Daily Archives: 2025-01-17

Saturday:

Felt as if I were coming down with flu including a bit of a sore throat. Lost my appetite so I only ate half of my MYLK Surloin Steak micro meal. Slept very little and badly.

Sunday:

Definitely feeling worse, so much so that by mid afternoon, despite my aversion to taking them, I took a RATS test early afternoon.

Tested positive, the first time ever. It being the weekend I called the Hastings Health Centre and advised them I had Covid and wanted some anti-virals to speed recovery. All I got was a machine but they did ring back and after I mentioned I was 78 they said they’d get a doctor to call me back. Early evening a doctor did call back and she agreed to send a script to the pharmacy in the Health Centre, it being open until 8:00pm.

Rosie was out but offered to pick the script up on her way home. However an hour or more after my phone call the pharmacy hadn’t received the script. Later I called the pharmacy and was assured the pills were ready and waiting on the shelf so when Rosie went in again after her dinner they were ready. Throat very sore by now and with great difficuty I was able to drink the medicines but neither eat nor drink anything else.

Watched TV for much of the night as I couldn’t sleep. Used up some Ibuprofin tablets I already had to try and calm the throat – with little success.

Monday:

Another day without eating or drinking except for my evening meds.

I called the Health Centre again to say I was feeling worse but, it being a week day, they just put me through to my regular GP. Reception saod that Dr Jamieson had a full day but could ring me tomorrow. So I rang back the Health Centre Emergency Out-Of-Hours number again and theybegan search for a doctor to ring back this afternoon. Meanwhile the GP’s surgery called me back to say she’d talked to the doctor and he would ring me back later today.

Dr Jamieson did call back late afternoon and he prescribed some throat spray as a stronger alternative to the Strepsils throat tablets I’d been havin as ofter as possible since the weekend. He also prescribed some stronger throat lozenges. Another late evening call for Rosie to pick them up.

Tuesday:

Another terrible night with little sleep and no improvement to ability to swallow so I got in touch with the doctor again. This time he couldn’t offer any strong medicine for my throat – I’d not had any food or water except for forcing down ills once a day since Saturday lunchtime – but prescribed some strong codeine tablets, which Rosie picked up.GP said that if the codeine didn’t work I should go to ED and get them to check my hydration because having not drunk more than a cup of water since Saturday afternoon I was possibly becoming too dehydrated.

Luckily for me Marcus marched over to see for himself how I was and, fortuitiously, Gill rang for the same reason. This was mid afternoon. Hearing what the GP said they were both pf the opinion I needed to go to the Hawkes bay hospital ED straight away. The codeine had had a couple of hours to work but with no obvious effect on my throat. Anyway I agreed to go and get hydrated.

Marcus took me in late afternoon and despite being very busy – but no more so tat usual said the nurse – they took me in and shunted Marcus and me into a small waiting room. Time ticked on bye; nurses came and took my vital signes a couple of times but I think it wasn’t until maybe 2:00am that a doctor was able to see me. Soon after midnight they gave me the first litre of electrolyte, it took several hours to finish. The doctor was excellent, very thorough and confirmed that based on the “bloods” they’d got I was indeed dehydrated and he did not want me to leave the hospital until my kidneys were back to normal so I should expect a few days in hospital.

After the doctor had gone and it was clear nothing more was going to happen until tomorrow daytime Marcus went home, after 3:00am.

Wednesday:

Witdh the pills they gave me and the throat spray my throat was getting better. Beginning this morning I was able to down cool tea with milk and sugar and yoghurt.

Someone came a took readings then around 5:30am I was moved to another part of the ED. smaller than the first room and with less equipment in it. At 7:30am I was moved again to a permanent room up on the third floor, ward B3 for “neurology and Covid”. There are two rooms, single occupancy and self-contained for patients with Covid. I started on the second litre of hydration electrolyte.

Multiple rounds of nurses and other carers who took vital signs then disappeared. Early afternoon the doctor came; corroborated the overnight doctor’s diagnosis and said the bloods showed damage to my kidneys and I’d need to stay at least another day.

Marcus very kindly brought in some pyjamas, charging plugs, shaver, etc. including my anti-viral pills and stayed for a couple of hours. The rounds of nurses and carers continued. The final one left at around 10:30pm – but no, another round of vital signes measured around 11:00pm which woke me from slumber. Then I couldn’t get back to sleep so rang for a cup of tea which did help.

Thursday:

Sore throat banished; I’m eating and drinking plenty of liquids.

5:00am and another round of vital signs and then back to sleep until around 7:00am when there was another round of vital signs including an extra blood test. Breakfast at 8:00am which I observed was almost the opposite of the ingredients I’d checked on the list I was asked to fill in yesterday. Every meal they give me slices of glutinous bread and had-to-swallow elements. And only the meal-serving staff seemed a bit surly but perhaps they too, like all the rest of the staff, are run off their feet.

Marcus came around 8:00am and left my anti-virals, returning again at 9:30am with and left to drive his tour bus to the Gannets an hour later. I began my third litre of electrolyte.

Doctor came and said my kidneys were back to normal and I could go home after lunch. Marcus was away driving a tourist coach to the gannets so Chrissie came and picked me up aftwr lunch. I was very pleased to be home again.

Friday:

Slept quite well. Took Bangle for a coffee and apple turnover and a walk along the Tainui reserve. Rosie/Chrissie had picked up my MYLK order yesterday and so I was all set to begin life as usual. Marcus took Bangle with the other dogs for a walk.

Talked with Bridget in Khandallah and signed a form for MillVale so the plan to move Karola from Summerset Palms to Millvale on Monday can go ahear. Rang Jenny and briefed her on events. Bridget is flying up here on Sunday; Marcus has offered to ferry her from the flight. Bridget will return to Wellington late afternoon on Tuesday.

Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [?]