Plodds first statement, Iām in entire agreement with. The second, not so.
Until I reached the age of 90, I didnāt think about getting old. I had my 90th birthday in Spain during a three-month winter stay, having towed my van there. However, since the Covid lockdown, health-wise, Iāve begun to fall apart. AF had been diagnosed when I was in my eighties, but now at 94, several of my other internal organs are deciding that enough is enough.
Itās many years ago that I made an āAdvanced Decisionā on my future treatment and my medical records are marked so that CPR is not attempted. At the same time, I opted for any future treatment to be given at home, rather than in the hospital. My leg ulcers which began towards the end of last year were treated at home by the District Nurses who visited twice a week. Apparently, the ulcers are the result of heart failure restricting blood flow in my legs. On=going treatment is to wear compression stockings together with gaiters which increases the compression even more.
Then towards the end of February, I developed a swelling in my scrotum. It increased in size by the day, so much so that walking became difficult. Inevitably, I fell over and I realized I couldnāt go on. Although it was getting on for midnight, I had no option other than to call my daughter, who in turn called an ambulance. I then spent several hours on a trolley parked in a corridor, but finally, I was moved into a reception ward where my home treatment had been noted. However, the doctor explained he could send me home with tablets, but the treatment I really needed could only be done on the ward since it required I-V antibiotics for 36 hours. My stay lasted for four weeks, but the nurse in charge apologized because the only bed available was in a room on its own. So private ward with en-suite shower and toilet room. I have been home now for four weeks, having been transferred to what my hospital calls āIts virtual wardā In that, the patient is sent home, with a helper calling twice each day. If dressings need changing, a nurse comes instead and finally, a hospital doctor calls each week to check on progress and decide on future treatment, until the decision is taken to discharge you back to your GP.
Perhaps not every area of the NHS is giving such fine treatment, but from what Iāve seen in the past six months, the NHS is doing a first-rate job.