What's that in the road? A head?

It's Wednesday afternoon just finished the hospital lunch and they were mighty tasty sandwiches.

Yes all of you clever folks spotted that sly reference to my present location, which is not our apt. in Kanagroo point. I am now offically an in patient at my third hospital! Although I had my Hicknam's catherer put in here it was as a day patient only.

Yesterday I showered late in preparation for a massage that I have bboked for 4:oopm and noticed that as the pink rash from the codine had faded from aroung my Hickman's exit site that it was indeed red and irritated looking on it's own accord.

Now we will pause for a brief instruction manual on the Hickman's catheter. This is a three core tube into my major vein above my heart. Lets' break this down. Three hollow tubes in one each has it's hole separate from the others at the end of the big tube in the vien. Each has a separate 'bung' at the outside end. I n my case two are 1 mm and one is 1.5mm ID (inside dimenstion. Hey Dan you remember this engineering term don't you? anyway they can be putting liuquids into me and taking blood (except if you are the nurse last night) out of me. REmind me to tell you about the 3:00am Competitive Nurse story. Anyway, Yes the tube leaves the visual spectrum at the hole in my skin called the exit site. This was the red area last night. Then it tunnels under my skin upwards about three inches to a second scare site called the entrance site. However there is no sign of the tube because under the skin it enters my vein. It is shoved along a bit and everything is closed up They separate the point it enters the vein and the place it exits my body so as to prevent outside infection to get into my blood stream. They Flush the tube with saline and change bungs weekly. I was swabbing it daily but not well enough I guess. it seems that the exit site needs care for three weeks and normally I would be doing chemo and the nurse would do cleaning and checking etc. anyway.....

You can see that it's important so they have slapped me into hospital and put me on heavy duty antibiotics (times 2). One is called Vanqucillin, Now thats a name for a killer drug eh?

I'm here for a another day or two. Had an uncorfortable night but did some sleep. The probelm was the hospital gown. Anybody seen the new ones? You know that when some says they graduated at the top of thier class there had to be some poor bozo who alos graduated but at the bottom of his ( it has to be a guy) industrial design class. Yep he designed thes gowns. Okay I kown they have to be able to be put onto someone who is unconsious. I suspect that most people get them this way. I had no choice because we thought we were getting oral anti biotics and then getting sent home.... I repeat I had no choice! Anyway, they are cleverly (not) designed from a large square piece of cloth with snaps that hold together the arms, down the front a bit and down the back. here's the trick though the snaps, in space age plastic, will deform in temperatures above 80 degrees celsius and ofcousrse the hospital laundry does everything at 81 degrees. Ever wake in the night with you gown completely twisted around you neck and every snap undone? Try to fix if in the dark I DARE YOU. I woke up in the morning with one arm snapped aroung my neck and the other arm attached to safety rail. Hey by the way when was the last time you fell out of bed and needed a safety rail? Anyway....

At three am in prances competitive Nurse. who says "I hear they couldn't get blood out of your cath". I replied "Mummdsfmblemamumu" having just woken. She swabs my bung then pops on a syringe and pulls 50cc of blood fster then I typed this. then she trys two other ways of getting the blood and declares herself Champion and goes off to collect the day money.

Guess what! The internet Kiosk here doesn't have a built in web cam, build in phot booth software or anything. I've been spoiled by my mac book. So no pictures this post. I can't remember can uo up loadpictures to comments please do so if you can.

More later
Chris

P.S. This shouldn't change my new transplant dates but will know when I see Doc Morton on Friday. It just helps to fill the days.
co