Ten weeks on

It is now ten weeks since I had my colostomy, and nine weeks since I left hospital. I had hoped that by now I would be fully recovered ... but I still have some way to go. My wound still requires regular dressing changes as has not yet closed and is still producing quite large amounts of exudate.

Yesterday, this led to me paying a visit to my GP, who was concerned enough about the state of my wound to make an immediate referral to University Hospital, Lewisham. As a result, I spent most of Tuesday afternoon and the early evening in the Accident & Emergency Department and the Ambulatory Care/Surgery Assessment Unit.

After I was triaged in the A&E Department, I had a blood test. I was then transferred to the Ambulatory Care/Surgical Assessment Unit, where I was eventually seen by one of the surgeons who operated on me in December. She probed the wound, took a swab for analysis, and conducted a very thorough examination before having the wound redressed. She then prescribed a short course of antibiotics which she felt would ensure that any minor infection that I might have would be dealt with.

The dressing is no longer as bulky as it was when I first returned home, but I still have to exercise care when doing anything even vaguely physical as it can cause leakage. One byproduct of this is the difficulty I have climbing the steep stairs up to the top floor of our house ... which is where my toy/wargame room is located. I can make the climb with care and if I go up slowly, one tread at a time. This is both tiring and tiresome, and as I require both hands to support myself as I go up and down, I cannot carry anything large or heavy to and from the top floor.

Whilst this was inconvenient when I first returned home, it is now beginning to restrict what I want to do, and I am growing increasingly impatient ... which is not helping my recovery! I could do more writing, but I actually want to be able to set up a wargame (or two) to try out some of my ideas.

I know that things will eventually get better, but I’ve never been a particularly patient patient ... and I’m fast becoming a very, very impatient one!