Why there was no Friday Night Chats

Emily Writes Weekly

Kia ora - I just wanted to send a quick note to say why there was no Friday Night Chats and why I’ll be away for a few days.

I went into hospital on Friday for a recurring pain condition I’ve had. I won’t go into it because it’s boring but I’m out of hospital now and very glad to be. And I’m on some very strong painkillers (so I’m grateful that this has been edited and checked for spelling mistakes, thanks Dad).

The kids and my husband are taking very good care of me. Hammy delighted in telling me that I fell asleep before him when I got home from hospital. “You’re the baby now!”

Anyway, I wanted to say - I was scared in hospital. And it wasn’t because I didn’t feel safe. It was because I knew with every fibre of my being that we will not cope if we have Covid 19 everywhere.

I was taken by ambulance from my GP to hospital. I was given morphine at my GP and can’t tell you what the wait for the ambulance was, but my GP called ED ahead of time to ensure they were ready for me.

Despite this, when I arrived Friday mid-morning, ED was flat out. I was put in the hallway (and treated very kindly and gently) along with I would say probably eight other people (I was on morphine and the green whistle but I think there was at least six or so trolleys with patients on them with me in the hall). I heard repeatedly that there weren’t rooms. A man moving trolleys (Warden? Orderly? What do you call them?) made a comment that fitting us all around each other was like Tetris.

I was moved to the Medical Assessment & Planning Unit where every room was full. I was then moved to another room. Also full.  At one point I had about an hour where a bed opposite me in a room of four was free. I hate to say this but there’s a point to it - I had an accident due to pain, and a nurse told me they were too busy to change me. Please let me be clear, I don’t blame her at all. But to be wet in bed, in pain, it was awful. The daughter of another patient changed my sheets and my husband came in to help me get dressed. I had another nurse come to take my bloods and she started the process then got called away. She never came back to check my bloods. The staff were just too busy. They were very kind, but totally stretched beyond measure.

I went home earlier than I would have usually because I felt like I would have more help at home, with my GP and with a specialist. When a doctor finally saw me, they were pulled away within under 10 minutes of speaking to me. I never had what they’d decided the diagnosis was explained to me because of that. He never came back.

His colleague stayed longer and comforted me, but also had to leave quickly. I was not seen by a doctor again.

I think we all know that our hospitals are stretched beyond belief. But I don’t think we know how bad it is until we are in there.

There is no way on earth Wellington Hospital will cope with more patients. There is no way. I know the people who read this newsletter are pro vaccination. But we must reach out to the vaccine hesitant and try to get them to vaccinate.

If on a Friday morning, well before the drunks hit ED, nurses, doctors and wards are overwhelmed with patients, imagine what it will be like with Covid patients?

It is a nightmare.

An absolute nightmare.

If you’re diabetic and you go into ketoacidosis, if your partner has a workplace accident, if your mum has a heart attack, if you have an allergic reaction, if your dad has a stroke, if your child breaks their arm on the trampoline, if you have appendicitis, if you have an asthma attack, if you have a car accident, if you have a miscarriage, if you have a seizure, if you have an accident, get burned, develop a stomach bug, if your baby stops breathing….the emergency department being full of the unvaccinated will impact the care you receive. Because they will be overwhelmed. They will try their absolute best but they will be overwhelmed.

Just one of the 112 people who have been in hospital in the latest outbreak was fully vaccinated, while 90 had no vaccination.

Source

I thought about all of this and I thought about how gentle the nurses at my GP and the nurses at hospital had been to me. They stroked my hair, they held my hand, they were so kind. They were run off their feet, patients were demanding, they were so kind.

How could anyone either willingly expose them to Covid 19 or make them have to make decisions about how they care for their patients? It’s such an awful job, how could anyone add so much more to their enormous load?

So that’s it. That’s my muddled, painkiller-soaked post. Just, please, have some conversations that take courage with your family, friends, loved ones, Facebook friends.

Help them understand why they must be vaccinated. Help them to see what life will be like if they don’t. Offer to drive them to the vaccination stations, offer to watch their kids, hold their hand - whatever it takes.

I have never been more afraid after spending time in hospital. We must do whatever it takes to support our nurses, doctors, and hospital staff.

If you’ve ever thought - what would I do if I had the chance to save a life? Here is your chance. Here is your chance to save lives.