Day 7 - Itchy eye

Tuesday 15th September 2009

As usual no sleep because of the pain in my back. It was now starting to get beyond a joke. Because the Pain Unit had not got back to the nursing staff, other than the awful liquid morphine, which did nothing, there wasn't anything else they could give me.

I couldn't bear being in bed any longer so got up just after 3am. As my side room is next to the ladies toilets, Kay, one of the night staff nurses who'd been to the loo noticed my light on and asked if I was ok.

"Would you like a cup of hot chocolate", she asked.
"There isn't any", I replied, explaining that the evening domestic had ran out of it several days ago and was waiting for a new jar to be delivered.
"We have some of our own in the kitchen", she said, "I'll go and make a cup for you".

Kermit came to see me like he does most mornings and explained what had actually happened to my hip.

"The 'squeak' you heard was actually your hip breaking up. From the x-rays we can see that the ball and socket joint have warn away. As they were grinding down we think this caused an abscess, which then burst and caused the infection ".

I was really angry and annoyed about this. Every time I had seen an orthopaedic consultant (or more accurately his registrar) about my knee, I had mentioned my squeaky hip and they just dismissed it. One even said that was normal !!!!

Later that morning I noticed my right eye had become itchy. Please don't let it be what I think it is, I prayed. A cold sore was the last thing I wanted. I looked in my hand mirror. Sure enough there were a couple of tiny cold sore blisters around my eye. I buzzed for a nurse.
"What can I do for you Marie", asked Karl, one of the Charge nurses.
"I think I've got cold sores in my eye", I replied, "I often get them. When I do I have to go to the Eye Infirmary and they give me some Zovirax specially for the eye".
"Leave it with me", he said.

Five minutes later he came back with a laptop computer. He was able to access my notes from the Eye Infirmary and found the ointment they prescribe for me.
"I'll get one of the doctors to come and have a look at your eye, just to make sure. Then I'll get them to prescribe the Zovirax".

Ten minutes later and the doctor had finished examining my eye and she was happy for Karl to order the Zovirax from the Pharmacy.

By seven o'clock that evening I still hadn't received the Zovirax nor had I received any stronger painkillers…

Shortly before 10pm Kay arrived with the final batch of IV antibiotics. She connected me to the drip but the liquid wasn't dripping through the chamber. She gave the line a squeeze as that usually forces it to start dripping. I yelled out in agony.
"Oh, I'm really sorry", she said apologising.
She looked at my hand then shook her head, "I'm going to have to remove the Venflon".
"Please don't say I have to have another one put in", I said, staring at my hands and arms which were a mass of bruises.
She prodded my arms trying to find a decent vein then shook her head again at not being able to find anything suitable.
"I'll have a word with the on-call doctor", she said.

Half an hour later she returned.
"Good new Marie", she said, "the doctor says you can start your oral antibiotics a day early".

My poor arms and hands breathed a sigh of relief. They had a night off from being used as a pin cushion….