I'm Where All The NHS Funding Goes, Continued.

Ok, so this one is going to be a little different from the last two, but it is essentially the "NHS Funding" continued.

This one will include a lot of the images I wanted to put into the original, but couldn't find until yesterday, or two days ago, depending on when this one gets typed up and published.

I'm particularly tired right now, as yesterday morning the consultant ordered 4 bottles of IVIG from the pharmacy, and they didn't arrive until about 9pm last night. It's not a surprise really, that it took almost all day to get the product I needed, but fine. This blood product needed to be pumped in for hours, so I was still attached to my friend Baxter until about 3 this morning. Baxter is my IV stand, so named because the word 'Baxter' is printed onto the front. Original, huh?

Baxter is actually a medical supply company, I know because they supply all of my home infusion products, but that's not really important. 

 Sorry for the blurry image, but this is me and Baxter. We're inseparable.

See what I did there? I love a pun.

Anyway, back to five years ago!

Now, this! This is what I was talking about! My perfectly round steroid face, with it's shine. I could have lit the way on a dark night with this thing!

Don't get me wrong, without the steroids I don't know what would have happened to me, but the side effects aren't the best.

I didn't care at the time, especially as I was holding one of Tom Riddle's diaries that had been used in the filming of The Chamber of Secrets! I'm clearly very concerned though!

Here I am having my first blood transfusion. As you can see, I'm very excited. Look at that enthusiasm on my pasty white face! I'm even managing a thumbs up!

Again, sorry for the blurry images, but to the left there are a couple of photos of drips I was attached to on pretty much a daily basis. I think these were the fluids I mentioned in the first part, and paracetamol.

Above are a couple of images of the various bruises that were left from blood tests, and after cannulas were removed. The right image is a cannula, and in my opinion, that is the worst place to put one. At the time, my left arm veins were a hell of a lot worse and more fiddly than my right arm. This particular cannula was the one the redheaded doctor put in, after about half an hour, and he was the first person to ever access a vein in that arm. I mean sure, he managed to put the cannula in, but this meant I could barely move and bend that arm for 3-4 days, and then they would need to find a new site. Cannulas are much better suited to being in wrist and hand veins.

Here we have the Central Line Pick inserted at Hammersmith! This is the picture I most wanted to see, purely because my memories of this little beauty are very vague. I remember it being a lot less bulky. I mean, how the hell did I move in this thing? Thinking back on it, it was difficult. You don't realise just how many of your neck muscles you use to sit up in bed, you really don't. With this thing in my neck I was barely able to lift my head, and used to have to roll onto my left side to get out of bed. Jeez.

This is a photo taken from Maidstone when I was in the shared ward. I had the window view... You can tell by the look on my face that I'm unimpressed by everything, but especially, I'm sure, the food that is under that plastic lid. I wonder what it was... probably a jacket potato.

You can see the cardboard sick bowl at the foot of the bed, and the fact that I'm attached to Baxter. Ah, good times.

And the hospital trousers! "For Hospital Use Only" they said, and they still do. I don't really know what that means, because what use would you have for trousers other than to wear them?

There are my get well cards on the window; thank you to everyone who sent me one, it was really nice to read all the lovely messages from you, it always brightened my day. And I still have all those cards in a scrap book. I can be sentimental when I want to be.

I still have that shirt actually, maybe I should do a recreation...

And this is us at Kew Gardens a few days before I was discharged. One of the best days of my life.

Thanks for reading!

Rachel.