Drugs!!

Do you know what?  I must be really really dumb.  I don’t blame you all for agreeing with me either.  How many times have I tempted fate and said in the past that I feel a little better today only to end up shortly afterwards feeling worse again. Well yesterday was one of them days.  As I said I think that things might be heading in the generally good direction and I couldn’t remember my chest being the least wheezy the day before.  No sooner had I Emailed in the blog for you to look at my chest decided to play up again and the dreaded Death Rattle re appeared.  I tried all the usual things to clear it, various Nebuliser’s and breathing exercises and sitting or lying in particular positions which sometimes works but all to no avail.  In fact I finally fell off to sleep at what must have been around 12.30am still annoyingly rattling away.  It’s a weird noise too as if the light s are off and its dark enough nurses have quite often come in, in the morning saying “you were snoring your head off last night”, where in fact it was the wheezing that they had heard and that beneath those shut eyes was a man being slowly driven mad by the constant torture, Hell, even the Japanese Prisoners of War weren’t tortured 24 hours a day.  Ha Ha, I just had a thought, with all the Roast Chicken they seem to dish out more regular than anything else on the ward, I should start to make them little model ships etc that the POW’s used to make.   Give me something to do I guess.  

On the earlier point of saying I felt well only to feel dreadful later on.  I remember when I had not been long diagnosed and was in the middle of the Chemo regime.  I was given a drug, I think it was Daunarubicin or something like that anyhow, one of the Chemo’s they were giving me anyhow.  Well it was only a Bolus injection so about 10 mins or so after having it I went off for a wander downstairs, well to tell the truth I actually went down for a fag because I was smoker back then although have now been nicotine free for about 16 months I think now, although I have never kept track of it at all.  I remember feeling quite well actually and even might go as far as saying that the injection had made me feel a little better which I remember thinking might be a good thing.  I settled down in the Gazebo for a smoke and decided to give Judith a ring for a chat.  I was saying to her how well I felt and she was pleased as I was suffering a lot back then with sickness which sadly has always been a problem with me.  After a while and probably 3 fags which was the usual thing and all within about 5 minutes I headed off back up to the ward.  No sooner had I done this that I started to feel really unwell.  It started with an over all feeling of being very hot, also extremely queasy and quite dizzy too.  Well unfortunately the ward was a long way away and I thought there is no way I was going to make it back in one piece, not without probably leaving a trail to follow behind me from both ends too as the back one was starting to rumble with its signs of dissatisfaction of being made to carry around this toxic cocktail.  Luckily enough for me one of the porters John was walking past and stopped to ask if I was okay.  They had all got to know me by then as they seemed to be permanently taking me somewhere or other to be poked and prodded or filmed in one way or another always stopped for a chat when they saw me.  Thankfully he was heading in my direction in fact he was going to the ward above mine so told me to jump in the wheelchair and he put on the turbo boosters and we were back to the safety of the ward in a matter of seconds.  Just as well actually as my first port of call was not the bed, but the toilet and I just managed to get there on time thankfully.  

I soon learnt that these drugs are not to be taken likely and are quite potent concoctions that have some quite nasty side effects.  I think it was probably about this time that I started to ask for the Written Patient Information or failing that the BMA book before, most of the time, they were going to give me a new drug of some sort.  At least that way you can be prepared of any that you might need to look out for because to be honest unless you ask for such things the general practice is to not give it out.  This goes for all your medications that are dished out to you.  They arrive in this little plastic pot which is sometimes wet in the bottom making the tablets that are inside taste foul as they have started to dissolve.  You’re not told, well most of the time you are not, whether you need to take them with food or on an empty stomach.  With milk or water.  Not with other medications etc…  I actually had one tablet once that I think was some kind of calcium based drug.  Then instructions were something like.  Taken strictly with 250ml of water Absolutely not with milk.  Not with any other medications.  1 hour before food. Patient must sit up and not lie down for 45 minutes after taking it.  There was actually a list of 4 drugs which must not be taken whilst on this medication and I was on all 4 of them.  They actually gave me this medication with my breakfast about 15 minutes after taking the rest of my pills, offered me a glass of milk to take it with and when I told her I was really tired as I hadn’t slept too well she said “ okay love I will close the blinds on the door and tell all the staff to stay out for a couple of hours and you lay down and get some sleep”  I must add that this was not at Heath Towers but at the place I like to think of as Colditz, Llandough Hospital.  I really hate that place and will fight tooth and nail not to go there if I can help it but sadly the chest team are based there and they have their main ward there too.

I guess this along with a few other mistakes with medications etc along the way is why I now self medicate whenever I come in.  They are very understanding on C1 and allow me to do it with no questions apart from the controlled drugs I may be on at the time which is only understandable.  The only time there has been any problems is when the doctors have decided to change any of my medications and they haven’t told me which is quite rare I must add but does happen. I would do my own IV’s if I could as I am an expert at them now having had so many over the years and the fact that I’m a nosey bugger and want to know the ins and out of everything so are always asking questions.

Right then I’m off.  Is it me or do my blogs seem to have rather long since I come in here.  Sorry.

I wish they wouldn’t do that, just open the door slightly and start talking to me as I never have my hearing aids in and rely a bit I supposed on lip reading to see what they are saying.  A bit hard through a lump of wood


I think Penelope is back this week too I hope she is ready for me as I think there might be a few things I have to say to her.  Sorry in advance Penelope dearest.


See Ya!!