Finally gave in on Sunday and rang the oncology triage service. The breathlessness, sore chest and tiredness hadn't got worse but they hadn't got better and I needed help and an answer.
Triage said it would be best for me to come to Hotel Churchill, they didn't have any of the oncology ward en-suite singles with the spa break option so I started off in the triage assessment area and have ended up on Blenheim Ward with the head and neck injuries.
The triage doctor said it was one of three things.
1 an infection
2 a blood clot on the lung
3 the cancer getting worse.
My temperature and sounding of my lungs seems to have eliminated the infection. They have put me on a blood thinner in case it is a clot, took a chest xray last night and have promised a scan today. Usual observations going on. Macmillan palliative care nurse came to see me, I explained I really don't want to be here and the only thing they are doing is giving me oxygen. Got to thinking and researching, I can by a blood oxygen saturation monitor for about £20, I bought a blood pressure monitor (the same as my GP uses) for £30. Andy has big bottles of welding oxygen. Me being at home ringing in my observations has to be a better way.
If they notice something when they observe all they do is ring The Registrar. If a really big emergency occurs suddenly I am a bit nearer help, but the oncologist told me this morning that things don't change suddenly with cancer. So they choose to keep me in one of their expensive beds when I could be at home eating decent food and watching decent tele hugging my wife on the sofa.
Here is another weird NHS thing. Caffiene isn't good for us. So every 2 hours I get offered tea or coffee! If you ask the eastern european delivery agent if they have herbal tea she says "ah you want tea". However my nurse and the ward housekeeping manager work together like The A Team and have been down to the staff canteen to get fruit teas and some biscuits. The biscuits came with a selection of chocolate and vanilla sponge fairy cakes sealed in plastic wrappers and use by dates of mid November. I wonder which health giving gas they are sealed in to make sure their diabetic contribution isn't lost with age?
The nurse has just been in to see what type of cannular I have as Xray want to know before they scan me. I can guarantee the porter will turn up at the same time as Sharon.
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