goodnight

overall today has finished off better than it started, possibly going home tomorrow and some lovely visitors today. i've had a shower and am now in bed.
however i'll be signing off tonight on a slightly more serious note.

as i have said before roskear ward is a cardio ward and tonight one of the male patients arrested. it was all handled very well and with very little fuss. it was just after visiting so the remaining visitors were asked to leave and the crash team arrived with very little fanfare. you heard the defib warm up, someone said 'clear' and you heard the shock. it was successful but arrangements were then made to take him to coronary care (to do this a swap of patients was made). from the discussions and telephone conversations it appears that he had come in for a pacemaker and had, up until then been doing quite well.
only once have i been on a ward where someone has died, it was a young mother who had taken an overdose and again it was all handled very discreetly.

today we are removed from death, it is no longer something that happens in the home. however we still think of hospitals as places where people go to get better and the vast majority probably do, but as tonight has shown there are near misses and failures. even today my consultant reminded me that when i arrived on friday i was in a life-threatening situation.
so although i'm making the best of a bad situation and trying to find humour in my circumstances and the people who surround me here, i also respect them for the roles that they perform and the treatment and care that they have shown me.
thank you