What a horrible 4 weeks. So after a year no infections with Bronchiectasis and being so careful around Covid ended up getting Nephroctic Syndrome of the kidneys. Still waiting for full biopsy results but it gave me awful fluid retention and I swelled up from ankles to abdomen even gave me small pleural effusions in lungs. All due to low blood albumin & way too much protein in urine. I usually weigh 8 & and a half stone but balloned up to 13 stone with fluid with the risk of blood clots and high chlolesterol and low calcium. Started on huge doses of steroids and IV frusemide. All going Ok weight reducing and blood results improving. In our hospital bay had 1st confused lady shouting out for 3 nights till she developed bad cough so was moved into isolation. So then get 2nd dementia patient moved in who kept getting into my bed at night and one time she sat down heavily on my huge swollen legs and I ended up screaming for the nurses to get her off.
So finally yesterday Consultant who knew i used to be nurse said i could go home and carry on treatment before clinic appointment in a week. Sit waiting for tablets to be sorted when the Drs appear again and tell me I've caught Covid from 1st confused lady. I could have wept after months of being so careful. Had felt a little off colour and hot bt had put it down to all the medication I was started on.
Decide I could still be discharged but to return immediately if any Covid symptoms start. Waddle out to my friend's car in full PPE and got home finally at 9pm
Because of awful pain and Steroids side effects have not slept and feel exhausted which isn't helping . Even before starting steroids had so little rest at the hospital due to the noisy confused ladies
Thsnk you for letting me offload all this on the forum
Hattie
Written by
shouty
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I am so sorry that you have caught Covid on top of your other health difficulties .I have been put in a ward with dementia patients in the past, and this was before Covid , so I have some idea what you went through.
Do you have help at home, with food preparation etc. If not can friends leave supplies at your door
As a nurse you will know when to ring for help , if you need to return to hospital.
Keep in contact here too, there is usually some one about , often in the middle of the night. Offload as much as you need .
thank you.My friend filled the fridge before I got home & even set up a Christmas tree for me &there was an advent calendar under it. She had put the heating on so lovely and warm. Am so lucky to have such amazing mates Have you been on steroids ? Seem to be causing insomnia
So Sorry to hear this Shouty, Your a Warrior Hun. You have a Very Good Friend, what a pick me up to see your Christmas Tree & Fridge with food in. The Steroids do Cause Insomnia, Have a Book or Music handy for those nights. Wishing you a Speedy Recovery at Home. Love. C. ❤️💕 xxx
I'm so glad you're home! What an awful experience. There are too many stories of confused people causing problems for other patients. Sending you lots of good wishes and hoping you start to feel better soon and can get some sleep 🕊️
Oh my goodness shouty how awful for you. So very sorry to hear you have covid on top of everything else. I’m wishing you a speedy recovery and hope you get some much needed rest. Xxx
Oh shouty, I thought that I had it a bit rough but it is nothing to what you have been going through. They are really goning to have to get a grip on the nursing of dementia patients. The lazy system of shoving them in with other patients is not fit for purpose. They are a danger to themselves and other patients in these conditions and are not receiving the care that they need. The two excuses trotted out, not enough nurses and no funding do not hold water. The government has poured money into the NHS and it is the administrators who have failed to direct it to the right area and nursing them in a controlled environment would take far fewer nurses than are diverted from their duties at present on an open ward just to cope with their needs and the situations which arise because of the actions of these patients.I do hope that you get better from the covid without being too poorly. Having bronch myself I will be very interested to know how it affects you.
At least make the most of being in your own bed and free of the tyranny of the never ending obs!
thank you yes it was a nightmare for sleep & safety. I knew as soon as lady one stared with hacking cough it would be Covid and being Asian afraid she was spitting on the floor. As a nurse I felt a bit like a babysitter" Nurse shes climbing over the bed rails again" they were so short-staffed one night it was awful. Know wasn't my responsibility to watch the ladies but if they'd fallen and broken hips I'd have felt awful. So far I'm cough free & only got a low grade raised temp but hard to tell what with leg pain & overtired. Luckily the small pleural effusions gone and chest feels like normal for me. Also had 2 endoscopies as they saw a lesion in the stomach on CT scan but thankfully don't think its more than Gastritis.
Am battling on, So Good to chat as admit i was very scared when told about Covid just as I was about to be discharged and of course being ex renal & respiratory nurse know too much sometimes.
What an awful time you have been through as I know there’s nothing like your own bed to help you sleep. You have a good friend to prepare your house (I came back to 6 weeks of filth) must have been lovely.
Easy to say but try not to worry too much your sensible enough to take action when you need.
Talk all you like here support is so essential in difficult times, I know without this group I wouldn’t be as positive as I am
Oh dear Hattie, that sounds just horrible for you! What a lot to have gone through! You are the second person on here who has said they’ve caught covid from a wondering dementia patient. It’s really tricky isn’t it...like you say , so short staffed and dementia patients need so much extra attention...when mixed in a general medical ward.
I pray you don’t get poorly with the covid! Hopefully they can treat your kidney condition and they’ll recover somewhat?!!
Lovely that your friend filled your fridge and put tree 🌲 up! Bless them!
