Eyesore week
Once you have survived brain injury you’re open to a whole heap of problems, last week proved that yet again. It was a week that had seen Anita suffer two medical problems, a lot of pain and tons of frustration. It’s not that the NHS is awful or that the staff were anything other than very considerate, maybe it’s the system, but it’s most definitely the brain injury.
I received a call at work from Anita on Monday afternoon; the GP had been to see her and had diagnosed the largest ulcer he had ever seen on her eye. I think the ulcer stared on Friday and that’s also when she started with a headache. The GP wanted her to get immediate emergency eye treatment. Because there is no such facility in Milton Keynes we had to drive up to Northampton. After the usual waiting around, the eye doctor did all the usual microscopic type examinations of the eye, not much fun with a headache. The eye doctor finally dispatched us later that evening with 3 or 4 different kind of eye drops requiring application every 15 min’s. The next day the GP came again and was surprised she was not admitted given that she needed such constant attention. He gave her some medication for slightly high blood pressure and sent us back. It was groundhog day as we went through the whole trip to Northampton eye emergency again. After mentioning the headache we came seeking a prescription from a late night chemist for co-codamol. The ironic thing is we had loads at home and it was never going to help the headache anyway. By this time I had established that paracetamol, ibuprofen or codine were not going to help.
Wednesday, we need to go back to Northampton hospital again for eye checks and hopefully from the GPs point of view she will be admitted. This time Anita’s headache was more like a migraine, parking was difficult and a bomb scare meant I had to push her around the perimeter of the hospital, as you can imagine we were both a little fractious by now. We got to see a different eye doctor, fairly quick this time and he did the usual microscopic stuff. I said that given that Anita had to have eye drops every 15 min’s maybe she should be admitted so that I could go to work. After several liaisons with his boss he said the eye drops could be applied just 6 times a day because there was no infection. I asked had the results come back from Monday’s swab and he went and got it. This turned out to be clear which made me wonder if the reduction in drops was only so she didn’t have to be admitted! However she still had this headache after 5 days which the GP thought was down to the eye. I said that I was worried about her headache and they tried to fob us off because it was not their responsibility. I said OK if that’s the way it is I am leaving her with you and going to work, you can deal with it because the GP thinks the eye is causing the headache. After this they gave us piece of paper and asked us to go to the emergency accident unit.
Every time you go to hospital, forms have to be filled in and that means questions about Anita’s medical history. By now I just wished they had invented a chip they could conceal about her person that contained all her records. I always say how long have you got. I should keep all this information on my PDA but because I tend not to give as much of a shit about things these days I don’t. It’s the same with forms, forms and more forms there is so much organising to do that I go about it in a disorganised way. All Anita wanted was a very strong painkiller but of course they were worried enough to give her the obligatory CT scan, lumbar puncture and only codine. The results of the tests came back OK and it was late so I told them I would go home. I wanted Anita to stay in overnight anyway because she had been ferried back and forwards so many times it wasn’t helping the headache which was a suspected migraine. Apparently Anita told them to stuff it when they asked her could she get me to pick her up at 10.00pm.
Thursday I get the call can I come and pick her up at 1.00pm, she has been transferred to her own room on a ward. I am still concerned that they won’t give her anything stronger than codine that would bring relief. Apparently there has been a mix up and she is still waiting for a painkilling injection. So they have called me up to miss more work for which I will have to take more holidays. So we waited and waited and she finally got the injection after 8.00pm before we could go home. The annoying thing from my point of view was that the injection was only codine so it was a complete waste of time and she still had a headache! They couldn’t prescribe a migraine type drug because they said her GP should do that being more attune to her daily needs.
Friday I go to work and Anita, with headache, against my advice goes to rehab. There are more concerns over her headache, the GP is contacted and he sends her to hospital again, this time Milton Keynes. I decline to go over to A&E because of what I have learned throughout the week. Now does not mean now and frustration does little to help. When I pick her up at 5.00pm her headache has finally been relieved by an anti-inflammatory drug called Diclofenac.
I am concerned that I don’t handle hospitals in the calm manner that I used to, which makes me wonder if I am suffering wear and tear after all this time or if it’s to do with the deeper things that have changed with me. I have also learned that anything can happen with Anita and it would be easier if I didn’t care.
I am not sure what will happen about Anita’s headaches but as I speak now they are coming back a little. She chucked my full English breakfast I made for her Saturday without taking a mouthful of bacon. More visits, more drugs, more eye drops more…….