Infection

Infection

One Tuesday in July I visited my daughter and stayed for about 2 hours, I told her that I felt a bit strange, I had a tight ‘head’ like there was a band around it but otherwise I felt fine. I returned home and later that evening I consumed a couple of cans of beer and a couple of whiskies after having chicken and chips for tea. The chicken was chilled and bought from the supermarket.

I woke up later that night feeling feverish, sweating but with chills. The next thing I knew I awoke wanting to go to the toilet desperately. I rushed to the loo and had terrible runs. I went back to bed still feeling feverish only to go to the loo again soon after with the runs again. This occurred numerous times throughout the day and the next night. I was not really aware of much apart from sleeping and going to the loo constantly whilst still feeling feverish and had never experienced diarrhoea like it, it was just like dirty water going everywhere.

There were times when I was unable to keep it in and had to clean up numerous times but didn’t do a great job because I was so ill. Later on that day I called the doctors but they were on a training day so I called 111. I was on the phone for over an hour before I got through. She asked me a myriad of questions and said she would send an ambulance but could take several hours. I had just gone back to bed and there was a knock at the door – it was the ambulance crew plus my daughter. They advised a trip to the hospital to get checked out, I did not want to go but they and my daughter persuaded me to go.

Having arrived at A&E I was put in a room and waited for an assessment by a doctor, meanwhile I was asked to provide a sample of bowel movements. This proved to be no problem and soon gave several lots of diarrhoea. Having been assessed I was admitted to the Acute and critical ward and put in a room on my own and was asked to keep all my movements in bed pans as I could not leave the room. I was still feeling really poorly and they put me on a drip to replace lost fluids. I couldn’t sleep and was feverish and it was about this time I began to see faces on the wall but did not really pay much attention to it.

The door was open and I could see into the ward opposite which had 6 beds in it, I noticed that 3 people came in and I heard that they were due to have colonoscopies the next day apart from that there was nothing untoward although I did think I heard some kind of shenanigans going on but was too poorly to care. I didn’t sleep all night and was seen by the doctor again and he examined my abdomen, there was no pain but he then focused on my old appendix scar and on pressing firmly on it there was some pain. At this point he sent me for a scan, after which he reported to me that there was an infection in the upper right hand side of my colon but he could not say what it was until they had analysed my ‘stools’. Later that day I noticed that the people who had come in for their colonoscopy had returned and were sitting up. A couple of doctors came and asked the three people, 2 men and a woman what they had been up to. He said that they had found some sub human cultures in their colon and demanded to know how they had obtained something like this. I could not help but overhear the conversations and it was all very risky behaviour from what I could here. The next thing I was aware of was that the wife of one of the men was there and was kicking up a stink about what the others had been up to and said that she did not want to see her husband again. The three people were made to shower were then transferred to separate wards and that particular ward was cleared of the rest of the patients and the ward was scrubbed clean by three nurses. They stripped the beds and disinfected them and sterilised the ward. The next shift of Nursing staff were then beginning to arrive and I mentioned to one of them that nurses should not be put through that kind of thing and she just replied that ‘it was what they were there for’.

After a while new patients were being brought in and one of them was, I believe a priest. I had heard whispering and people referred to him as Father and he appeared to be a well-known figure, well respected in the church! It got quite late in the evening and I was aware that there were two men sat by the priest’s bed and they appeared to be questioning him albeit in hushed tones and I got the impression that they were from the police. Later I learned that he was being questioned in relation to a sex abuse case, maybe it was mentioned in whispered conversations but I am not sure how I learned about this. In the meantime hospital staff were just going about their duties.

The questioning of the Father seemed to go on for ages and it was then that I began to notice lights outside of my window, they seemed to be car lights shining on our block, I peeped through the window and there was a small crown gathering, I believed that these were people who had heard that this person had been admitted to the hospital and were there as a sort of protest. I mentioned to the staff about this but it was dismissed lightly. Later I saw figures on the outside of my window and heard low voices, I shouted to the staff that there were people outside and they may be breaking in. A nurse came and opened the blinds and on looking out told me that there was nobody there. After he left the figures came back and again I shouted to inform them that people were outside but again it was dismissed.

