There is a very strict routine on the ward. The day begins at 6am, although I have to go to the toilet around 3 times during the night which is annoying, I miss the catheter! So at 6am the nurse comes and does observations which is temperature, blood pressure, oxygen level and heart rate, I have IV antisickness which is 20 minutes, then IV paractemol for half an hour and then an IV antibiotic for half an hour. So I usually go back to sleep after the observations and just leave my arm out so the nurse can swap over my IVs! Or some mornings I am wide awake so I just stay awake and go on my phone.
Then at 8am breakfast arrives. By this time I'm starving so I love hearing the breakfast trolley come round! I have two pieces of toast with orange juice followed by rice krispies (I am a creature of habit and I ate this everyday for 2 weeks). When I had heart failure I was never hungry and I couldn't eat until much later in the day so it's amazing to be hungry when I wake up and I stock up on food at breakfast time to get my energy for the day! Then after breakfast I take all my pills at 10am.
There's no physios on a sunday so I went back to sleep for a bit after breakfast. Nicole is back in though (the girl I met when I was in for my assessment), I think she came to see me on saturday when I was in a strop but I can't remember. But it's nice to see a friendly face and have a catch up with her!
It's mother's day today, so I'm gutted I can't spend it with my mum, she's going to my aunty Jenny's for dinner with my grandparents. But she came to see me with grandma and Victoria before they headed to Jenny's and we sat in the day room for a bit but I was sooo tired! I have been taking the odd codeine when my pain won't subside and it makes me so drowsy it's awful! Sometimes it completely knocks me out. So I went to sleep when they left, I'm sleeping a lot more now I'm on the ward but that'll be because I'm doing more.
In the afternoon my dad, Emily and grandad Tom came to see me which was nice! Grandad came to visit while I was in CTCCU as well, he's been staying at my dads for the week so it was nice to see them again now I was in Pjs and on the ward. We had a good chat and it does make me tired having visitors but it makes the day go quicker at least, but I cancelled on Ciaran coming in the evening because I had zero energy left and I just lay half asleep. It's annoying because you can't go to sleep when you want because then I have the same routine in the evening.
So I have IV paracetemol roughly evrry 5/6 hours for half an hour. And I have antisickness at 8am, 4pm and 8pm. After antisickness it's then IV paracetemol and IV antibiotic like in the morning and then I have toast and hot chocolate at around 9pm and then I take all my oral pills at 10pm. I actually really enjoy routine so hospital life suits me! I also find that this routine prevents me suffering from dizziness and sickness, I have to eat regularly and take all my medicine on time so it helps me to not forget although the nurses usually come and do it, but sometimes they need reminding that my pain meds are due. I've never taken pain killers even for headaches so the IV paracetemol works a treat and they say its better to stay on top of it than to be in pain and have to try and get rid of it.
Then at 8am breakfast arrives. By this time I'm starving so I love hearing the breakfast trolley come round! I have two pieces of toast with orange juice followed by rice krispies (I am a creature of habit and I ate this everyday for 2 weeks). When I had heart failure I was never hungry and I couldn't eat until much later in the day so it's amazing to be hungry when I wake up and I stock up on food at breakfast time to get my energy for the day! Then after breakfast I take all my pills at 10am.
There's no physios on a sunday so I went back to sleep for a bit after breakfast. Nicole is back in though (the girl I met when I was in for my assessment), I think she came to see me on saturday when I was in a strop but I can't remember. But it's nice to see a friendly face and have a catch up with her!
It's mother's day today, so I'm gutted I can't spend it with my mum, she's going to my aunty Jenny's for dinner with my grandparents. But she came to see me with grandma and Victoria before they headed to Jenny's and we sat in the day room for a bit but I was sooo tired! I have been taking the odd codeine when my pain won't subside and it makes me so drowsy it's awful! Sometimes it completely knocks me out. So I went to sleep when they left, I'm sleeping a lot more now I'm on the ward but that'll be because I'm doing more.
In the afternoon my dad, Emily and grandad Tom came to see me which was nice! Grandad came to visit while I was in CTCCU as well, he's been staying at my dads for the week so it was nice to see them again now I was in Pjs and on the ward. We had a good chat and it does make me tired having visitors but it makes the day go quicker at least, but I cancelled on Ciaran coming in the evening because I had zero energy left and I just lay half asleep. It's annoying because you can't go to sleep when you want because then I have the same routine in the evening.
So I have IV paracetemol roughly evrry 5/6 hours for half an hour. And I have antisickness at 8am, 4pm and 8pm. After antisickness it's then IV paracetemol and IV antibiotic like in the morning and then I have toast and hot chocolate at around 9pm and then I take all my oral pills at 10pm. I actually really enjoy routine so hospital life suits me! I also find that this routine prevents me suffering from dizziness and sickness, I have to eat regularly and take all my medicine on time so it helps me to not forget although the nurses usually come and do it, but sometimes they need reminding that my pain meds are due. I've never taken pain killers even for headaches so the IV paracetemol works a treat and they say its better to stay on top of it than to be in pain and have to try and get rid of it.
Great to hear that you are recovering so well! Keep the updates coming and can I ask about the pain killers? Are they needed for the sternum, ribs and muscle recovery from the surgery? I know what i'd be telling them waking me at 6am!! All the best M
ReplyDeleteThankyou! Yes, so I don't have any pain in my sternum as it's actually numb still so I don't know if that will come as the feeling comes back, just have to wait and see! But I have a sore chest, it's like having sore muscles after going to the gym all across my chest. And I get pains under my breasts where the pacing wires were, that's more of a sharp pain but that's just when I move in a dodgy way occasionally. The pain is no where near as bad as I imagined, and now I'm home oral paracetemol is enough, I mostly only take it in the morning when I wake up :)
ReplyDeleteThankyou! Yes, so I don't have any pain in my sternum as it's actually numb still so I don't know if that will come as the feeling comes back, just have to wait and see! But I have a sore chest, it's like having sore muscles after going to the gym all across my chest. And I get pains under my breasts where the pacing wires were, that's more of a sharp pain but that's just when I move in a dodgy way occasionally. The pain is no where near as bad as I imagined, and now I'm home oral paracetemol is enough, I mostly only take it in the morning when I wake up :)
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