When I arrived at the A&E it was very busy and obviously, more urgent cases had to be seen before me. I wasn’t really aware of the passing of time and when I was eventually taken into a cubicle to be examined it quickly became apparent that I was not going home that night.
I was put on a hospital trolley where I stayed all night before finding my way into a ward during the afternoon. I had been receiving treatment and was being monitored regularly but it was quite some time before a regular bed became available
I was being given various anti-biotics in an attempt to get the temperature under control but the doctors were struggling to find the right treatment for me. “It’s just guesswork”, I was told by one doctor as my temperature continued to rise. It went up so much that the nurse decided to open the window next to my bed on what was the coldest night of the winter.
“What about the other patients?” I asked.
“They can have extra blankets”, she replied.
Fair enough.
I was being given anti-biotics intravenously and at some point I was informed that in order to get the infection under control, they were going to have to drain my bladder. I was to have a catheter fitted. Deep joy. So early into 2019 and I had a conviction it was not going to be my year.
Eventually, with my bladder drained and an anti-biotic that was working, I managed 24 hours without a temperature spike and so was allowed home. After five days in hospital might some people may have wanted to go home but I had been feeling so bad that I did not really want to leave. The care I was receiving from the NHS staff was brilliant. I told the staff that I would give them five stars on Tripadvisor.
Another downside to my going home was that I had to keep the catheter for another week and was told it would only be taken out if certain criteria were met. Fortunately for me I was able to pass the tests and was relieved to have it removed.
Living With Prostate Cancer 