Being in Hospital During a Pandemic

Over the past year, the world has changed a lot. From being in complete lockdown and not seeing or hugging loved ones, to having to live with social distancing.

As some of you might already know I was admitted into hospital a while back and I thought it would be interesting to share the experience of what it was like to be in a hospital during a pandemic.

The Days Leading Up to Being Admitted.

I haven’t been that well this year at all really and I was waiting for a few referrals just to check it was my ME / Fibro and nothing more.

For instance, since February I had what is assumed to be a reactive lymph node.

In the days before I was admitted to the hospital, things changed. Instead of just one lymph node up, several around my neck were up. So I phoned the doctor, who wouldn’t see me until I had been checked for COVID.

Thankfully, my test came back negative so on the Wednesday I saw a doctor face to face and was prescribed penicillin V. Within hours of taking my first dose, however, I wasn’t feeling right.

That night I took the decision to stop taking the Penicillin and to ring the doctor’s first thing. They asked me to come in on Friday and have more blood tests.

Friday morning I woke up in an awful state, I was struggling to breathe and, had a rash over my hand and arms, which was extremely itchy.  Also the lymph nodes had become extremely painful. I was all-in-all a mess. Luckily as I was struggling the day before I had asked my Dad to take me to the doctors so I didn’t have to drive myself. 

What I didn’t expect was to end up being sent by the phlebotomist to the doctor who quickly called an ambulance to rush me to the hospital.

Being Admitted.

As I am sure all of you will expect, under social distancing the minute you’re passed over to the ambulance team you have to be alone. I can’t thank the ambulance team for keeping me talking and stopping me from freaking out a bit.

I was taken into a small area of A&E, where I was given a cannula and had a lot of blood taken. At this point, they started to think I might have Glandular Fever, so I was treated as an infectious patient. Moved from a ward setting to a room.

Most of the rest of the day was spent in A&E being looked at by doctors, having bloods taken and being given meds. 

It was late in the evening I was moved to a side room in a ward. 

Musical Beds.

At 5:30 the next morning I was woken by the two people who had been looking after me all night and told I was being moved wards!

I was quickly packed up and sent on my way.

This was the first time I started to really notice the COVID changes on wards. As I was wheeled through to the new room, I went through a ward, which gave me the creeps. I honestly felt like I was in the middle of a horror film, as all the beds not only had the normal curtains around them, but were also surrounded by clear plastic.

I spent the next few hours in one side room, where I was also put on a drip, before being moved to another room on the same ward. 

The weekend was a very strange time, I saw people when they came in to check on me but mostly was left to my own thoughts. Having to buzz every time I needed the loo as I was hooked up to a drip. There was someone who was being abusive towards staff and patients in a nearby room as well, which was quite hard to deal with. 

I was coping OK until Sunday night. 

Things Go Downhill.

I had been asking over and over if they were sure they had all my meds, as I had run out of those I had come in with. Each time I was assured that they did. However, they didn’t!

My close friends and family know if I don’t get given a certain medication I don’t cope the next day. It’s almost like all the symptoms it is helping to control hit me at once in full force. 

So on Monday, I’m not only dealing with an allergic reaction and infections that have been found but I am also being hit by deteriorating mental health. 

On the plus side, I am also found to be Glandular Fever negative. I’m quickly told I can go onto the main ward and part of me thinks it might be a good thing, I won’t be so isolated as I have been in the side room. 

The reality, however, was very different and I just couldn’t cope anymore. 

In fact, I got to the place where my parents, and I think some of the nursing staff were worried and it was agreed that my mental health needed me to see them. So I was able to meet up with Ash and my Dad outside the ward in one of the gardens. 

Nights Were the Worst.

By Monday night I had, had less than 3 hours of sleep a night since the previous Wednesday. I could tell my body was really starting to struggle with its lack of sleep as I could hear myself calling out as I started to drift off. This is something that I do when mentally exhausted. Getting any sleep was hard as there was a few people shouting most of the night.

Tuesday came around and I was told I was moving wards again. This time I saw my Mum and Ash in the gardens. 

The ward I was moved to had fewer precautions in place, everyone moved there was covid negative and while nurses still wore PPE, the plastic around each bed wasn’t present. 

The lady next to me in this ward was sadly suffering from I would assume a form of dementia, as was someone else further down the corridor. They were both very distressed, which seemed to join me in my dreams. Tuesday night I remember shouting out for Ash as a grey withered face popped up in my dreams.

Being Discharged.

Wednesday was the day of my biopsy and I was pushing hard to be discharged after it was done. Results would take at least 2 weeks, and all my meds and cream could be taken and applied at home by this point.

Luckily I was able to get them to agree and was allowed to come home. 

I have to admit I can’t thank the doctors and nurses enough, I can’t imagine what it is like for them working through a pandemic. 

However, from a patients point of view, I found it personally to be lonely and distressing. Emotions that you could probably appoint to any hospital stay are made worse by not being able to see loved ones as you normally would. 

When it comes to my health, I’m still struggling with it. Though at last, I feel like I’m on the mend. I am due to have more tests to try and get to the bottom of what caused it all. Including another biopsy as the first one came back inconclusive. 

If you know anyone who goes into hospital during the restrictions, give them a message or a phone call. I’m sure it would make a huge difference. 

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