Sod’s Virus? - a novel way to reward careful isolation

[daffy]

After a careful 2020 keeping her head well below the parapet to avoid Covid, my wife is currently residing in the Acute Medicine ward at our local hospital.

Prone to sinus infections, just after Christmas she had one of these bouts that usually react well to over the counter meds. Not this one though. It developed into a dry cough that just kept getting worse through to February, proving not to be Covid after a swab test. GP prescribed amoxicillin antibiotics. No change. X-Ray request took three weeks to complete after clerical Large Chicken -up and showed she had had  a chest infection, but more antibiotics dished out, amoxicillin and clarithromycin. Latter had odd effect of giving her phantom aromas of lilies and vanilla by turns but otherwise they did diddly-squat to alter her condition, that now included night sweats, exhaustion, and loss of appetite.
All this time she had not been actually seen by a GP, just talked to on the phone, and finally, FINALLY! last week her GP thought she ought to get a blood test done. Went to see the vampire at out local surgery and tried to see the duty doctor as advised by her GP (to physically check chest and throat) but told "there isn't one"!
Next morning a call from GP: get down to the hospital SDEC (Same Day Emergency Centre) as she has a strong infection of something unknown.
That was Thursday. She spent that fun filled day having every test under the sun, from more bloods, to CT-Scan, X-Ray, heart monitors............
But admitted to AMSS ward that evening and has been there ever since with multi-doses of I.V. co-amoxiclav (penicillin) that so far are not quite having the desired effect. The infection load had reduced a bit but is up again now, and last night she had a bad time and had to have more penicillin, paracetamol and a dose of oramorph as her coughing got so bad it made her feel she was struggling to breath for a while. Better this morning and I'm off to deliver more clothes and stuff and pick up the washing. She is going to try to meet me at the hospital entrance hall, but it's likely that won't happen and I'll just get her stuff exchanged via a nurse. The Covid Effect means strictly NO VISITING so I'm in limbo really, and as talking worsens her cough we are communicating mainly by text. Thankfully she is taking it well, all things considered, and is not bed-ridden, so we are both staying positive.

She has been a model of social isolation, and has rarely been anywhere for the last year. Twice to a shop with me, and once to see the grand-children through a window on their birthday. Other than that she has had a few quiet walks around our quiet village and once by the sea, but always away from anybody. So where this infection is from is a mystery. Main culprit/carrier must be me I suppose, having got too close to someone somewhere in Tesco's or the like. Or it just blew through a window. Who knows.

All in all, this just sucks. And they don't know what it is that is infecting her yet as the Haemotology Lab is still doing its stuff, weekend low staff allowing, so for now I've given it a name myself: Sod's Virus.

[guest311]

all I can say is ..

fingers crossed
try to keep up beat
have a wee dram.

we had the dreaded phone consult with our gp on friday 'looks like lung cancer', now waiting for the telephone consult with her consultant on tuesday as to what the state is, what is possible etc.

so far no signs of it spreading to the lymph  glands ? but until Pet scan reviewed, not known if it has spread elsewhere.

hopefully, in your SWMBO's case, the antibiotics will do their job, and she will soon be home, moaning about 'another  parcel of train bits'.

try to be positive, it's all we can do in these situations.

[Newportnobby]

Very sorry to read your news, Mike. I do hope they can sort out what it is and get your good lady back on the road to recovery.

[dannyboy]

Some Other Damned  Virus. 

I hope it is nothing too serious Mike and it is just that your wife is having an abnormal reaction to whatever it is. Hopefully it will not be long before you can get back to what is called normality soon. 

[dannyboy]

@class37025

I hope everything works out okay Alan. I know it is not the same, but I was told about five years ago "it probably is cancer" and then told a couple of years later that "it probably isn't cancer". I have an idea of what you are going through and I have everything crossed for you. 

[port perran]

Sorry to hear your news.
I certainly hope things can be sorted out quickly.

[daffy]

Just back from a supply drop and managed to see her by meeting her in the entrance/lobby area. She is obviously fed up, with little news, no Doc visit today and no blood test done either, and a high heart rate in the 90's. Though nurses are good they can't do much for her other than keep doing what they do best.

Usual ward problem of one patient - it not so patient - demanding help and attention all the time day and night, but that's to be expected for some. Worse is the night nurse who woke my Sheila up when she was fast asleep last night to say "Here's your cough linctus love". A short conversation followed with Sheila pointing out she wasn't coughing, but yes has a cough problem, but does not want waking up when she is not coughing to be offered something that usually makes it worse. Nurse persists. Sheila drinks linctus. Makes her cough for ages, and was the precursor of the need for more meds later last night. Sheila is not exactly awarding merit stars to that one.