Thank you Dee. Yes the dementia patient care can be pants. I was unfortunate as I had two wards and 2 diffetent "wanderers & shouters" felt rather like their safeguarding person. So happy to be back out in the countryside with birds & sheep
Goodness shouty what an awful time for you. At least you are home to a warm cosy festive house thanks to your wonderful friend. Take care and monitor yourself carefully . Fingers crossed for a mild dose .
I was in hospital when I had my achilles tendon operation and a dementia lady tried to get into my bed- not a nice experience especially as that was my first stay in hospital and had a leg in plaster up to my knee so I couldn't leg it !
What a nightmare for you. When I was in hospital in July the ward had one very confused patient who kept trying to get out of bed. One member of staff was allocated each night to sit with him but, of course, it meant the others had that extra bit of work to tend to the other patients. I know what you mean about 'monitoring' other patients. I was in a 4 bed section of the ward with one other lady who was 98 and very poorly. When she needed attention and didn't have the wherewithal to use her own nurse call, I used to buzz for the nurse on her behalf. As a retired nurse, I could not ignore her need.
I hope that your contact with the covid patient doesn't develop into another problem for you and that you make steady progress now that you are home. Best wishes xx
Thank you will be very careful. Having seen the struggles on the ward my heart goes out to the nurses & the confused distressed patients but I needs sleep so badly 2 weeks of that and was clinging to my sanitySo you take good care too & stay safe x
You poor lady; you really have been through the mill. Hope things will start to improve now and that the covid will not be too bad. Your posts brought back happy memories of being in a cardiac ward where one confused lady with an arm in plaster kept trying to get out of bed and 2 of us delicate cardiac patients had to hold her down before the nurses arrived. By day we were not supposed to exert ourselves; nighttime we had no choice. It sounds a blessing that you were there to look after your ladies and I'm sure the staff appreciated it. I hope now you can have some 'you' time and really look after yourself. xxx
Thank you it does seem that the situation is the same all over. An ex nurse it breaks my heart to see the staff struggle. Really felt for a student nurse who saw all this. It was only her 2nd placement & she just wanted to do everything she could to keep us comfortable. I asked if I could write something nice in her ward assessment folder to show her Tutor and wrote how she will make an excellent nurse and how much we appreciated all she did for us
Wow, what a time you've had. Hopefully, now that you're home you will get some more rest and soon be off the 'dreaded' steroids. I know they are a life saver for us but the side effect of no sleep is hard to cope with. Get well soon shouty. John xx
You've certainly had a rotten time, but what a wonderful welcome home you had! How lovely of your friend to do all that for you. It must have given you a real boost.
I was in hospital with pneumonia and was on oxygen and hooked up to several different bits of equipment. The woman in the bed opposite pulled out her catheter from her wrist and blood started showering everywhere! She was trying to climb over the bed rails. Everyone else was asleep and not a nurse to be seen. I pressed my call bell several times but no one came. Eventually, she was in such danger of falling and (maybe) bleeding to death that I ditched the oxygen and unplugged myself from everything else and moved as quickly as I could to the end of the ward. I looked up the corridor and saw two nurses having a laugh (no criticism - they probably needed it!) so I put on my best Holby City voice and called (as loud as I could manage) 'Can we have some help in here please.' There was a sudden rush of activity while one put me back to bed and the other sorted out the other lady. The thing is, what else can you do when you see something like that happening? It's very stressful when you end up babysitting the other patients when you really need someone to babysit you!
As for the steroids - my last lot really disturbed my sleep greatly, AND gave me the munchies. I put on a stone which I haven't yet managed to lose. Someone said they found making a drink and reading for a while worked for them and I did too - except that while I was at it I raided the cupboards and ate every thing in sight. I found I was awake for a good two hours in the night each time. I haven't had such an effect before - or at least, it's never lasted as long before.
I hope you soon feel better. At least you have your new Kindle books to keep you company while you're up in the night and a good hospital story to keep any visitors entertained! Lol!
Wow you do get it, we were like babysitters. What really upset me was the Ilttle Indian lady was moved into side ward cos suspected Covid as coughing incessantly and 2 hrs later she climbed over bed rails & hit the floor face down fracturing her nose 😔 at first I thought they'd moved her because I was losing the plot after days of no sleep and felt so guilty as thought it was all my fault for making a fuss. The Dr came in to me as I got so distressed but said it was the Covid. Unfortunately for her and me the damage was done as I tested positive for Covid 3 days later 😕 Oh you are so right about the munchies though 🍞🍅🍕🥘🍲🍝🍗🍟🥓 it's a good job my friend stocked up the fridge with healthy stuff before I got home
Do hope you are doing ok at the moment. Stay safe, Hattie x
Bless you Hattie. With what you are going through yourself, to be so thoughtful kind and generous towards someone you know so little about, marks you out as one very special person. Sincere thanks.
What a terrible time you've had and are still having. So glad you have such amazing friends to help you. Steroids do affect your sleep by the way, but things should calm down soon. Hope being at home helps you get better soon and that the Covid symptoms stay mild. Take great care. Sending hugs.
So pleased to hear that you are home Hattie, you at least will be safer. What a trauma you have been through and what a wonderful thoughtful friend to have by your side. Plenty of rest and tlc for you now. Take good care x
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Update on previous post... Dad in hospital 
AM HOME!
One for KOTC
not feeling good
