The Ward

I was put onto Guist Ward at the Norfolk and Norwich and I have to say I have been cared for incredibly well. I have made it my aim to be as low maintenance as a patient as is humanly possible but also to make sure that I am polite to everybody that comes in. Small talk is a truly honed skill for me and I made sure to talk to all of the people who came into my room, from the cleaners to the porters, to the HCAs and the nurses, I am aimed to try and put a smile on peoples faces when they came in. These people are doing the best that they can and at the minute due to COVID they are working in very stressful times.

On Guist Ward I was met with loads of different smiley faces and people who were lovely and very helpful. I was lucky enough to have a side room with my own bathroom and my own space and I do believe that this has made the whole experience at least bearable.

I have been impressed with the care that I have received from the NHS though it has not always been perfect. I have become frustrated with a lack of communication from some senior members of the team as well as a lack of what I see as joined up thinking. Something I did learn was that once I spoke to them about what I felt I needed as a patient (for me this was more information about the routine and what was going to happen) they were a lot more helpful and would tell me what was going to happen and when (where possible). I also learnt that it was totally ok for me to ask loads of questions. So when they were taking my obs I would always ask them how I was doing, what my temperature was, all of those things. For me, this helped me to be reassured that I was going the right way and that I was improving. The other thing that being aware of what was going on helped with was knowing what they were giving me and starting to have an understanding of the processes that they were going through and being able to research or ask questions.

There was a moment on Guist Ward when I started to slip backwards for the first time and the Registrar had muttered something under their breath about immunosuppressants. Very quickly after this I had a nurse come in and tell me that they were about to put a cannula in me (again) and put “something” in it.. At this point I became very uncomfortable because I wanted to know what they were putting in me before they did anything. I felt comfortable enough to call the doctor back in and check what was going on. At the end of the day while they are treating you to make you better, you have a right to know what is going on and it is really important to remember that. You have a right to know what is happening so you can always ask, even if it is just what temperature you’re at! 

Guist Ward were incredibly kind to me and I can’t thank them enough, they let me escape the oppressive heat of the ward on a daily basis to go and get some fresh air, they let my Mum bring me in snacks, they talked to me when I was having a down day and they stayed and had a pointless chat with me when they were doing my meds. It is amazing what a small conversation in the middle of a dry day can do for someone’s mood. 

I want to say a massive thank you to those that looked after me while I was on the ward! I know that they will probably never read this blog, but massive thanks and keep it up! You all work so hard!

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