The Homecoming

On Monday I was waiting for the doctor to do her ward rounds. I had hoped that I might be allowed to go home but, as the time rolled on, I knew I was less likely to do so. Lunch time came and went, afternoon drugs did as well. Then at about half past three a registrar came to take my dressings off. At 4pm the doctor arrived and had a look at my toes and she decided to use a scalpel to debride them there and then. Had I known that she might do that I would have had some pain killers from the drugs trolley, but I hadn't. She managed to remove an amount of the blackened tip of my big toe and although I was glad she had done that, I needed the pain relief. She arranged for someone to remove my PICC line that I'd had the antibiotics through for the last 3-4 weeks too. When I asked for some pain killers I was quite surprised to be told that I couldn't, as I had already had some a couple of hours earlier. When I looked at my drugs chart it showed that I had been having them regularly throughout my stay, which is not true. Where have they been going? Most days I hadn't needed any, yet the chart shows I have! I suppose Christmas hang-overs are imminent and if the patients don't need them...who can prove anything? Anyway, they soon found something to take the pain of my toes out of my mind. The PICC line was covered and stuck to my inner arm (just above my elbow) with a large clear sticky patch. And it was well and truly stuck! The pain of having my skin ripped off with the patch overtook any pain in my toes and by the time that was over, the toes had settled down completely.
But I was allowed to go home, I just had to wait for my tablets to arrive from the hospital pharmacy. Tea came and went. 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock - still waiting. I left hospital at about 9pm on Monday, free at last...

...Then on Tuesday I had an appointment for the usual diabetes check up, so I was back at the same hospital again. I have so many appointments I'm thinking of renting a room there,