Snakblog
SnakBlog
the online food diary that’s not designed for people who want to lose weight but for those that want to find out what food allergies or intolerance’s they have or may have.
Admission to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary: February 2004
My story starts in February 2004 when I went to see my local GP experiencing a fever, diarrhoea and pain in the lower left port of my abdomen. She called through to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and I travelled straight down there. I was expecting to just see a doctor for a second opinion, but I was admitted straight away and put on a drip, blood was taken and sent for analysis. I was later told I had a high white blood cell count and that with the pain this was consistent with a diagnosis of Diverticulitis. The prescription was bed rest, nil by mouth and antibiotics intravenously.
Diverticulitis
Diverticula are little outpouchings of the wall of the colon. Although they can be found in smaller numbers in the stomach or small intestine, “diverticular disease” refers to when they are found in the large bowel (usually sigmoid colon).
“Diverticulitis” refers to when there is inflammation of the colon at the site of the diverticula - usually as a result of one of the diverticula becoming blocked.
I remained for 4 days in hospital during some of the worst winter weather experienced in the North East of Scotland for many years my wife became quite expert at negotiating snow drifts during her daily visits to see me.
On the first night I was quite feverish but was also extremely thirsty when the nurse offered me some paracetamol I eagerly accepted hoping to be able to grab a small mouthful of water. I never realised you could take a paracetamol by having it shoved up your anus; so no drink for me.
There were a few other guys in my ward all experiencing some sort of stomach problem including one guy who had been there for some time and had to have his colostomy bag changed at frequent intervals. We all shared one toilet and had to do our business into cardboard containers so the nurses could have a look at our bowel habits later, sometimes the toilet wasn’t cleared for a few hours and the smell certainly became quite ripe at times.
After a couple of days I was allowed to start eating light meals and drinking more normally and finally allowed to go home on the fourth day with instructions to rest for a few days. I would be sent for later for further tests.
