Day 47 – Mummified

Sunday 25th October 2009

The crepe bandage dressing that Sister Charlton had put on yesterday didn’t survive the night. When I woke the bandage was around my ankle, though the dressing had thankfully remained in place. I unravelled the bandage and wrapped it as best as I could around my hip. I’d never make a good nurse….

“Here’s your lunch Marie”, announced Sister Clarke, as she came into my room.
I looked at the plate she was holding, “no jacket potatoes and salad”.
“Not today it seems. It’s vegetable curry”, she replied, opening the two plastic packets and emptying the contents onto the plate.
“Sadly we couldn’t get the steak and chips you asked for”, she winked.
“No problem”, I replied, “how about sausage, chips and Pease pudding”.
“Urghhh”, she said, scrunching her face, “Pease pudding with sausage and chips”.
“You should try it, it’s lovely”.
“I like them Pease pudding but not with sausage and chips”.
“You don’t know what you’re missing”, I laughed.

Susamma, one of the staff nurses came to change my dressing after lunch and I was wrapped in so much crepe bandage, that I looked like a mummy !!!

I was really pleased that John had brought me some sandwiches that afternoon, as by the time the dinner trolley had arrived at our end of the ward, they had ran out of food. Surely someone on the ward would have informed the catering department how many patients there are on the ward. You couldn’t make it up…

Popped into see Mary after evening visitors had gone and she gave me a ‘friendship’ key ring. That was so sweet of her. When I got back to my room I attached it to the zip on my reading glasses case.

We made a promise to go out for a steak and chips meal when we leave hospital. I really wanted to keep in touch with her as she was a lovely lady. She really made my time on ward 44 bearable and I didn’t know what I would have done without her.

My hand, where the Venflon line had been inserted, was really itchy and sore. They’re only supposed to be kept in for 72 hours and it was getting close to that time now. I still had another day of IV antibiotics so another line would have to be put in. Where, I don’t know, as all my veins were shot to pieces.

The men in the bay opposite my room were really noisy. As usually there was always one who liked to be the centre of attention and loved the sound of his own voice. He was extremely vulgar and kept swearing all the time, which set the other men off to do the same.

Doctor Miska called into see me and I told him about what had happened with my wound. He put his hands to his face in horror.
“You owe me some smarties”, I said.
“We never bet on it”, he replied.
I told him that I was thinking of asking if they could change the name plate on my door to read ‘Marie’s room’ and that I would like the room decorated as I was bored with magnolia.
He laughed, “where’s the positively I keep telling you to have”.
“And I keep telling you I don’t have any”, I replied.
“Be positive”, he said, putting his two thumbs up, then left.

Wilma, the miserable night nurse was in a jokey mood that evening which was most unusual. My bandage had been slowly falling down all day so by the evening it was in a bit of a mess.
“What have you been doing”, she laughed, when she saw the bandage.
She re-bandaged my dressing then took my blood pressure.
“114. That’s high for you. Are you feeling ok”, she joked.
It must have been raise by the thoughts of you being nice I thought to myself….