might find out how effective whistleblowing is, and what sort of effect it has on the whistleblower.
SIL has been back in hospital for 3 days now. His wound, which goes from one side of his abdomen to the other, is now wide open. This is the result of an infection, no finger pointing here, it could have been caused at any time and I am not saying that it is hospital acquired, but he is back in hospital so that the infection can be treated and the wound cared for. He is on intravenous antibiotics and the wound is being drained regularly, all over the sheets, which are then not changed until daughter goes in to visit. He is unable to get out of bed unassisted, has bandages on both hands, so only has a wash once a day, also when daughter goes in to visit. How inconvenient, that his bodily/hygiene needs are always carried out at visiting time. Well, it only happens then because it's daughter who changes his sheets and helps him to wash. SIL is depressed, he thinks he may never recover, I'm worried that he might be right. So far there has been one drug error, an IV antibiotic given twice, they realised half way through and stopped it, and one near miss when they tried to administer a second dose of his blood thinning drug but daughter questioned whether that had not already been given. Where is this excellent standard of nursing care taking place? The hospital I work for, thats where. So, tomorrow I will visit instead of my daughter and I shall ask to speak to the ward sister or manager, initially not wearing my ID. I shall also have my camera with me, and if I am not satisfied with the responses I receive from the personnel that I discuss my concerns with I shall be sharing location information with a larger audience and producing visual evidence to demonstrate my concerns.
However distressed I have been about the staffing levels and care provision with the maternity department I, hand on heart, have never worried that the womens basic needs were not being met. This is an appauling situation, midwives are not nurses but we are providing a better, and safer, standard of nursing care than is being provided in areas where nurses are employed to fulfill that role, to care for the sick and injured. I have no idea why this is happening, hopefully tomorrow I shall find out. Is it lack of staff? Daughters description of having to interupt the nurses who were sitting down having a chat and reading magazines, makes me doubt that, but I shall not make any judgements until the morrow.
Home today
I kept my identity, and my camera, hidden. Daughter and SIL did not wanr me to make a 'fuss' as the nurses might be 'unkind'. I had to abide by their request, but it hasn't stopped me firing off a letter of complaint to the Chief exec, won't improve matters but makes me feel slightly better.
SIL comes home today, I was worried about this, but talking to a senior nurse about it made me feel slightly easier as she said that he would be safer at home, less likely to acquire other infections!
The situation is absolutely disgraceful, and extremely worrying. My Doc has been on at me for ages to go and have an op, a few years ago I didn't feel it was necessary, now it is becoming something that I know should happen within the next couple of years, and I'm frightened of having it done. I'm not afraid of the op and dying during it, not too concerned about the pain, I'm just scared that I will end up taking longer to recover, and perhaps being seriously ill, due to an infection developing whilst I'm in hospital. I have never used, or promoted, private health care, I'm starting to have second thoughts.