Up The Farway Tree

Well, I thought I better do a little update from my hospital bed (courtesy of a laptop and 3G card..ooh fancy ;)). For those who don't know, my escapades down south were rudely interrupted when my chest decided to play up. Unfortunately the high quality oral antibiotics I "acquired" just weren't up to scratch and I had to come home early last Wednesday and finish my holiday in Hotel Hospitalia, in a pleasant little room, complete with en-suite and views over...err...the hospital car park.

Normally I manage all my IV antibiotics at home, and may also have been known to point blank refuse hospital admission in the past. However having just had IVs 2 weeks previously and the 2 subsequent oral antibiotics having little effect, I really couldn't argue about needing admission. The good news is that having been started on an IV combination I haven't had before, I seem to be making good progress and my chest is improving nicely.

I have however had lots of problems with IV access and my little veins were sorely protesting to any needle which even came into the room, never mind near my hand. I previously had a port-a-cath, which is a permanent IV line under the skin, but had this removed due to an infection nearly 2 years ago. Fortunately on this admission, the doctors has to agree that I really needed the port back in, as my veins were just not cooperating. So at short notice, one of the radiologists agreed to put my port back in under local anesthetic yesterday. I must say that without any sedation (which I had expected to receive!) this wasn't the most pleasant of experiences, and as they had some difficulty getting the line in, I was lying 'very still' for almost 2 hours. I can hardly sit still in the cinema for 2 hours, never mind lie in one position, quietly and without complaint while someone pokes me with needles and digs about with shiny surgical instruments at my neck and side. Needless to say I felt extremely sorry for myself, and have since then mumped and moaned and perfected my 'pouty huffy puffy face' by practicing on everyone who enters my room. Who ever said I was mature?

I'm not sure when I will get home, but its starting to look like I might not be released until I finish these IVs, which is another week away. Thankfully for amusement I have the motorised bed, which rises at the top, bottom and goes up and down. However I'm quite sure that by pressing combinations of buttons simultaneously, I may discover some hidden functions. Should this transpire to be the 'eject' mode, it could prove highly dangerous. Oh wait a second, what if i press these two and then that big red one?.....wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!