That was an eventful 10 days!!
It all started on Monday 21 October which was the usual Monday, I needed to head to Chesterfield hospital for a 9:30 appointment to have my line cleaned in my chest, as I have done for the last few weeks. All routinely done there and I head home.
When on getting home I make myself a sandwich for my lunch and sit down to watch telly (now stay with me, I know this is enthralling stuff!). It was a cheese, ham and pickle sandwich!! I quickly finish my sandwich and it was just like someone had injected ice into my veins. I could actually feel the cold flowing round my body and I began shivering and this is on a day with the sun blaring into the living room. I gets the blanket to warm and cover myself up and I sit there and shiver for about 1.5 hrs.
Now, as the caveman that I am, I think this will shift and I’ll be able to shake this off, nothing can defeat me! And then the hot flushes now come to the party and begin to dance all over me, so I’m now baking hot and then freezing cold. I’ve been sat here for the best part of 4 hrs and I go and pick Mel up from work. Within this time I have extensively and tirelessly looked for the thermometer, searching high and low but with no luck but on arrival home Mel manages to find it within 10 seconds. And my temperature reads 39c, anything above 38c I need to ring the hospital straight away, no no no, not me!! “It’ll settle down” “I’ll be fine” “let’s give it 5 mins”
Eventually and reluctantly, I ring the emergency number I have for the hospital and speak to one of my great friends on Hasland Ward and I get that dreaded phrase “oh, get yourself straight in but your not allowed to drive”.
Within the hour, I’m in the Emergency Medical Unit and it’s like a scene from 1945 war torn Britain, noise and bodies everywhere and I’m shuttles into a room so I’m not infected or infecting anyone else. They take my blood pressure, pulse and temp and a bucket full of blood. My temp is down to 38.6c, my pulse is at 120ish and my blood pressure is at 81/54!! Now I don’t have a medical bone in my body but the look on the nurses face tells me that’s not good! I’m given my own room, which actually must’ve been last decorated in 1945 war torn Britain, and a bag of fluid and a bag of antibiotics, I’m told I have to stay in the night for observation. In the meantime I get a visit and told Hasland ward are preparing a room for you, if needed. In the end I was in for 8 days!!
The next day all my blood pressure, pulse and temperature readings were back to normal but they had to find out what this infection was, this dreaded thing that had brought me to my knees. I was sat in my room feeling perfectly fine (obviously I’m not!) and missing the most important meeting off my life. It was a meeting with Sheffield Hallamshire hospital to discuss the results of my PET scan, how the chemo has worked and what the next plan was for my stem cell transplant. I had to ring them and tell them I couldn’t make it, my heart sank as I’ve built this up over the last few weeks.
I’m having blood tests on a daily basis by now and then there’s a bit of a breakthrough, I’m told that they’ve found bacteria in my line in my chest and that’s the cause of the infection..........but nobody in our team of microbiologists has ever seen this bacteria before, they have no idea what it is so it’s being sent to Derby for a closer look and to find out what it is. Only I, the great knobhead, could this happen too, I know I’m unique and a one off but to come up with a bacteria no one has seen before is now taking the piss.
So, we patiently (or impatiently) sit over the weekend waiting on results that won’t come because nobody works on a weekend.
The big day arrives, it’s Monday. I must get my results today because I’m the most important man in the world and they have nothing better to do than chase my results?? The consultant arrives and.........nothing! Still no results, well I must get them tomorrow?? Because if not, I’m going to start lopping peoples heads off with an axe!! (He says in jest not to get arrested but in reality, I will).
Sorry, I got a little side tracked there, back to the story.
I’m eventually told that the bacteria has been found and the line in your chest has to come out and this will be done later today.
So, as over the weekend I’m allowed a few hours day release and as it’s a Monday and Mel is at work, I though I’d nip and see my girls for a couple of hrs. Yes, you’ve guessed it, I’ve been there 15 mins and the phone rings. Can you get back to the hospital for 5pm as they’re going to take your line out then? Yep, that’s no problem, gives me 2 hrs with my girls. Half an hour later, another call. Hi, this is the Dr, we need you back for 4pm now! Ok, so I have to set off in the next 10 mins to get back to Chesterfield to make that time. Sorry girls, I’ve got to go!
I’m back on the ward and in my room for 4pm and I’m now waiting for the call to get ready and head down to theatre. And I wait, and wait and now it’s after 5:15 and the surgeon turns up to tell me he now can’t do the procedure and I’ll have to wait til the morning. I said everything has been rearranged with Sheffield so I can go there tomorrow and have my meeting, only to be told it’ll be done first thing in the morning.
5:40pm the same surgeon comes back in and says we definitely can’t do it tonight but it’s planned for the morning and you’ll have to rearrange Sheffield!
6:10pm same surgeon comes back in to see me after being on the phone, right I can fit you in now and the meeting is staying as it was in Sheffield. Hahaha you mean you’ve been told it’s has to happen tonight??
7:30pm I’m prepped to have my line removed in theatre and if I told you the carry on I had to get the line removed you’d think I was taking the piss. Honestly it was the most unbelievable, unprofessional thing I’ve ever seen but the line got removed after an hour!
I spend the night in hospital and wake up on my birthday to this bunch of nutters on Hasland Ward, these guys have been amazing and I thank you for everything from the bottom of my heart.
The meeting in Sheffield goes well, my chemo in Chesterfield has worked well, if not great, but enough to crack on with my stem cell transplant which starts in 2 days time!!
So, the bacteria that no one had seen before, where did it come from?? Soil!! I was asked if I had been gardening over the weekend...…..eh? No! Until I remembered I had moved the garden furniture away for the winter last weekend and some how some soil had got into my line. Your either thinking, what a scruffy bastard or I was very unlucky? Hopefully, the latter!
The moral of the story really, is I should have been a fat lazy shit and done bugger all and none of this would have happened and I would have been ok and not missed my original meeting, put everyone through a week of worry and stress. But where would the fun be in that??
Anyhow......…..Sheffield, its your turn now and here I come!!!