It’s been another exciting few weeks here in the land of hip surgery recovery. So many ups and downs that I’m beginning to feel like a yo-yo! This journey is really not for anyone who is faint of heart or weak of stomach (more on that later.)
Last weekend I managed my first holiday since my surgery, with the help of my lovely brother and his equally lovely girlfriend. I’m still too weak to manage hauling about luggage on public transport, and like a fool I still havent learned how to drive (not that I could afford to run a car if I did!) So my brothers girlfriend, Emily, kindly offered to drive us all down to Shropshire to visit my Dad and Step Mom.
We had great fun singing and dancing in the car on the way down. It felt so good to be getting away and travelling again, I’ve missed it so much! Emily was a real trooper because it’s a long and tiring three and a half hour journey and most of the motorways in the country seem to be covered in road works! We stopped a couple of times to stretch our legs and grab something to eat. It’s the longest journey I’ve attempted since my surgery and I was a bit wary of how my hip would cope. But I’m happy to say that it was just a bit stiff from sitting for so long, and the stiffness eased as soon as we got to my Dads and I could move it.
We had a lovely few days having meals with my Dad and Step Mom, meeting up with friends I haven’t seen for over a year, going to Christmas fairs and the Christmas lights switch on. I managed loads of walking and was really pleased with how well my hip felt. It was all wonderful, and although I was worn out by all the excitement, I was very happy.
Then, on Saturday night we all went to the theatre. It was on the other side of town so we walked and I felt so grateful that my hip is well enough to be able to walk such a distance! It was wonderfully atmospheric seeing the beautiful old town lit up with twinkling Christmas lights.
My kind Step Mom offered to walk with me, which I was grateful for, and all the while chatted to me which took my mind off the overwhelming urge to vomit. I managed to get back to their flat and into the bathroom before I chucked my guts up. It was about nine pm. I continued to throw up until the early hours of the morning. My Dad and Step Mom were amazing looking after me, and when I started to throw up blood I was so glad they were there. I was absolutely terrified and so weak I could barely stand. I had a terrible temperature so although I was sweating I felt like I was freezing cold and couldn’t stop shivering. I tried sipping water because I was so dehydrated, but even little sips made me start vomiting again. My Dad rang the out of hours doctor and they recommended an ambulance.
When the paramedics arrived they had loads of questions but I could barely talk. They were patient with me and made me feel less scared. They took my mind off the pain and nausea by asking me about my job and the book I was reading. They reassured me that the blood was probably because I’d vomited so much that I’d ruptured some little blood vessels in my throat, so although scary it wasn’t too serious. But they were concerned that I couldn’t swallow any water or paracetamol. They took my blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and tested my blood sugar in case I was diabetic. Everything was ok apart from my temperature being too high and my heart rate, which was tachycardic. This means my resting heart rate was very fast, over 100 beats per minute, then stopping or slowing down suddenly.
I had the most horrendous pain in my stomach, like I’d been punched repeatedly. I also had a thumping headache from being so badly dehydrated. They said the only thing they could do without admitting me was give me paracetomal orally, which obviously wasn’t an option. They needed to give me liquid paracetomal by IV to get my temperature down, get some fluids into me and stop me throwing up and the only way they could do that was to take me to hospital. So although the last place I wanted to be was another hospital ( I make that the fourth hosptial I’ve had to visit this year!) the paramedics sensibly talked me into going with them in the ambulance. By this time it was four am and none of us had had any sleep!
So on my first holiday since March I ended up being take by ambulance to Princess Royal hospital in Telford. Although I was relieved to be getting help and knew there wasnt any other option, I could not believe my bad luck!
F.A.I Hippie Chick 