The Hospital Hokey Cokey : You go in to... - Asthma Community ...

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The Hospital Hokey Cokey

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador
20 Replies

You go in to a&e,

Out of a&e,

In, out, in, out,

And they pump you full of drugs,

You wait and wait to see, if they’ve a bed for you

And that’s what it’s all about!

😂😂😂

Oh the joys. At least today I had the entertainment of the a&e triage GP panicking, him wheeling me to resus and telling me off along the way for not getting an ambulance in... 😅😂. Because he panicked, I’m not on the computer system yet so they can’t send off my blood work 🤣

But I’m better than I was yesterday and responding quicker to the nebs. The questions are; more hydro or not, do I need mag sulphate, and do I need keeping in?

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EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91
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20 Replies
emmasue profile image
emmasue

Oh no! I hope you feel better soon. Take care of yourself. xxx

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador in reply to emmasue

Thank you x

PMRPete profile image
PMRPete

Sounds wonderful!!

Lysistrata profile image
LysistrataAdministratorCommunity Ambassador

Ugh! Sounds like you do need to stay given it's a bounce, assuming they have a bed. Hope you feel better soon either way! Magic mag time maybe? ;)

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador in reply to Lysistrata

Who knows. Majors is a little quieter today - there are actually empty bays! (yesterday they were completely full hence why I stayed in majors lite) - so I may be able to nab a bed 🤔.

Responded well to nebs (as always), and I /think/ my wheeze has disappeared (its defo calmed!). PF has reaches the heights of 410 🤗, however only 30mins post back to back nebs so 😅😬. Not sure if they’re gonna give me anything else 🤷‍♀️ - I hope so or else I know I’ll just drop again 🙄.

My HR (133+) and BP (149/90) are worrying them tho, plus I know the short walk to the loo caused my chest to tighten (but self-resolved).

Think I missed dinner - luckily I brought my own sandwich with me today 😂

Lysistrata profile image
LysistrataAdministratorCommunity Ambassador in reply to EmmaF91

yeah I find they get led astray sometimes as I respond to nebs then go back to square 1! If they see me in the good period then I get sent home and bounce :( hopefully they will be paying attention to this already being a bounce and do something more even if not staying! I hope they're not doing the 'ooh you had lots of salb, that's why the HR' line. Enjoy the *whole* sandwich lol.

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador in reply to Lysistrata

Yup - I’m the patient that refuses to leave before I’ve maintained the 4hrs post neb - each time I do I’m back the next day 🙄😅 (yesterday left 2hrs post neb and woke up less than 50% this morning). At least I still have my muttley laugh so at least I sound bad then 🤣.

Yes I’m hoping that they get that this is a return bounce, not a paranoid patient!

I always get told that about my HR - it’s either high cause of the drugs or high cause of infection. I’ve been 107+ for 1-2 years (unless 100% well and asymptomatic then it’s 70-80). Every ECG says sinus tachy, my GP once spotted an anomaly but it never went anywhere. My heart rate swings from 107-130 and back in minutes when observed when ill. Freaked them out today tho as when I turned up it was 157 (I had stood in a line and walked forward a few steps 😂😅).

Yes I’m looking forward to enjoying the whole sandwich to myself (with extra meat!) 🤤 🤣

Lysistrata profile image
LysistrataAdministratorCommunity Ambassador in reply to EmmaF91

Good for you! A side effect of asthma for me is losing my backbone - I find it very hard to be insistent after internalising years of 'stop making such a fuss you hypochondriac'. I did try to argue for myself last time when they were determined to chuck me out of the ward before I was ready (against official guidelines too, and not even a bed issue as they had spare) but got nowhere so it doesn't make me want to try again :(

ugh I wish they would get the concept of asthma increasing HR! it is actually in the guidelines too but nope it's always about the nebs. Or one time 'oh you're only breathless because you had too much salbutamol and it made your heart rate go up'.

Apart from anything else I work in a science-focused industry and I find it really annoying when they just trot out stuff without thinking and don't pay attention eg if it is just salb then why does it jump right up when I make even the slightest movement during attacks? Ditto when I am not mid attack but struggling at home - I have discovered since getting my new Samsung with a sensor (good to play with lol) that my heart *can* actually behave itself. I had assumed it was always tachy because the only time anyone measured it was when I was having asthma issues, but now know that nope, I can manage 65-70ish at times when lungs are having a rare nap lol and I am doing nothing whatsoever!

