- The small intestine is unable to digest and/or absorb the correct amount of nutrients.
- The body is not able to reabsorb fluids produced by the intestine.
These factors can therefore contribute to malnutrition and dehydration."
This isn't my first stay on IFU. When I was told I was coming up here last year after my pouch formation operation I sobbed and sobbed. For literally 6 hours.
I had heard stories from other patients that once they got their claws into you up there you never got out for months on end and whilst it's true, there are indeed some long stay patients, trust me they want the beds so if you are well enough to go home they don't keep you in for the hell of it.
Also the very name just upset me. You feel ill and rubbish already and then find yourself on a ward for 'failures'.
But it wasn't that bad. It's just very different from Fredrick Salmon (FS) the surgical ward.
FS is a super busy ward with patients coming from theatre recovery at all times of the day and night. They may have had minor operations and be in and out in a few days or have had major surgeries and be very, very ill and there for weeks. The nurses bustle around and there is a sense of urgency attached to most tasks. There's machines beeping, patients crying out in pain, vomiting and it's 24/7.
IFU is much quieter and while a full ward, the pace is gentler and seems more peaceful. There is a lovely big dayroom on both wards with a TV, a fridge so you can store nibbles and tea/coffee making facilities. There is also a laundry so that patients can do washing/ironing for free which is handy when you don't get frequent visitors and are running out of clean knickers. We are very spoilt here compared to some other hospitals I've stayed in!
The bays are much bigger so you get more space around your bed and I've got a window bay with views over Wembley stadium and The City.
It's a bit cloudy today so you can't really see all the buildings but on a really sunny day the view is lovely, especially as I still consider myself a tourist when it comes to London.
The patients though are a funny bunch. Just today a lady in my bay has been told she can go home tomorrow after being in since October and she's crying. She doesn't want to go and thinking of every excuse under the sun as to why she needs to stay in.
I can kind of understand it. When you've been in hospital for a while the prospect of going home can seem quite frightening as in hospital there's a safety net of doctors, nurses, medication etc around you if you fall ill or get worse. Going home there's none of that. Just your hubby, a box of medication and 999 in an emergency! But if the doctors tell me I'm well enough to go home, I'm packing my bags and there's no stopping me!
Then there's the 'regulars'. Those who yo-yo in and out and treat the IFU like a second home. One nurse once disclosed to me that she thought some patients deliberately made themselves ill in order to get back onto the ward, even putting faeces down their Hickman line to deliberately cause an infection.
I would just like to point out at this moment that is not how my line infections occurred!! And I hope I don't end up becoming a regular or acting like one!
Its sad really that some people are so ill or have so little support at home that they would rather be in hospital. Like I've said, compared to some hospitals this is like a hotel but I would always, always much rather be at home.
Some of the regulars even bring their own TVs if they're in for a long time to avoid paying the tv charges. Again, its better here than at Princess Alexandra hospital which was £10 a day for the tv. Here it's £3.50 a day for the first 10 days and then it drops to £1.70 after that. I reckon I could have bought a 50" plasma screen with the money I've spent paying for the bedside tvs in hospitals over the last few years! Sadly the bed I'm in at the moment doesn't have a tv unit as its broken but I've already bagsied the bed of the lady going home. I will lose my window but at least I will be able to watch a bit of tv in bed and it's closer to the loo!
The food is ok and tailored as you would imagine for people with 'belly problems'. There's a restaurant, W H Smiths and costa coffee here along with a green grocers stall during the week so you can usually buy what you need or want if you fancy something not on the menu.
So that's a little overview of where I am at the moment.
Today I'm feeling happier than last night. I slept well and things are moving through the plumbing now so I feel much better. I've just had my usual mash and gravy for lunch but thought I would go wild and have a yoghurt afterwards. I wish I hadn't bothered though as now my tummy hurts and I'm lying down hoping it will pass soon.
I've been having some funny spasmy pains in my rectum for a few days now and have so far resisted the medication they want to give me for it as my aim is to eventually be medication free.
But I've decided that I'm only 2 weeks post op, I've plenty of time to get off medication in the future and that there's no point sitting here being a martyr so they're starting the new tablet tonight. Lets hope it helps as this pain literally is a pain in the arse!
NB x
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