Well, it all happened last night – or more accurately, this morning as it was 4 minutes past midnight! One of the patients further down the ward started \u2018kicking off\u2019 sounds of furniture being smashed, Michael Jackson played at high volume, attempts to do a runner and sounds of restraint by the nurses who were in turn told to \u2018go forth and multiply\u2019. He was eventually calmed down and moved to a side room, leaving the familiars sounds of wheezing, coughing and spluttering. <\/p>\n
This morning was all normal though apart from the lack of breakfast in preparation for my 23rd PET scan. (For readers not familiar with what a PET scan entails, please read the \u2018About PET scaning\u2019 Pages).<\/p>\n
So with transport ordered for 9:30 for a 10am appointment at St Thomas\u2019s, I was wheeled down to the patient transport room and waited… and waited… and waited. Eventually I went up the reception desk and asked what was happening, to be met with a blank stare and a matter of \u2018I\u2019ll see what\u2019s happening\u2019. 10 minutes later, with no feedback, I asked again, to be told that the driver was on his way, and he did turn up about 5 minutes later. That was uneventful, but on arrival I was told it could they had no idea when a porter would be available, so I walked the two floors (as I would normally do). And that got me thinking – I\u2019m perfectly mobile, I only really needed a wheel chair to get me too and from the ambulance (no shoes) but once in a wheelchair one seems to fit the role. Lesson noted.<\/p>\n
The scan was uneventful and after a quick sandwich I walked back to patient transport to be advised I might have a 50 minute wait. Fortunately that wasn\u2019t the case and my name was called out immediately and I got back to Guys quite quickly. I had been away about 3 hours – and there was still someone there, waiting for transport home, who had been there 3 hours earlier! These \u2018services are contracted out to a company called Essentia, the have a comments card – I must get hold of one… <\/p>\n
(I don\u2019t have a problem with the NHS contracting our services so long as the remain free at the point of use, and I\u2019d far rather that they invested in better clinical services than in fleets of vans and drivers to move people about! And I don\u2019t know what the terms of the contract are or what the Key Performance Indicators are, it just seemed the patient transfers were slapdash with no-one in control)<\/p>\n
No scan results of course, they need to be assessed first, so I had a quiet afternoon after a shower, and change of clothes. I had another IV bag put up, from which I concluded I would be in another night.<\/p>\n
Later I had bloods taken and told that I am having an ultrasound guided needle biopsy of the lump which will provide conclusive evidence, and I will probably have a visit by one of the haematology team this evening! Maybe I\u2019ll be released tomorrow? ?. <\/p>\n
So that\u2019s it for now, so … Onewards and Upwards!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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