Acute Otitis Media, Myringotomy and the Abscess...

Two photographs, a typical scene from Tuscon Arizona, and a IV fluid bag which one is more pertinent to todays post? Yep you guessed it the IV bag....If things had gone to plan I would be in Tuscon with my best buddy on his Triathlon training camp, probably spinning the legs out after a Trans Atlantic fight. So what did happen?

Let me fill you in on my week. I visited the Ear Specialist at York Hospital on Tuesday where they sucked the gunk from my ear and had a good look around with a microscope. The doctor was concerned with the level of infection behind the perforated ear drum and admitted me where I was prescribed a dose of IV antibiotics. Night 1 passed, I felt quite lucky given some of the Prostate and Kidney problems my 4 elderly ward friends seemed to have. It was back to the clinic for another suck out and inspection and then the doctor broke the news. The infection, which he was calling an abscess had not improved and he was suggesting an operation where the ear drum is cut and the abscess removed/ sucked away. Both doctors who had operated the microscope and suction equipment so far had nicked my ear drum causing me intense pain I really wasn't looking forward to the next 20 minutes. The operation was to be conducted under a local anesthetic and the doctor advised me the injection would hurt. That was a slight understatement. It was then back to the ward and another day and night of IV and ear drops antibiotics. On day 3 the nurse came to see me to tell me the results from the lab had confirmed the infection was highly infectious and I was going to be moved to a separate room on a different ward. Night 3 was quiet in my own room, in fact I thought on numerous occasions I had been forgotten about (but that's another story for later) On Friday morning the doctor was happy the infection was under control, and was happy for me to go home, 8 hours later after the prescription had been gathered and a final blood test analysed I left. I was very, very glad to be out.

The pain has all but gone which I hope means the infection is under control/ gone. I am just left with a dull/ fuzzy feeling, much like your ear is full of water, which I have been told will last until the perforation mends. That is something I need to get used to for the next few weeks, however after 18 days of ear related issues it is starting to feel quite normal.

My best mate Ben informed me of his training camps in Tuscon at the back end of the summer. We haven't seen each other for a couple of years so this presented an excellent opportunity to hook up and also get a quality block of training in before IM Lanzarote. Over Christmas I confirmed my plans and booked my flight, super excited on all accounts. But alas it was not to be. I know there will be other occasions, but that doesn't make me feel much better.

I couldn't write this post without commenting on my experience of the NHS. Being around a couple of wards for 4 days has left me quite worried, so much so that I intend to look for a private health care package for my family. I have mostly good things to say for the doctors and the nurses. They are professional people doing their job to the best of their abilities. The nurses in ward 15 were great. I was fairly low maintenance, but their compassion and care for the elderly gentlemen hooked up to catheters and enduring all sorts of kidney problems was very assuring. Where my concern lies is the chronic under staffing that I witnessed. There were 2 nurses on the night shift to look after 4 rooms of 5 people (I think the rooms were full) During the day there were a couple more nurses and a couple of Health Care Workers. I am not sure if these Health Care Workers are trainee nurses, but they are not much use. They seemed unable to do anything technical (change IV bag) and if they came to your assistance they then had to go and find a nurse if the request was in any shape medically related. For me I just wanted the reassurance from the nurses and the doctors that I was being treated correctly, that I was being monitored and that I was being given the correct medication at the correct time. It was very upsetting, and worrying when you know you are due an IV drip of penicillin (the whole reason I was in hospital and not at home) ear drops a nasal spray and pain relief and you have to ask for your medication. Even then on occasions I did not receive it for a good hour or so after I had anticipated getting it. The IV could be disconnected after the 30 minutes it took to drain, yet it seemed the nurses were either too busy or distracted doing other things to remember. On a few occasions I was still connected (unnecessarily) for at least a further hour, the process of disconnection takes all of 30 seconds. Now I know I can operate with an IV in my hand but it comes back to the point I was making earlier about feeling cared for. There were too many occasions during my short stay that I felt very alone and not receiving even a basic amount of care and attention. On my final morning I had to search out some breakfast, having been forgotten. Those of you that know me well will realise I am not a great person if I am hungry, the nurse soon realised this too. The nurses and doctors cannot operate to the best of their ability in the working conditions they find themselves. As a result the only conclusion that you can reach is they are not able to do their job properly.

I would hate to be in a position where I was in need of some serious medical attention for a serious illness. I felt the system was under so much stress that huge amounts of time were being wasted whilst your order gets to the front of the system. I think time is of the essence in many medical cases. Those of you that have read Lance Armstrongs first book will appreciate they didn't mess around with him. If I remember correctly within a few days he was getting some serious Cancer treatment, this I don't think can possibly happen in the current NHS. If I go back 18 days to my initial ear infection my time plan looks like this. The following day I returned to the doctors, then 4 days later I returned again to the doctors, clearly things were not right. Maybe that was when the level of care should have accelerated. As it was it was another/ different GP who sent me away saying I needed to give the antibiotics a chance. Instead it was a further 5 days before I went to another doctor and 2 more days before they could see me at the hospital. Maybe I should have been more insistent with the doctors, but given that they are the experts they do give reassurance. You leave the doctors not feeling physically any better, but feeling more comfortable with your situation. I have no experience of the private system but have to believe the level of care, speed of care and level of attention must be superior.

So any good news. Well given that I wasn't on a Trans Atlantic fight I got to spend Valentines Day with my wife. We cooked up some nice fillet steak, creamy wine and mushroom sauce, rice and vegetables and started watching 'Collateral' until I fell asleep! I also now have a week at home (Half Term) with my family. I am going to fire up the bike on the turbo and see how I feel at a low intensity. I will also get out and run and see how that feels. I need to get a bit of confidence that I can start to train again.

Sarah has been a superstar this week, juggling her own work, Ellie and Evie, visiting and worrying about me, I know she has had a very tiring week both mentally and physically, thanks darling. So I think top of the agenda this week is to try and have some fun.....