Imagine being in a room with someone who :
Cries a lot, laughs a lot, moans a lot, talks a lot. Has raging dyskinesia (continuous movement) one minute, then frozen and sobbing the next, then ordinary the next. Who also has over one hundred poems she needs to practise.
But unlike the tv show, you can’t shout ‘I’m in hospital get me out of here).
I have just been on a two centre hospital trip, cricky the people on the ward deserve something more than a laminated certificate. They were party to 24 hour Parkinson’s.
Now, other people would have drawn the curtains round and tried to hide their feelings/symptoms. I am afraid, selfishly, that is not me.
Rather than paragraphing the past few hospital stays, a bullet list might be easier on the eye :
- I don’t know if anyone noticed me singing Wham Rap one morning to get out of bed.
- Antibiotics and the like have messed with my stomach and interfered with the absorption of the meds – so symptoms kicking off more than usual.
- Use it or lose it. When switched ‘on’ I was walking the corridors to get my walking practise in.
- My paranoid fretful nights are difficult at home, but in hospital they are awful awful awful. The staff were amazing. When I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t lie down, I wandered up and down the corridor (trying very hard not to disturb everyone).
- The staff at the hospital without exception knew that I needed my medication with me at all times so that I could self medicate. A few forms to fill in and it was organised. The first nurse I saw said ‘get it on time’ which is the tagline for getting the medication on time.
- First day or so I felt guilty for pressing the call button to ask for something to be moved nearer when switched off. However I quickly learnt it was better to ask for a few minutes help to get organised than to try and do it myself and knock things over etc.
I wasn’t in for a Parkinson’s problem, but the PD dominated. It really has taken over, everything I say and everything I do. It was difficult for the staff I am sure to ignore the PD outer. I had to keep reminding myself that wasn’t was I was in for …
So thank you thank you to the staff and fellow roomies, all had the patience of a patient thing.
In the words of a political robot person … I (hope I) won’t be back (in hospital)
