Saturday mornings are quiet on the ward. Not many patients - 3 in a ward with 6 beds. Lots of checking of paperwork & screens.
The woman who was admitted & treated in the night seems to have an infection which developed after surgery. She had a high temperature, but seems much better this morning.The American student, who drove me mad on her computer last night, seems fine & is pressurising staff about having her op today. She doesn't seem to grasp that non urgent procedures aren't done at the weekend to fit into her busy schedule. Eventually I think she went home.
Staff are infinitely patient, unlike impatient patients. I was shocked to discover that nurses do 12 hour shifts & alternate day / night rotations regularly.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/nhs-crisis-diary-student-nurses-8279420
It can't be good for their body clocks. How can they possibly remain alert & give patients the care they need? The only reason for it I can see is financial, or there simply aren't enough nurses to do shorter shifts & better rotations. It's can only be a short term solution - nurses will leave, because no one can keep that up indefinitely.
I'm better than I thought but surprisingly tired by showering & answering emails on my phone. Relaxing on a very comfy, adjustable bed is lovely.
The surgeon comes to do the after surgery check & says I can go home - all the boxes are ticked. M comes to get me @ 11.30 in between the last day of term events at school. The journey home on Oxford's dreadful roads is very jarring & painful. By the time we get to her house I'm gripping the sides of the seat.
I have a little lunch, a mug of tea & a handful of pills then collapse on the sofa to watch the TV. M departs & then I doze through the tennis all afternoon. It is difficult & painful to move, but it is important to try to walk a bit.
M & the boys come home for supper. D & D come for a drink to see how I am, which is kind & a very cheerful interlude. Then the boys & I watch TV in the evening while M & E go to another end of term "do". The boys & I go to bed at the same time - I am completely exhausted & desperate to lie down. The pills do dull the pain, but there is still continuous nagging pain with intermittant acute pain when I move or try to do something, like getting into bed.
Sleep eludes me so I hear M coming home.
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