Tomorrow hopefully we'll get some answers/progress etc.

But it was good to see her, though it's not something we'll do again as it made her tired 'go for a wander' to meet me.

@class37025
All the best for your wife's treatment and recovery. Seems they are well on the case now.
Sheila has enlarged lymph nodes in her chest which they say is most probably the infection itself making them work hard, but of course until they rule other things out it's still a worry. Doesn't help when one friendly nurse (I mean that genuinely) said to her '.... and we need to keep a watch for sepsis.' Eek!

Ah well, Sheila has just texted to say she is feeling better after a doze and not having to wear a face mask that makes her breathing harder.

All will be well some day soon I feel.

Thanks to all for your kind thoughts and wishes.

[guest311]

shades of the old ? joke ? about the nurse waking up a patient ..

"It's time for your sleeping pill" 

[Railwaygun]

Every patient in France used to be woken at 630AM for morning  tea. then the Health Minister was in hospital, and after experiencing this, decreed 730 or else!

i've had similar experiences!

[Malc]

Funnily enough, when I was in for Covid, the guy in the bed opposite used to get a sleeping pill at 10pm, even if he was asleep at the time. We had one guy in the ward who had a visceral cough. So loud it kept everyone awake. The doctor prescribed a cough linctus but he wouldn't take it (god knows why) so we all suffered with sleep deprivation . I was glad to get home as all I have to put up with here is the odd bout of snoring from SWIMBO.

[Newportnobby]

Knowing from bitter experience just how difficult it is to get any sleep in hospitals (no private rooms for this pauper!) it is surprising being woken up to take something but I guess there are set times for meds, tea break etc and they just take the attitude "You need this and you're not going to sleep through the dispensation of it"

[Papyrus]

Worse is the night nurse who woke my Sheila up when she was fast asleep last night to say "Here's your cough linctus love". A short conversation followed with Sheila pointing out she wasn't coughing, but yes has a cough problem, but does not want waking up when she is not coughing to be offered something that usually makes it worse. Nurse persists. Sheila drinks linctus. Makes her cough for ages, and was the precursor of the need for more meds later last night. Sheila is not exactly awarding merit stars to that one.

To be charitable to the nurse, like all the NHS staff she is probably exhausted and at her wit's end after 12 months of this, and not thinking straight. No comfort to your wife, of course, but worth bearing in mind. Like everyone else, I wish her all the best for a speedy recovery. and everyone else who has family and friends hospitalised at present.

Cheers,

Chris

[daffy]

Yes, fully agree what a great job all the staff are doing, and certain meds have to be administered on a strict timetable for greatest efficacy. In this case however Sheila had already asked another nurse to put a note on her file to say, effectively, "No cough remedies". Evidently this simply had not been noted by a nurse trying to do her best for all patients in a very busy 48 bed Acute Medicine ward.
I think that although Sheila was rather miffed to be woken and have this linctus thrust at her, the way she relayed the tale to me made it clear she found it as funny as she found it annoying.

Update: no change in condition but they have taken her off all antibiotics as they don't think they are doing anything. An observation with which we both concur.😆
Back to the drawing board?🤔 - or Haemotology in this case.🧛‍♀️

[guest311]

as usual a reflection on the difference between today's NHS, and the military hospitals I was very lucky to be in.

OK, Matron's rounds [lie at attention in your bed / sit to attention by your bed / stand to attention by your bed [depending on status]] was a PITA,
but for a thirty bed ward, you would have probably
1 x sister
5 x SRNs
5 x SENs
5+ x student nurses
plus orderlies.

not 1 x nursing MANAGER
a nurse
a couple of auxiliaries

I do sometimes wonder if those MPs who voted to destroy the military hospitals actually even think ' oops we  up'

probably not, just think of the so called savings.

when in both Cosford [from NI] [69] and Wroughton [73] RAF hospitals care was 110%, and often civvies [the lucky ones] were also admitted to help the local health authorities.

now, all replaced by IIRC a 'wing' at some NHS hospital, Selly something.

no disrespect to the NHS staff, but wouldn't it have been great to be able to move Covid patients into military hospitals, if any left [hospitals that is], and leave the NHS ones to do their normal jobs ?

it may have saved money in the short term [that seems to be all the politicians think of] but I cannot help but wonder how things would have gone if we still had the military medical facilities we had in the 70's.

but then, as I'm sure you all know by now, I'm a grumpy old git who hankers for how things were before the penny counters took over.

[Bealman]

Sounds like a bloody nightmare. Having spent a full two months in hospital myself relatively recently, I can fully sympathise.

At least you guys won't get a bill for $72,000 dollars!

Chin up