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2007 - June 29th - Friday

Mary went to Tavistock to do some of her voluntary sorting at the Oxfam bookshop; she was going to call in on Lyn Headon {when changing buses} but there was a fire-alarm alert at the Hospital – so nobody could go in just at that minute.  JH made some phone calls, including having a conversation with Tony Yeldham, the Chaplain in Derriford Hospital.  JH got a ready meal out of her freezer for lunch.  At 4.00pm, the District Nurse, Jackie Scullion, called to attend to JH’s Dressing: Jackie still had not received any information from the RLH; furthermore she did not have any large dressings; in any event, when she removed the dressing, she decided that the wound did not require any further dressing.  JH was told that she could, now, shower - which would be a step in the right direction as she (JH of course) had been splashing rather a lot of water about the bathroom whilst washing her hair in a bowl. 


 

Jackie asked JH about the latter’s degree of pain which JH stated was, at times, 7/10 on her Scale; Jackie said that JH was getting break-through pain, in spite of using the fentanyl patches and taking paracetamol, therefore she advised JH to speak to her GP – she recommended that JH should ask for some oromorph; JH expressed her apprehension about taking another opiate analgesic which would increase her collywobbles, but Jackie said that JH should take half the usual dose, and that she was sure that JH would find her pain adequately controlled once established on this regime. 

JH rang the GP’s Surgery and explained the situation to the Receptionist: Dr Hateley was busy with his evening clinic; the Surgery closed at 6.00pm; however, the Receptionist would speak with Dr Hateley and phone JH back.  Mary then – apparently – phoned to check if her mobile was working properly, as JH received a CM message, after she had been on the phone herself.  After this, and because JH did not receive a return call from the Surgery, JH tried to phone the GP again: JH’s phone appeared to be dead!  JH went next door and explained the situation to Vicky who seemed to be also having problems with her landline; Vicky was quite prepared to phone the GP on her mobile but this needed charging; JH said that she would go back and listen for her own phone to ring; however, eventually JH got a dialling tone! 

JH explained to the Receptionist that Vicky would come and collect a prescription, if one could be ‘extracted’ from Dr Hateley; by this time it was coming up for 5.30pm, so JH told Vicki that she had made contact, and asked Vicki if she could nip off to St Neot’s Surgery Now!  Shortly after 6.00pm Alistair came home in his van - but he had obviously been phoned by Vicky, who explained where she had rushed off to.  Vicky arrived back about 6.15pm with the oromorph: she had had to go to two pharmacies, because the one at Ford Park had told her that they were not permitted to issue oromorph [presumably because it is an opiate]; however, Vicki managed to get to the Co-operative Pharmacy up in Higher St Budeaux before they shut.

JH took a full dose of the oromorph, ie, 5ml, and so consequently was like a zombie all evening: JH thought that it was rather difficult to measure a 5ml teaspoonful in the plastic spoon provided with the syrup, as she found that the syrup dribbled everywhere, in other words, a small syringe could be considered more practical.  Mary arrived back shortly afterwards, so JH explained why she was walking around like a druggie!  JH stopped taking any paracetamol, but took half the dose of oromorph on a regular basis for the next several days.

2007 - June 30th - Saturday

At JH’s request, Mary measured THE incision: +/- 20cm/8in.  JH received/made phone calls: from Norman, who also spoke to Mary; from Ann – and also spoke to Stefanie, and Johannes; JH rang Sharon, who also spoke to Mary. 

Ann’s family were having a barbeque in the garden; JH thanked Stefanie for some photos she had recently sent by email; JH cannot remember if Johannes has just returned, or is about to gad off to foreign climes – with regards to his work, of course: JH found an email, dated in June, saying that Johannes will be going to Australia in July.  Kathy left CM message but JH finally spoke to K: she reported that she was ‘taking her time’; she had a urine infection; she was still having to watch he diet – and her fluid intake, of course; she was chatting to Lilian (patient ‘opposite’ JH’s bed), who was able to walk down the Ward to visit Kathy – as Kathy was not able to do the reverse.
 
Lyn phoned, and reported that she had met Mary ‘in town’, and told Mary that JH was in today’s Herald!  So, when Mary returned from her shopping trip, she thrust Chris Robinson’s column Looking Back under JH’s nose: so JH’s report on doing Midwifery Training, Part II, in Plymouth in 1966, just happened to be printed in THAT Saturday’s Paper!


 
 
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