Shortly after this I heard the two men who had been questioning the priest, go into a room next door to mine and I could hear them talking, they too were keeping watch on what was going on outside! After a while they left and all seemed to go quiet for a while. Then I noticed that there were words that appeared on the wall. It was like somebody was writing on the wall and it soon filled the wall. There were also faces coming out of the wall but couldn’t make out who they were or what the writing said. I said nothing to the staff as it did not appear too alarming, I don’t know why not! Soon the nurses had gathered outside the ward that the priest was in and I heard the senior nurse say to the others that they had to do it before the police came back in the morning. The curtains were pulled around the priest’s bed and I heard the senior nurse say’ “right you know I was in the army and we are going to ‘roll’ you”. I was now quite alarmed and got out of bed asking them what they were up to. I could hear cries of pain coming from behind the curtains and one of the younger nurses asked the priest if he liked it and asked if his wife did it to him. There were more cries of pain and the priest saying that he welcomed the punishment!

I got out of bed and moved as far as I could, which wasn’t far because of the drip in my arm, I asked “what are you up to?” No reply so I shouted “hey, what are you up to?” Again, no reply, a nurse came on to the ward and I asked, “Do you know what’s going on? Do you condone this sort of behaviour?” He responded sarcastically, “What is going on? I can’t see anything going on – you tell me what’s going on!” The others then came from behind the curtain and all stood there looking at me! Oh my god, I thought to myself, you’ve done it now, they won’t let you leave, knowing what you know. “I know what you’re up to” I said and they all denied anything was going on so I said I wanted to go home. “You’re ill” said one of them, “you have to stay and get better!” I sat on my bed and worried and worried about what might now happen and I thought to myself that I would have to leave! I removed the drip and cannula from my arm plus another that was in the other arm as ‘spare’, put my things in a bag and started to leave but they would not let me out of the ward. I demanded that they let me go home and said that they had no right to keep me there against my will but it made no difference! I tried to reason with them but they called security. A security guard soon appeared and stood in the doorway! I demanded to see somebody in a higher position come to see me! A doctor came to see me, I was not however, allowed in the Doctors room so we sat outside the Doctors room and talked, I told him all that had gone on. He listened and made no comment apart from the fact that things had not gone the way they should have done, but informed me that if he arranged for me to be on a different ward then as soon as my infection markers were down enough, he would let me go home.

I agreed to this although I was still nervous and could not sleep at all that night. Come the morning and the next shift started and some of them were a bit ‘off’ with me so I asked if they had heard what had gone on the night before and they said that they had. They commented that sometimes things are done for the best reasons but I told them that they had not seen or heard what I had so they did not know the circumstances surrounding the ‘event’. After that all was calm, and I had a little breakfast. I sat and stared out of the window, it was still early but the day was awakening and it was getting busier. Before I knew it the ward was quite busy and the ‘lead’ nurse came and introduced herself to me, she said that I could see her anytime if there were any problems.

A bit later a lady came in and told a nurse that she was taking the priest out for a walk, so she got him ready and put him in a wheelchair and took him off. Some workmen also came to do some work in the ward where the priest had been and I did not think much of this at all at that time. I heard the ‘lead’ nurse talking to a colleague and she was saying that she had a new project starting that morning and she was quite nervous about it! She got some forms and stuff out of a cupboard and shortly two people arrived, a young man and a young woman and she began to interview them. From what I heard, they were very personal questions and I thought to myself that they were very intrusive, in particular about their sex life! They were then given gowns and the young lady went into the room next to me and the young man into the ward opposite. After a while the young man went into the room where the young lady was and after a while he came out and said that ‘it’ was unsuccessful. He had a bit of a chat with the nurse and then they both went into the room where the young lady was and I could hear grunting and moans and then sounds of frustration. The young man and the nurse came back out and I heard the nurse say to the man that perhaps if he saw it ‘in action’ then maybe he could perform. The nurse them approached the younger of the workmen and asked if he could help them out! The nurse, the young man and the workman all went into the room. I could not hear this time any sounds but when they all emerged I heard the nurse thanking the workman and reported to the young man that the session had been successful and that he and his young lady would have no further problems.

Now what I learned from this, or may have heard it specified, was that the sessions were for young people with difficulties, learning how to make love! Strange, I thought and texted my daughter to tell her there were some strange ‘goings on’ at the hospital!

