Day 41

I have just read yesterday's blog and it doesn't make for good reading but it was a difficult day; some perhaps of my own making.  My friend Vicky has suggested I may be internalising issues and, having reminded myself what that means in reality, I think she may well be right. I do find it difficult that people don't 'deliver' what they say they will so if someone says that they will get back to me in the afternoon I expect them to do that or let me know if they can't. It seems here that the standard is that even if someone promises they will do something by a certain time, if they are prevented from doing what they promised because the information, for example, wasn't available, it is quite in order to do nothing at all. That's not how I have worked all my life but I'll have to try and work with the standards here as I don't expect I'll be able to change them! Let's hope that what has been promised, including an update to my notes following the Fracture Clinic appointment, because without them we can't move forward, happens today.

My cousin's wife, Fiona, rang last night.  She was a sister, I  think, at Wexham Park hospital in Slough and asked me a lot of medical related questions. Very kindly she and husband John are coming to see me on Friday.

A cracking night's sleep, probably the best I have enjoyed for some years, only waking once to attend to Mother Nature.

My grateful thanks to Jennie and also to Jacqueline Biggs for their kind and very helpful comments which came via my blog.

My friend Sarah from CRT came early this morning and kindly dropped off some washing she did for me.  We had a discussion about last night's Stoke Bruerne Parish Council meeting and the fallout from the the unprecedented numbers that attended on Saturday evening.

10:00 - The Geriatric Consultant (Dr Naz) has just visited (I thought he was coming tomorrow) and has pleaded with me to revert to toe-touch walking because there hasn't been any paperwork regarding my ability to weight bear.  Oh dear, that is, to me a hugely backward step after having been told verbally by the registrar on Monday that I could weight bear as much as I could tolerate.  Dr Naz says I do need intensive physio and I do need to go to long term rehab but that's not been indicated by the registrar I saw on Monday because he hasn't given a clear cut medical definition of what I may or may not do and my notes still have not been updated as of 10:00 this morning.  I am trying to be more sanguine about things but it is immensely frustrating as I effectively mark time - my friend Lynda owes me £10 following a bet we had!

11:30 - Diana and Amanda from the Discharge team have just been in - they are hopeful they will receive an update from the Fracture Clinic by 13:00 at which time the physio will know what I can and can't be allowed to do.  I do understand that Ram (the physio) can't get me doing things without the paperwork!  Once Ram can see what I am able to do under the authorised weight bearing from the Fracture Clinic then a decision can be made about the future care - it seems the other fly in the ointment is that Christmas is almost upon us and transfers to longer term care seem, for some reason, to take a back seat - well Secretary of State for Health it is not just a 5-day-a-week health service - it seems to slow down for public holidays as well but I am sure you know that. I was advised that there is an entry in my notes from Ram (the physio) that he won't do anything until the registrar's notes are forwarded.

17:30 - Well here we are at 17:30 and nothing has been received from the Fracture Clinic so I am formally returned to no weight bearing (toe-touching I suppose) and tomorrow will be wasted as well so that's three days wasted in my recovery now.  I can't understand why things are as they are but I have a good mind to take my wheelchair down to the Fracture Clinic in the morning and be a PITA until the answers are delivered.  What's happening is totally unacceptable and there's no other description available that's possible without reverting to naughty words. If you click the link at the end of this sentence you will be taken to the NHS standard for recovery from a broken hip - link is here.

With Christmas so close I do now wonder if I shall be allowed to weight bear by then and, if not  it is going to be the New Year. I just wonder wonder what it takes to make a report of the 15 minute consultation I had with the registrar and get it the 200m to Cliftonville to enable the physio to at least start me off on the more robust road to full fitness.  I am so pleased I have documented my time in NGH day-by-day because if it comes to it I have all the evidence I need.

Lovely visits today from Laura Sturrock from Braunston and Lynda Payton - thank you ladies.