That’s outrageous. Did you raise this with the hospital? How can people having operations when they have to get in at 7am sometimes manage?
As a matter of interest how does a sliding board work? Sounds difficult.
Again not acceptable for the medical service to make appointments when disabled patients cannot attend. Can’t you change this to another time/day when they do have transport. You shouldn’t have to struggle like this. It’s not fair.
Thankful that they organise transport for oncology. How many days therapy will you need?
I understand how you feel that it’s all too much at once, but 81 is far too young to be thinking this way Mart! You have a loving family and friends who want you to keep going. I won’t even start on how forum members would feel.
What a pain, but at least they are being very thorough and that means you will have the best result. The main thing is to get that bleeding under control. I hope you have a way to access the service to address that problem.
Thank you so much AnnieS … you’ve said what so many of us will have thought reading Mart’s post… and you say it so much better than many of us could, but we agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments.
@mart … hugs. I truly think you’re one courageous and unique guy.
A sliding board enables a disabled person to slide across from one place to another on their backside. A safer way than to try lifting them across. Probably more correctly named as a transfer board:
A bit more difficult for us than what’s shown in the video because the car seat is higher than the wheelchair seat, so some pushing and shoving is needed. OK from the car seat to the wheelchair because that’s sliding downhill.
The transport situation from one hospital to another is a pain but we have to balance it up against the what has been done for us I suppose. Mrs mart has been in NHS care for 7 weeks now and had had the best of treatment. Better that we just handle it because we can rather than get cross.
Mrs mart is going to put the waterproof over-dressing on my Nephrostomy at some time today. Then I can have a proper shower before going to the hospital tomorrow for my Nephrostomy tube change. I mostly have to settle for a wipe down with a damp chamois leather at other times. Well not quite true but showering isn’t the easy job it once was.
A funny thing. When I get bleeding in the bladder, I leave it for a few says to see if it will settle. It is only when I’m worried enough to think about phoning the Oncology Nurse about it that it starts to clear up. Happens every time …as it has this time too.
There is always help around by way of family or friends. We don’t need to use the board in the car normally because Mrs mart drives up and down the ramp of the WAV in her power chair. All that has to be done is to put the anchors in place.
In this case though, the logistics of swapping the chairs about would be more difficult than what we are doing. Our son is helping at present but he has to go home on Saturday. Another son will handle Mrs mart’s Saturday appointment. I never need to handle things on my own. The main problem is they try to stop me doing anything but being an observer (bless their cotton socks) I have been used to doing everything previously, so I find this difficult.
No problem at home because everything is at more or less the same level and she can handle transfers on her own. Having said that, we might have to rethink things. We have both lost strength through the recent bouts of illness. Life could be a struggle until we can both build it back up again.
Glad to hear your sons are looking after you and Mrs Mart. Take things very easy Mart, a virus can make it’s presence felt for six months. Muscle weakness is one of the after effects, don’t expect too much too soon…I’m probably teaching grandma to suck eggs because you are a very level headed guy with lots of experience and tolerance.
Chin up Mart and I wish you and Mrs mart all the very best.
Got home from the hospital at around 6.30 p.m. I felt OK until the time came to empty the bladder by opening the flip-flo catheter valve. That’s when the groan-worthy burning Urethra pain set in. It lasted until 11.30 p.m. Better now but still a bit sore. The Nephrostomy tube change went OK. A little painful today and the tube is coming out of the dressing in a slightly different place or angle. I will take all the Nephrostomy supplies with us to see if it can be sorted when we go to see Mrs mart this afternoon.
Had to spend a lot of the time yesterday laying down. Total lack of energy. Off my food as well. I’m making the effort today because one of our sons is coming here. Then we head over to Farnham hospital to pick up Mrs mart and take her to Heatherwood Hospital (Ascot) for a scan. Then back to Farnham before heading for home.
Our other son who has been staying here has to fly home today. I’ll miss his him, He’s done a sterling job of helping out …but our daughter is coming back on Wednesday. This coincides with the day that Mrs mart should be coming home.
That’s good that your daughter is coming back but a pity you have to go to Heatherwood today if you’re feeling so poorly.
I hope you feel a little better as the day goes on and that you managed to eat some breakfast. It’s always good to force down some porridge at least when you feel like this. Sometimes you don’t feel like eating but once you start the appetite kicks in.
Great news that Mrs Mart comes home soon. I hope her voice is a little better.
@mart, it’s good to hear that Mrs. Mart will be home soon and that your daughter will be there; I’m sure it’s really taken the pressure off to have your kids around. I hope you can get your strength back with a little more nutrition and good rest.
Mrs mart’s discharge is still planned for Wednesday. I’m pleased on two counts. Primarily, I will be really reallyreally happy to have her home again …but I don’t know how long that feeling will last of course!
Secondly, it will be a relief not to have to keep visiting the hospital. I have made it nearly every day but have not always felt like it. Thank goodness family has been around to do the driving. They have all been so good. I doubly love them all to bits now …but who knows how long that will last too!
I went for my LHRH injection at the GP’s surgery this morning. That was all OK. I drove myself as an introduction to driving again. Only a short distance away and no trail of disaster left in my wake!
LHRH injections and Abiraterone are both female hormone therapy. A few less hairs on my legs now but my voice is still deep They probably wouldn’t be so palatable for younger men but at my age? …well I had my times and am happy with that.
Definitely a busy day for you tomorrow them Mart … and for Mrs Mart who I imagine is overjoyed at the thought of coming home as you are for finally having her there.
Hopefully your daily routine won’t be so full and so stressful and you’ll be able to rest up a little. Hospital visits everyday can become really draining.
Hope the weather’s nice for you tomorrow … fingers crossed.
Thanks to all who post or have interest in this depressing thread. Your encouragement in getting through this difficult period has helped a lot. A way to go yet but the outlook is better. I’m eating properly again and hoping to bounce back a bit from now on. I am unlikely to ever meet anyone personally but I think it’s great that care and concern is given anyway. Bless the people of the forum!
I visited Mrs mart this afternoon. She hasn’t got her voice back yet but I think it is coming …then I’ll be sorry. All the paperwork and pills needed for the discharge have been sorted out and she has been told to be ready by 8.00 a.m. I’m sure it could be anytime with hospital transport but it is definitely happening.
My next appointment for a CT scan approaches and shortly after that, the one for seeing if they can remove the bladder catheter (that would speed me up a lot). After that comes the radio therapy and then hopefully, a period of nothing to mention.
You have been a tower of strength through all this, Mart. I am so pleased that you’ll be under the same roof in short order. There would be nothing better than the two of you having a cozy and restful day at home, where you wouldn’t have a healthcare provider within a fifty mile radius. I sure wish you well!
That’s brilliant news Mart, and it will be a load off your mind and will certainly speed up Mrs Mart’s recovery. Although the care you and Mrs Mart have received while in the hands of the NHS is second to none, there is nothing like your own home for the ultimate in recovery.
You have been a rock, managing your own problems and still finding time to visit Mrs Mart wherever she needed to be. I’m sure that your strength will have been instrumental in Mrs Mart’s recovery also…
All the best Mart…and Mrs Mart, lets hope the future will be a healthy one for all the Mart family…
but showering isn’t the easy job it once was.
