Treatment

Back - WP

Box A
Self portrait with IV antibiotic
26th October 2021
Amazon Fire tablet

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[25Oct21] This is a continuation of the series begun during IP documenting my NHS treatment.

As I write this, it is my 11th day in Queen Elizabeth, Woolwich with at least one more day to go. I am waiting for a long-term cannula to be installed so that I can continue my medication at home, 4 weeks of a heavy-duty antibiotic, delivered intravenously by a visiting District Nurse every day. This to address an attack of salmonella and sepsis.

For the 11 days I have only been allowed to visit the toilet 10 yards away. Fortunately, I am considered a public health hazard and so have been allocated a single room.

All the photography has been in my room and a few in the toilet. I addition to continual testing of various bodily fluids, I have had two CT scans and an echo scan of my innards but, as usual, photography is not allowed in those areas.

The photographs are in several sections: Of Special Interest; Cannulas (which played a big part in my hospital life, and will do at home for another 4 weeks of IV); Treatment (general); From my Window; and The Rest.

[30Oct] I was released after 12 days on 26th. The IV antibiotics continue for 4 weeks with daily home visits by the local team of District Nurses.

Of Special Interest

[23Nov] This is my first day of relative freedom - no more daily home visits from the commendable District Nurses to administer my IV. Just two more visits to hospital for blood tests and a third to remove the PICC IV line and that should be it. I

But now back to hospital photographs. I do not make a habit of photographing the toilet bowl after I have used it, in fact this probably is a first, but it is a justified exception to the normal rules of decorum. This was after two days in hospital and I was beginning to eat again. I had a tuna salad on Saturday evening and on one of my several visits to the toilet the next day I flushed and fig B1 shows the residue - I was not digesting anything and the lettuce passed through me, survived the flush and floated back to the top.

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Box B
Of Special Interest
1.

Cannulas

[17Nov] Five cannulas were inserted while I was in the hospital. Some worked better than others, some lasted longer than others. Most were used for the IV antibiotic, but #3 (fig. C3) was inserted for faster throughput for my second CT scan.

#4 fell out when I caught it on a piece of furniture, my wash-basin, I think (figs. C4-6).

After leaving hospital, one more cannula were was by a District Nurse (fig. C9), and I returned to QE after a week for the PICC line (fig. C10).