Jane had a really good night once the drain had been removed and she slept through until 6am without any need for sister morphine. I say she slept through, she would have done if she hadn’t been woken at 3am by a nurse for her blood pressure to be taken. She takes all these things with such good grace, if someone had woken me from a deep sleep at that time of the morning after the experience she has just had I would have pulled their head from the their body – but that’s just me.
This morning she was told that her first chemo would be before midday and although she wasn’t looking forward to it, she did want the journey to start. I got a text from her at lunchtime saying the chemo wasn’t going to happen today due to staff shortages. This is where I go ballistic! So to save on paying for extra nurses the NHS management are prepared to pay for Jane’s stay for an extra night, have a bed out of action and worse still have a significant impact on her emotional balance. I feel certain that the road to a good recovery in hospital is good, friendly staff; a pleasant environment and managing the patients expectations. Lincoln hospital is only getting 1 out of 3 and I’m being generous about the staff.
Having harangued a junior doctor we have been assured that the chemo will happen tomorrow but they will now keep her in until Saturday to make sure she’s ok.
In the meantime life goes on and Jane’s vegetable plot keeps yielding courgettes and runner beans with the prospect of a trug full of French beans when I pick them tomorrow. Tonight I’m going to have the beans with one of Jane’s prepared spaghetti Bolognese from the freezer.
Even from her hospital bed she continues to look after me.
Steve, Thank you for your posts. Delighted to hear that Jane can now breathe more easily. Emotionally it is very tough on the patient, and therefore the loved one, when the chemo is postponed. I do hope the rest of the treatment goes smoothly.
Fabulous to see the wonderful veg you are growing. We used to grow our own and then stopped many years ago mainly because our neighbour had enormous conifers in her garden which was home to an increasing number of magpies which just destroyed our crops for several years until we gave up.
Now we are in our new home I am growing soft fruit again and might think about runner beans and broad beans as you really cannot buy good stuff in the shops.
Best wishes
Liz
Hi Liz – Jane is really appreciating your comments and wise advice from someone who has been through the experience. The veg plot is all Jane’s hard work, I’m the under gardener – my job is to lift the bales of compost and push the wheelbarrow around. Of course, whilst she’s in hospital I’ve been promoted to the gardener vacancy but I know how she likes things done so I’m not making any changes. We’re very pleased with what we’ve achieved in the three months since we moved in and look forward to having a full years planting.
We also have pests in the form of wood pigeons and moles but I’m sure we will learn to coexist. Love & hugs Steve
So frustrating for you both. I was “lucky” in Talbot Butler ward,NGH………care was brilliant with so many chemo trained nurses on duty. Fingers crossed chemo will start tomorrow as promised.
Veggies look amazing! x
There was an article in today’s Times that the NHS is a postcode lottery and it seems Lincolnshire is not one of the winners. Today they were closing beds in the unit Jane was in because of a shortage of staff. There is some serious mismanagement going on in Lincoln. It may be because the county is the fastest growing region in the country and the infrastructure cannot cope.
Thanks for your comments and support – its really appreciated.
It seems that nothing is guaranteed to happen when it’s supposed to happen in the NHS. Hope they get themselves sorted for tomorrow. Enjoy your dinner Steve.
Hi Martin – you’re so right and although the junior doctor was very apologetic, it was not his fault and it was obvious he was working in an organisation that is poorly managed. At one point today there must have been 3 doctors and 6 nurses sitting around the nurses station. There are only 2 PCs there so they weren’t writing up case notes. Why couldn’t one of them started the chemo – because they weren’t trained! You wouldn’t get that at Tesco they’d be asking for multi-skillers to go to the checkouts when a queue forms.