A little later the lady who had taken the priest out for a walk returned, she reported that he had died, in Portland Walk, whilst on their walk! And they were bringing him back shortly. Very soon after this a box much like a coffin was wheeled past me and into the room next door. Several members of staff went in and I could hear them opening the box! The ‘lead’ nurse entered the room and said she was busy but would soon return. I could hear very disturbing noises from the room next door, it sounded like ‘smashing’ as if somebody was breaking things. I heard one person say “Get the teeth – the teeth are worth the most”. “Oh my God”, I thought, they are breaking him up for parts or something to that effect. Soon, the ‘lead’ nurse returned and went into the room but ran back out holding her hand over her moth as if she was going to vomit!

I heard somebody say “She’ll get used to it” and the sounds continued and soon after that they all left. The workmen from earlier then entered the room and as far as I am aware, cleaned up, then took the box away, again I assume that the priest or his body parts were taken away! Later that afternoon I saw the ‘lead’ nurse on the phone, she was talking to the local newspaper and was reporting his death, something I looked for when I came out of hospital but I was unable to find any articles around the dates I was in. I even contacted a former colleague of mine, who was involved in church activities, to ask if they were aware of such a death but they said no!

Later after taking a couple of samples a young man came to see me and told me he was working with the doctor I had spoken to and he said he was going to take me to a different ward, so I got my bits and pieces together and off we went. I was taken to another ward and was put in a room on my own and the staff there introduced themselves, put me on a drip and antibiotics again. Soon after this I had tea and fell asleep, the first time I had really gone to sleep since being in the hospital. I was awaken later when the light was put on and they wanted to change my drip but after what seemed an age nobody had returned to turn the light out or put my drip back in so I got out of bed and turned the light off. The only problem then was is that I could hear the nurses talking whilst they were at their station.

They appeared to be discussing a shortage of medicine and how the way that the markets were at the moment with the pandemic etc., it was causing difficulties and shortages. They were wondering where they could get some of the antibiotics I needed, from. Eventually, being concerned, I got up and went to the door, one of the nurses saw me and asked if I was OK, I said that I was, albeit a bit confused. I asked if I was supposed to get some more medication, she told me that I did and that she would be right along! She returned shortly and fitted me up with my medication and then off I went to sleep!

The next day I was visited by the young doctors’ assistant and he informed me that my markers were down and that if they came down by another point by that evening, I would be allowed home. I waited patiently and early that evening he came back and told me that I could return home but I would have to wait until a prescription to be dispensed he told me that he would rather keep me in but I must take these antibiotics, they were very strong and If I had any problems to get back in touch. Later I got my prescription then called my Grandson who came and picked me up.

What I had forgotten about and realised as soon as I got home, was that there was still a proper ‘clean up’ to be done as I had been so ill the job of cleaning up diarrhoea had not been done properly and when I got to bed that, also was in a state, but I was home! I stayed at home for a couple of days until I felt stronger, cleaning wherever I could again and again, I was frightened of being ill again. I thought and thought about my time in hospital, I could not get things out of my head until I visited my daughter and I told her of the events. When I had finished, she looked at me and said “You realise that these things probably didn’t happen, Dad,” she said “You have been very poorly.” “Yes but it’s all very clear’” I said “the memories are very strong.”

She advised I go and see my doctor, so made an appointment and went to her and related my tale to her. She then went on to explain to me about how ill I had been and how the brain gets confused with what is happening, what you have read about or what you may have watched on TV or past experiences and from this jumble of scenarios, memories are created. These memories were, she told me as real as any other memories you have but they are not true. I was also told that had the infection had gone untreated for even the shortest of time it could have turned into Sepsis. It was a very hard concept for me to take in, how could I possibly see and hear things that just were not happening and even worse were actual memories. How come I had gotten so ill so quickly?

After being at home for a few weeks, I got a letter from the local Council to say that I had contracted Campylobacter and they required me to complete a form as it was a notifiable disease.How I contracted this bacterial infection is still unclear but how ill I was was certainly clear!

In time and with medication I have managed to put those events at the back of my mind but there are times when I recall them and they are as real as all my other memories, and I question, how do I know what is, or what was, real and what is, or is not, real!