If it's Monday...it must be the Marsden. Part 1.

So, here we are in sunny Kensington...or is it Chelsea? ...either way, we have returned to the top of the Fulham Road, in Horder Ward... 5th. Floor....and it's just as well the lift works....20 stairs per floor....and I should know because I've counted them more than once already.... We have had an "incident" with the lift already....it arrived...Jill got wheeled in on her stretcher ...the Doctor and nurse got in along with the two ambulance people...and another lady....they punched "5"....off they went...I waited ....the lift went down instead of up....it descended to the basement, turned around and came back up to my level...
The door opened, but the lift was about two feet higher than it should have been ....the lady presumed it was level and stepped out....from her heap on the floor "words" were spoken....I decided that it was time to leave so I walked up the stairs.....what a start...and we hadn't even got to the ward at this stage...

....when we did eventually to the ward I realised I had left my phone in the ambulance....down the 100 stairs I went ....in fact more than that because the street level is another flight....got there just as they were shouting the doors to drive off.....panic over.

For those of you who like travel details we have already today done car, ambulance, plane and ambulance....the plane and trip up from Biggin Hill were both about an hour each...so good going ....and I knew the ambulance men in Jersey and the pilot of the plane....so all good. Jill was strapped into her bed for the whole journey...maybe a trick that I could try in Jersey....and a pretty slick operation all round. For those of you who know their planes (I think there is at least one pilot that reads this) we were flying in a Piper Chieftain...twin 350hp engines with turbos....i know all the details ...sat up at the front alongside NP....had a great view...chatted to him all the way over. The ambulance was a Fiat....don't say anything....it got us here...

We are currently in the throes of doing al the usual....especially when you arrive directly from another hospital...bloods, pressures, tests, swabs.....it goes on. Supper has been ordered, and doctor and dietician have also,been. No fat....no fat at all....as if Jill eats any fat anyway! I don't think much will happen today...more discussions...tomorrow may be the day for decisions?......although they have already indicated that aspirating Jilly's stomach isn't the favoured option....I don't know how they intend to lessen the swelling then...maybe they'll bring some special Doctor Who device down and suspend it on sky hooks .... Sucking out the fluid without intervention, just like a cyber man or dalek might do?

I'm going to post this now...hopefully her ladyship will add more comment later on. Stay tuned for Part 2.

Update....

A long day, and all slightly surreal... " is this really happening to me?"

Steve's covered the journey so I'm not going to write anymore, except it was all very professional and smooth. Many thanks to all involved. My husband didn't tell you that he dropped his phone on the floor of the ambulance , didn't realise until he'd got up to the ward, raced back down just as they were closing doors and driving off.....

Blood tests, how many have I had? Too many to mention.. So another round of blood to be taken, started off ok, needle in off we go, until the nurse turned around to pick up the other vial, having not released the tourniquet to be met with the needle popping out and squirting blood in her face and down my arm!! Much mopping up ensued but quite quickly got gauze and tape over the vein and it was fine. However still short of blood the left arm was quickly on display for ' ripe' veins, one duly found only when the needle went in the vein retracted ( something it's done before, they like me get fed up of being poked!) . At this point the nurse decided to call a colleague and see if she had better luck, she tried a new vein in the left arm ( painful, no blood- and I may have a bruise) before once agin trying the needle shy vein, which very reluctantly gave the required amount of red cells..... But..... On her confirming my name date of birth blah blah, found she actually needed one more sample for 'clotting' ..... We looked at each other and she said.... " I'll do it tomorrow!!!"

The consultant has been to see me, she is sorry that I have really been suffering, and said it was fairly unusual for the problem not to have sorted itself out by now. She was very sweet and kind and I did get a bit emotional , she also said that they (the other consultant) and her discussed the fact during the operation that they had to cut the main lymph vein, and was the plan to sew it, clamp it, or just leave it............

Anyway I can't turn back the clock, so I have to move forward , I think they may do an X-ray tomorrow and more consultants are coming to see me. They are also monitoring my fluid intake and outtake ( is that a word?!) a slight possibility of an operation, but at the moment " monitoring" seems to be the key word.
I have forgotten to use the edit function so this blog will now get posted twice... I'm too tired to let it bother me!!!


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