(To read my cancer story from the beginning start here – April / May 2018 – You Have Cancer)

Removing the elastics and going home

After 3 weeks in hospital I was close to going home 🙂

I was up nice and early had a fortisip and also had a Weetabix crushed up with extra milk and about 4 sugars and then got my self cleaned up in anticipation of having the elastics in my teeth out.

I didn’t really know what it entailed but one of the head and neck team came along with some trays, needles, screwdriver and various other bits and pieces.

She said to me, right you have 2 choices, I just unscrew the 8 little fixing pegs which are drilled in to your jaw or you have 8 small injections then I unscrew the pegs that are drilled to your jaw.

Now I didn’t like the sound of having them unscrewed with no pain relief but then again I didn’t like the sound of 8 injections either.

I decided to just go for it and get them out and so she started.
One of the elastics had already come off anyway and she soon unhooked the others before getting her little screwdriver out and unscrewing the studs.

To be honest I hardly felt a thing, I had headphones on to distract me from the noise of them unscrewing and all 8 were out pretty quickly 🙂

With that out the way it was a waiting game to be discharged.

They changed the dressing on my leg again using a Manuka Honey Dressings and a yellow line and told me it would need changing twice a week by a district nurse who they had arranged to visit me at home.

They then had to get the pharmacy to prepare all the medication I had to take out with me and then it was a wait for the paperwork.

I had my lunch and was brave enough to have a jacket potato which was tricky to eat but nice, then got all my stuff packed up ready to go

Early afternoon I noticed my neck was dripping a bit again, my consultant was called to look at me again to see if I could go home like it and fortunately he said yes as I was to see him the following week anyway.

Once I got an approximate time of discharge I phoned Elizabeth and made plans for her to come and get me.

She was there within the hour but unfortunately the car parks were very busy, she took at least 30 minutes trying to find a space and eventually had to park a fair way away.

We got all my stuff together, I said my farewells and thanks to all the nurses and staff and got ready to leave, I wanted to walk out the hospital but Elizabeth insisted I stay in my wheelchair so off we went, Elizabeth carrying m bags and one of the nurses wheeling me to the car park, it was baking hot, the car was a good distance away but we eventually got to it when the nurse noticed she had a message, I had left my mobile phone charging up on the back shelf of the bed 🙁

Another nurse bought it out we meet her half way, then back to the car and finally on the way home.

I say home, where I actually went was to my parents, I had arranged to stay there for the 1st few weeks as my mum could look after me better.

Story continues here soon – 2 days at home then a near trip in the Air Ambulance

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