Just had best part of 4 days in the big medical repair facility, some tubes in the atmospheric processing plant needed attention.
OK they sorted out the infection fine, staff were great , but I think the organisation and attention to detail could have been a lot better.
I had to demand they let me out before I went stir crazy! As it was an emergency admission I went in with only pyjamas, vest, socks and slippers and some of my meds, no toiletries, razor, comb, not being that mobile initially, I started to feel a little unkempt shall we say, at times approaching rank as the heating level was a bit on the warm side.
Daytime routine didn't allow for much rest let alone sleep, temp, blood pressure, blood sugar, pulse etc about every 2 hours, medication, drinks trolley - coffee > read mud< , tea stewed, so I drank plain milk or orange juice, food has improved slightly since my last stay 5 years ago, now it's pap with some flavour as against flavourless pap. They seem to be able to screw up cereals really well, suspect they add a carefully calculated amount of milk in the kitchen to the corn flakes, rice or whatever such that the milk is soaked up completely and you receive a bowl of soggy congealed uneatable mess, Weetabix suffers worst from this treatment.
Nowt to read except the admissions notes which got a bit boring after the first few hours of study. One TV in the room, over the other bed, (wouldn't have used it anyway, astronomical daily rate) no radio. A newspaper trolley did come round, but I've never found anything of interest in the daily media tripe no mater how it is disseminated, press or TV is 90% crap.
Beds are too short for me, especially when the head needed to be raised to aid breathing meaning the body slides down further aggravating the lack of length. Comfort level of mattress and pillows somewhat dire to one used to memory foam.
Night time tended toward bedlam, the main doors to the area were immediately outside my room, closed at night but in use often, with a very strong return spring with no damping, resulting in a triple series of deafening, room shaking bangs, on the best night this only happened about 3 times, but one night I stopped counting after 4 crashes in 40 minutes; once these doors had done their main task of ensuring one was awake, the call alarm beep, telephones and staff chatter/laughter with added drawer and cupboard banging and chairs scraping the floor served to continue one's wakeful state, any lucky fall back to sleep was soon negated by that door again. Closing the room door reduced the alarm and phone sound, but meant temperature rose needing use of a fan noisy and got too cold after a while and/or open window then probs with wind and rain
Result I estimate a total of about 3.5 to 4 hours sleep total from Monday morning to Thursday afternoon when I escaped after an ultimatum, "let me out or I'll self discharge"
I didn't find out until the last morning that the bed foot could be extended! That door could have been silenced considerably with either adjustment to the closing mech or at least some sort of sound absorbing buffer, even a decent draught excluder beading would help. Alarms and phones could be reduced volume after say 10 pm. Some form of lighting control from near the bed head would be good, not just a wall mounted bank of switches about 8 foot from me and probably 15 foot for the other bloke in the room, even the alarm call button was not illuminated.
Got home, got clean, got dressed, ordered Chinese meal delivery. Choice of pleasant music, local paper to read. BLISS.
Slept nearly 8 hours with only one nature call about 5.30, got up about 10am, Respiratory support team member arrived as I was getting dressed, let her in, spent about 45 minutes having blood pressure etc taken, chest listened to, instruction and practice on using new inhalers; finally able to see her out, (noticed in so doing first roses have come out while I was in dock) took normal daily meds plus 3 temporary additions, then
BREAKFAST, Tesco Value weetabix clone with right amount of milk warmed just so in Microwave and a cup of Cafe Latte.
I didn't find out until the last morning that the bed foot could be extended! That door could have been silenced considerably with either adjustment to the closing mech or at least some sort of sound absorbing buffer, even a decent draught excluder beading would help. Alarms and phones could be reduced volume after say 10 pm. Some form of lighting control from near the bed head would be good, not just a wall mounted bank of switches about 8 foot from me and probably 15 foot for the other bloke in the room, even the alarm call button was not illuminated.
Thought for future reference, have an emergency bag packed at al times, include a portabe radio and headphones, reading matter, ear plugs as well as toiletries and a change of clothes.
Further thoughts, get GP to submit request to local council for upgrading band for admission to sheltered accomodation, prepare to get rid of this pile of bricks I'm in.
Rewrite will to remove certain vulture type offspring who only make any contact if they think there maybe summat in it for them, like "Can I have the car/PC/TV/Cameras/any or all of the above. Had calls from at least 2 within 2 hours of leaving home in the ambulance, neither heard from in 4 years