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

Stitches out, Temperatures and Infections

If you have read my previous posts you will know I’m settled on my ward now, had bagged the window bed and was well settled.

It was the day to have the metal studs taken out of my neck and belly, one of them was a bit suck which wasn’t nice but eventually they got them all out, I asked about stitches but they apparently just dissolved, my trachy was healing well and they said I would be going home soon.

Unfortunately that evening my temperature was sky high again and I had a rough night, I was no better the next day the doctors saw me, talked about infections and put me on a course of intravenous anti-biotics which meant I would be in for at least another 5 days, plus it also meant even more blood tests, I’d had so many recently my veins were hiding every time they tried to take blood and sometime it took 2 attempts (unless it was the phlebotomists who always got it 1st time with no trouble).

I was warm for a couple of days but was close to going when a very small hole appeared in my neck and was leaking a really horrid smelling light beige liquid, it wasn’t painful at all but it was very smelly and annoying as it was dripping down my top (dripping is a bit of an exaggeration as it was hardly anything, but still enough to be annoying)

My consultant and the guy who was looking after me most now, David chatted about it and next thing my speech and language lady was there with some coloured liquid for me to drink to see if the hole was a problem, none of the coloured liquid came through the hole which they were pleased about, said they would keep an eye on it for a couple of days and once it stopped I could go home.

A couple of days later it had stopped on its own and I felt as though I was close to being discharged 🙂

Unfortunately it wasn’t to be 🙁

On the morning I thought I might be going home they came and took the dressing of my leg and straight away I could see the nurse wasn’t happy, she asked if she could take some photos of it and called David down to have a look.

They said it was infected, and that probably explains the temperatures I was getting earlier in the week and extended ny course of anti biotics.

David also had a good look and said it looks like the skin graft hadn’t taken well

Looked like I was going to be in for at least another 3 – 5 days with them now keeping a closer eye on my leg.

After the 3rd day David had another look, said the skin graft wasn’t good and the wound needed debriding.

I had no idea what he meant, but he got straight ahead doing it, effectively peeling and scraping off bad skin like peeling of a plaster.

The debriding was nowhere near as bad as it sounds and I hardly felt a thing, I asked him what effect it would have and he said no real problem I would just have a worse scar (my shark bite as we now refer to it as)

With leg sorted, temperature gone, anti-biotics finished it was nearly time to go home.

I’d spoken to Mr Walton a couple of days earlier about my elastics and he was umming and ahing about leaving them in for a bit longer, but he knew I really wanted them gone so said OK, we’ll take them out the morning you’re discharged

Story continues here – Removing the elastics and going home

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