Brenda’s Hospital Index*
Number of gallbladders successfully removed at Withybush hospital on Tuesday, 11 Nov: 3
Total from Brenda: 1
Number of incisions made in Brenda’s belly: 4
Number of stitches needed to close incisions: 10
Number of patients in the day surgery recovery ward: 5
Number of nurses on-duty during the day: 4
Number of nurses on-duty during the night: 2
Percentage of the total number of nurses who also happen to be loud Welsh girls: 33.3%
Number of cups of tea made expressly for Brenda, by staff, one cup at a time: 4
Number of servings of freshly made toast consumed: 3
Average number of seconds taken for nurse to appear after call button is pressed: 4
Percentage of food left on Brenda’s plate after hospital meals served: 100%
Number of knitting projects packed: 2
Number of hours spent knitting: 1
Number of nights in hospital: 1
Number of patients moaning for most of the night: 1
Number of times woken by moaning patient: 1
Special equipment brought from home that qualifies one as a genius: Sleep mask; ear plugs
Hour at which all the lights in the ward are dimmed for the night: 9pm
Percentage of patients already sleeping when lights were dimmed: 80%
Hour at which all of the lights in the ward are turned on again for the day: 7:30 am
Percentage of patients still sleeping when lights turned on: 100%
Percentage of loud-Welsh-girl nurses who come on shift at 7:30am: 100%
Number of hours spent waiting around for discharge after the doctor said Brenda could go home: 3
Number of days after hospital release during which improvement was slow, but steady: 6
Number of knitting projects completed during the first six days at home: 6**
Number of hours over seventh day at home during which pain steadily increased: 24
Time at which an ambulance was called: 11pm
Number of knitting projects packed: 1
Number of cc’s morphine given by EMT prior to ambulance ride: 7.5
Ranking of morphine on Brenda’s Top 10 List of Hospital Drugs: 1
Number of Emergency doctors who agree to give Brenda additional morphine: 0
Ranking of Emergency doctors on Brenda’s Hospital Low Points List: Just below loud-Welsh-girl nurses
Number of podcasts listened to while waiting to be admitted back into hospital: 4
Time at which Brenda was officially admitted back into hospital: 5am
Number of cups of tea during second hospital visit, made expressly for Brenda by staff, one cup at a time: 0
Number of times per day industrial strength tea is dispensed on the main hospital ward: 3
Average number of seconds taken for nurse to appear after call button is pressed: 240
Average number of nurses call bells going off over the ward per hour: 5
Number of hours slept: Less than 1
Number of theories as to why Brenda was in pain: 4
Number of diagnostic tests received: 6
Amount of physical evidence of pain: None
Number of additional nights Brenda agreed to remain in hospital after the pain had disappeared: 0
Number of hours spent sleeping in the first 24 back at home: 10.5
Total amount paid for surgical and emergency care, including ambulance, medications, labs, x-rays and scans: £0
* Index that is the most fun to read every month, after Brenda’s: Harpers Magazine.
** Smores Socks are but one of my recent Recovery FOs – Toe up, combination heel, picot bind off; yarn in Smores colourway by Scout.
Glad you are back home and recovering. Thanks for keeping me company via your podcasts this week while I was in the hospital getting parts removed.
Sounds like you had a rough time with your surgery. I just had surgery on the 10th on my ankle and my knitting and many podcasts (especially cast on) kept me company while recovering. Get well soon!
Oh Brenda! That’s no fun at all! Glad to hear your pain is gone now. A few years ago I was on an epic roadtrip with my friend Heather – Florida to Seattle in a rickety old London Taxi I’d never seen before – and she left her gallbladder in Amarillo, Texas. Nobody made her any tea! Glad you had a good (if loud) staff. *hugs*
I’m so Glad it’s over & you’re recovering.
Nice Socks, and love from Portland,OR where it would have been oh so Much More than $0.
Just another note – I was initially excited by your new look but it’s cumbersome to maneuver in. Maybe it’s my browser (Firefox for Mac) but 1) I had to click on each individual blog entry to read them, instead of just scrolling down, 2) I had to click on the podcast descriptions to see if I’d heard them already (I have a terrible memory for podcast names and I’ve been busy so I didn’t know how long it had been since my last visit, and 3) I wanted to email you this privately but couldn’t find a way to do so. I guess I’m a Ludite but I preferred the simple reverse-chronological scroll of blog and podcast combined.
Love & hugs!
Sharon
Hi. Jocele here from the cruise…Gosh, now I feel bad that I told you on the cruise that gall bladder surgery is no big deal. Glad you’re feeling better though. Love the new look. I need to send you pictures of the Turkish guy that was talking about spinning. Hope the rest of your recovery goes better.
oh you poor thing! Glad you’re finally back home and (I hope! relatively) pain free!
Good thoughts for health and happiness going out to you!
Joan in Ellicott City, “Merlin” USA
Just checked the blog to see what’s been up. Take care, and we’ll get the full story, I’m sure, when you’re able to podcast.
Oh no! wishing you a speedy recovery with no more hospital returns.
(# of years since my gallbladder was dramatically removed- 15
how clearly I remember the specific kind of pain- VERY ! )
OK, I know I’m being a pest, since this is my third comment in an hour (no, I am NOT stalking you, LOL). But I gotta say, kudos to the National Health.
Do you think the usa will EVER get THAT one right?
sigh….
You poor thing! That does not sound like fun. But your post about the experience was great fun to read.
a belated wish for complete and speedy recovery and good health!