We continue to treat the abscess with antibiotics, and eat well, weight has increased by 8lbs but on Wednesday evening it all went wrong. The abscess broke the surface like a blister and it went everywhere! We replaced stoma bag after stoma bag, but could not get one to stay adhered to the skin for more than 5 minutes at a time.
We tried to catch a Stoma Nurse at 5:30pm by phoning the hospital, but they'd gone for the day. We struggled on through the night and then had the idea that in the past the West-Call Doctors (overnight service) gave me a jab to stop me vomiting maybe there was a similar jab to disable the bowel overnight so we could get some sleep and regroup the next day. No! there wasn't but he offered for the 'out-of-hours' Nurses to call. He said "They may be able to help with dressings or other stuff to get us through the night, or I could organise another admission." No! No! No!
(for those of you counting - that is very sad! - I've had a total of 11 admissions, 5 since August '11)
The Nurses arrived about 2am like 'Cagney and Lacy' and were very supportive but had pitifully little equipment, anyway, we had worked out by then what the problem was. Where the abscess had broken the surface it was underneath the flange of the stoma which breached the seal - hence all the blowouts. We cut a scallop in the side of the flange and the Nurses fitted it with an absorbent dressing.
By morning it was a mess again. It seemed that overnight the abscess had sprung a leak somewhere else, in a more helpful place away from the other bags so we could now get a good seal on both - Hurrah!
We waited for the District Nurse, Sally, who had the brainwave of trimming a bag and fitting it over the new abscess outlet, and it seems to be working - except I now have 3 bags!
After lunch our GP's locum popped in and got some bloods from my foot - not best place! but desperate times require desperate measures! She also added 'Metronidazole' to the other antibiotic I'm on. - let's hope we have a quieter night tonight. We are both exhausted!
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Just read the last few months, cant believe what clowns we have in our NHS. Hope Rog improves and you manage to enjoy xmas, all our love, Steve, Julie and the kids. X
ReplyDeleteI just don't believe it you two-- you have been through more than enough already. I hope matters are more in hand now and that you can have some quality at Christmas and a better New Year!!! xxx
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