...........Strike!!!!!..................

Tonight's mega storm...........taken from Charlies bed room window.......knocked out electricity all over the Manchester area......including the hospital.

Arrived at the hospital at 9.30 Monday morning............in a spooky episode I was placed in the same building............same floor........same ward...........and the same room that Helen was in before and after her spinal surgery last August!
At 3.30 I was transported to another part of the hospital to collect the equipment for the sleep test.had to insist I wasn't there for an ECG!
I missed the order for evening meal so had to have whatever was left...........and also got my first drink since arriving at 9.30 a.m............8 1/2 hours earlier.

At 8.30 I was officially admitted and steroid treatment was begun (11 hours after arrival) ...........lasted for 30 minutes....followed by injection into stomach area to prevent clots.........blood sample from finger to check blood sugar level......and a saline flush to clean the cannula .

At 9.56 a nurse brought me coffee and toast!.

I attached the apnoea  kit at 10.30 and tried to sleep.....with straps and machine round chest...straps and machine round stomach.....machine attached to finger from chest device ......and tubing into nose. Woke up at 11.35......12.31......2.35....... 4.00 and 5.30....at which point I removed the kit.

Drifted off and woke again at 7.30........breakfast at 8.30. Different staff on duty....reminded them I had an appointment for a visual EEG test at 3.30. ..........found out that there has to be 18- 20 hour gap between steroid treatments so the earliest time today is 5.30 p.m..........evening meal time!

The specialist MS nurse came and gave me lots of advice and literature and promised a home visit next week.

I had to remind senior nurse about EEG appointment 4 times........and she still forgot...........so the test didn't get done !!!!!

The walls of the ward are festooned with posters informing the public of the cost of missed appointments........today I have missed one appointment...... eaten three meals....... watched TV, .....and ha no medical treatment until 5.30..........wonder how much that cost?

Das vidanya moy padruga.