Anything to kill the pain … Panadol, Endone, Morphine …

9 November 2011 (Wednesday), Day 28

This was another night with little sleep and much pain.  The Panadol and Endone are less and less effective in managing the pain.  Anyway, I had exceeded my daily Panadol intake and had to live with the pain.

I looked very sick in the morning.  Everyone passing by my room came in and asked if I was alright.  No, not at all.  The doctors were nice and they came to see me and discuss with me another pain management plan.  They gave me a morphine shot 打嗎啡針 and some stronger pain killers.  Other than feeling a bit drowsy 昏昏欲睡, the pain became more manageable.

The occupational therapist came and told me that a home visit had been fixed on Friday.  The purpose of the home visit was to look at the set up of our house to see how I can live independently as much as possible and most importantly safely at home after discharge.  This would be my first time home in a month. He also showed me the best way to get out of a flat, normal bed. He asked me to roll to the side and push with my arms to get myself upright. I tried twice but the room was spinning like a  merry go round 旋轉木馬.  I preferred pulling myself up using the monkey bar but he said rolling and getting up using my arms is better and the safest.  I had to practise more.

Grace was transferred from Hobart to a private hospital in Sydney today. I was happy that she was now closer to her sister.

My roommate returned home and I had a new roommate. She told me that she had been in the hospital for a year.  She has acute arthritis 急性關節炎 and cannot move.  She even has problem pressing the bell for the nurse.  She looked frail 虛弱 and had a tube running through her nose and throat down her stomach.