Hi all :) I'm going to make a little blog post about my experiences with hospitals... I'll post some tips, pictures and some 'hospital hacks'
Cannulas are the worst thing for me, because I have such small veins. I took this picture at almost three am when I stayed in hospital for the first time on my own just recently... And, at about two am the cannula in my arm had tissued, and then a woman came in and failed to put another one in my other arm, so then I had to wait for a man to come in and finally put this cannula in. The next morning my new Spanish nurse wasn't very happy about how much blood there was, and he cleaned it all up for me- he was so nice :).
Enjoy 😘 Comment if you relate, or if you have any questions!
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Being in hospital is obviously never fun. If you're in the children's clinic take advantage of the lovely play workers (I mean this in a nice way, of course!) and try to do as much craft and play as many games as you can! If you're not up to doing much, just relax and watch some DVDs.
When I was in hospital for my kidney transplant, and a few stays after that, I had to go a long way. And, whenever we were there (usually me and my mum) the side rooms usually only had one TV remote between the four of them... So, always hide it!!
Having Cystinosis may not look to be stressful to an outsider, but when things get bad they usually get bad pretty quickly. I've been in hospital twice these past few months, and now I'm an adult it's not near as easy as it used to be.
When I'm older I'd like to be a play worker, but now I've transferred to the adult clinic I wish there were more facilities for teenagers. I really don't warm to being put on a ward with patients shouting throughout the night, and where apartmently they 'get funny about people staying with you'... Being an adult, huh?
Cannulas are the worst thing for me, because I have such small veins. I took this picture at almost three am when I stayed in hospital for the first time on my own just recently... And, at about two am the cannula in my arm had tissued, and then a woman came in and failed to put another one in my other arm, so then I had to wait for a man to come in and finally put this cannula in. The next morning my new Spanish nurse wasn't very happy about how much blood there was, and he cleaned it all up for me- he was so nice :). Nurses have such hard jobs, and the majority of nurses that I've met have always been extra nice to me.
Of course when I'm in hospital I'll bring my DVD player (and plug it in, even though the plug sockets are 'meant for medical equipment only' but have they ever experienced having an iPhone??) and I'll re-watch some of my favourite TV shows.
Listening to music is also a good option, especially if you're on a noisy ward.
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Hopefully I won't be in hospital again anytime soon! And, I hope none of you readers, or your children are either... Thank you for reading this blog entry. Xxx
Another great post. I share your hate of cannulas. In the past they've tried to put them in my hand but it's always been really painful and difficult to get in because my veins are so thin. So now I always insist they put it in my arm which is better but still a nightmare!
ReplyDeleteI prefer them in my arm too, because it feels more like a blood test than a cannula going in. They're just so annoying!!
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