One of my least favourite things is getting potted lectures about why I am wrong/cannot have a treatment etc from someone who clearly has zero idea about how it all works and is factually incorrect! I don't think I know more than all of them but sometimes they really don't know anything about asthma and it is scary, plus annoying when they can't believe any patient might know more about their own condition.

oops ranting again..sorry! I hope there is a decision and it is a good one!

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador in reply to Lysistrata

Usually once I’ve been to a hospital a few times they get to know me so I don’t have to fight to stay - usually they stick me in a chair and leave me be til times up. Yes I’ve been unexpected chucked off a ward with start of infection, then 2 days later I was almost intubated 😤.

I always surprise them when we chat - they always assume I work in a hospital 😅 - no I’m just a frequent flyer and an osteopath!

Luckily I’ve had a really good doc (just seen him). Gave him my ‘paperwork’ with history, drugs, allergies etc, he responded with ‘oooh - you know your condition well - what do you think you need?’ 😂. I told him I was unsure as I’m not my ‘normal’ asthma self (bad due to illness not a trigger). He checked bloods, infection markers down so no iv antibiotics, but getting a mag bag and hydrocortisone 🤗.

He’s also referred me to medics as I said I didn’t want to keep yo-yoing in and out and didn’t know if I had stabilised yet.

Fingers crossed this will calm if down and I’ll get out tomorrow! Don’t worry about the rant - I’ve done it plenty of times!

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador in reply to EmmaF91

Ah crap. Just realised that if I have hydrocortisone now, I’m not going to sleep tonight... esp if it’s 200 😩😴🤦‍♀️

Lol,ooow hokey pokey ,knees bent arms bent

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador in reply to

Ooooh wheezy wheezy chest,

Ooooh asthma, asthma meds,

Ooooh side-a, side effects,

Needles, bruises, cough, cough, cough

🤣 - think I’ve gone a bit crazy in here 🤪

in reply to EmmaF91

I agree with you on that one Emma haha

hypercat54 profile image
hypercat54

This sounds awful but lucky you have a good sense of humour. I think you need it with the state of the NHS these days! Hope you feel better soon and are home. x

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador in reply to hypercat54

I’m not that bad (compared to how bad I have been in the past). I’ve done this enough times to accept its laugh and joke about it, or curl up in a corner and cry. At least the jokes make other people smile, and makes the docs and nurses like me!

Thank you - I’m finally at the point where I don’t mind if I stay or if I go, I just want to stop yo-yoing between the 2!

Erin001 profile image
Erin001

Sorry to hear your not good

I'm glad your feeling a bit better

Hope your not in there for too long xx

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador

So I’m free to go home. I had hydrocortisone and a neb last night at about 5ish (allergic reaction to something), and another neb this morning so I’m wheeze free and they’re happy for me to leave. They’ll give me a spare epi-pen as I seem to have lost mine 😳

I think I’m good to go home too so hopefully I won’t be back again for a while! I hope this holds and isn’t a false feeling from all the drugs I’ve had recently. Can’t wait to sleep in my own bed!!!!

Fingers crossed!

EmmaF91 profile image
EmmaF91Community Ambassador in reply to EmmaF91

Update: can’t go home as there are no epipens anywhere in the hospital. None in pharmacy, a&e, immunology etc, nada. Because of the reaction last night/this morning my doctors don’t want me leave without one. Trust me to misplace the one item they don’t have in stock!

My parents are now ransacking my room to try and find it. My gut says it’s fallen out of my med bag somewhere in my room, however we have decorators in so I can’t even commit to that

Argh... my stupid brain!!! 😤😤😤🤬🤬🤬 To top it off my ‘emotional’ side has come out from the pred and all I want to do is cry (quite literally cried over Costa hot chocolate!) 😭😭😅

I just want to go home as I was promised at 10/11 this morning!

Think positive - they’re keeping me in for the 24hrs no nebs obs protocol, not because there is a nationwide shortage of ‘pens!

Get better soon Emma.

Destiny10 profile image
Destiny10

Hope you feel better soon xx

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