« A diary of hospital life following a diagnosis of acute kidney failure »

5th October 2006: Looking better

On the mend!

Oh aye, depending on urology and my blood they might let me out on Monday.

Several people, including other patients visitors, have commented that I look noticeably better, healthier, less pale and drawn. Indeed I do feel a lot better than I have in a very long time.

On a negative note, my urea has dropped a mere 0.1mmol/l, while the creatinine, having reached a new low of 231, jumped 14 to 245mmol/l. Makes me a little antsy. If you are wondering, the creatinine on a healthy person is a fraction of that, around 50 to 130. Patients with cronic kidney failure can see this rise to over 600 between dialysis. I just hope it returns to its downward trend.

My magnesium is low and I'm a little anaemic so I'm getting vitamin tablets to raise them. Apparently it's a very bad thing if your magnesium falls to much.

Hospital food again…
On the hospital food front we had a cracker this morning. We were informed at breakfast that [ISS] managemet has sent up a directive that NHS patient are to be strictly limited to one round of toast, or two if they agree not to have any cereal!

When I, when we heard this we were utterly gob-smacked at such blatant, inconsiderate penny-pinching, obviously ordered by some bright spark (read cretin) in the ISS canteen management at the Royal Liverpool Hospital.

Needless to say we revolved immediately. I informed the staff sister of our intention to act and started a list of complaints for when we call the Liverpool Echo at 9am. My associate Peter Glennon in the next bed and myself had a full battleplan ready to bring ISS down a peg or two when the matron come into our room, looking for one of the sisters on duty. Nice woman, especially as matrons go, so we I gave advance warning of our intentions to publicise this latest disgrace and, once she got over the initial disbelief, she said:
Oh for Gods sake! Give me five minutes…

True to her word she came back a few minutes later after roasting said (contract) catering managers and that we could have all the toast we wanted. In order!

In truth I didn't want any toast, I just have cereal for breakfast, but I wasn't about to be treated like a child by some miserly, middle management bureaucrat, no chance!

Visitors

Mum in the day, Louise and the kids at night.