There was a blip in my blogs.
The reason is, I’ve had a nasty experience. It’s all about pain.
Last Christmas I endured about a month of being unable to walk at all. The doctor prescribed Codeine. Codeine makes people constipated, so with the Codeine came the ‘latest craze’ water absorbing constipation medication. Codeine, Ibuprophen, Paracetamol irritate the stomach. I try to avoid them.
This year’s Christmas gift from my body was a pulled exterior oblique muscle, that ends at the sternum. I did that to myself during exercise. So now two extreme pains, lower back and sternum. In desperation I took the pills. And the water absorbing anti-constipation medication that dehydrates you. The inflammation (my own diagnosis) must have spread to my oesophagus. The Codeine, the Ibuprophen and the Paracetamol, did their bit too, gnawing away at my oesophagus.
I got Oesophogealitis. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I could not swallow, not even saliva. Serious situation. Everything got expelled instantly in agonising paroxisms of thick phlegm and foam.
The doctor asked me to present myself to the nearest hospital for a drip as the quickest way to get help. She feared dehydration.
A Furlong daughter collected me with my vomit-pot and we embarked on a freezing journey through icy roads to A+E in the next town. The waiting time was 3 hours. Then 4 hours. The place was chokkas it being a Friday night. There were seriously injured folk there waiting patiently to be mended. Hopefully waiting.
The Furlong daughter stood all the four hours. Patiently, graciously, caring. I even managed to sleep on my overnight bag jammed into the side of the wheelchair. When I woke, I asked if she had a “sucky thing” that I could hold in my very dry mouth. But she hadn’t. In my bag I found a Broncostop Pastille. So I sucked on that, avoiding a swallow.
Along came the nurse at four hours, who announced that there had been an “Incident” and there were now no doctors to see anyone at all. The waiting time was 11 hours. Please would everyone go home and come back in the morning.
So we came home in the darkness near midnight. On the way, we realised I had not used my vomit-pot for a while and maybe the Broncostop was doing something useful. So I sucked the rest of the Pastille.
At home I managed to keep tiny sips of water down. I hardly ate for a week, but I did drink water. I am still not quite right.
What can we learn from my long and dreary story?
Oral painkillers are not our friends. They need to be treated as enemies in case you go from bad to worse.
Do not take the new fangled water absorbing powders and potions. They dehydrate you. Take bowel irritants instead – old fashioned stuff. Otherwise you might go from bad to worse.
Broncostop pastilles are a flegm dispersing cough medication that seemed to disperse it from my oesophagus. They stopped me going from bad to worse.
And lastly, do not rely on the NHS. They definitely have gone from bad to worse. And that’s the most shocking part of my story….