#qvh

[melbmemories]

Melbourne Hospital (c.1929)

Built in 1848 as the original Melbourne Hospital, the building became the Queen Victoria Hospital in 1946 – one of only three hospitals in the world founded, managed and staffed by women.

This was the Royal Melbourne Hospital until the Parkville Campus opened in 1948.

Established in 1896, the Queen Victoria Hospital in Melbourne was the first women's hospital in Victoria, operated for women by women. Originally housed in William Street, Melbourne, new premises were purchased with money raised by Victorian women contributing to Dr Constance Stone's 'Shilling Fund'. The hospital moved to its Lonsdale Street site in 1946. In 1989 it was relocated to the Monash Medical Centre at Clayton.

[underappreciatedlyrics]

You can clearly see my vibe is tremendous But you won't see through the tints in my Tesla I be blocking out the world, it's a mess, yeah I'm allergic to the bullshit

_Qveen Herby, SADE IN THE 90s

[cumbriacrack]

Trust invests £320,000 to replace X-ray facilities at Queen Victoria Hospital Essential building work to replace the X-ray facilities at Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) in Morecambe will start on Monday 30 March 2020 and is expected to take six weeks to complete Full story: https://www.cumbriacrack.com/2020/03/13/trust-invests-320000-to-replace-x-ray-facilities-at-queen-victoria-hospital/

[letoiasgobstopper]

[3 days post-op] Slow and steady - 23/July/2018

Waking up is becoming quite a chore. I feel that it takes so long for me to fall asleep due to discomfort of the surgery but also having to sit upright that when it comes to getting out of bed I struggle to find the energy. After an hour or so and a few painkillers I begin to feel a lot better.

I have been waiting all weekend in order to call Hilotherapy who provide the cooling mask machine (which, as I mentioned before, I thought was provided by the hospital). Their website is pretty outdated but we were able to decide which machine we wanted as there are three different types. I have been getting up at around 6am so waiting to call at 9am felt like an eternity! They said the machine will be delivered tomorrow by 4pm!

For breakfast I decided I would try baked beans on toast - blended. It actually went quite well and tasted pretty good. I’ve learnt a new eating method which perhaps I would not recommend but - I used a butter knife. Because I can only open my mouth a little bit but I am still able to swallow large mouthfuls it has been difficult to actually get food inside my mouth. A spoon is too curved. I was able to put a somewhat thin layer of mulch on the knife and scrape the food off using my top teeth. It worked pretty well! A lot of effort, though.

I then received a phone call from the hospital which was quite unexpected! It was a nurse who explained she came to visit me on Friday after my operation but I was asleep. She asked me how I was doing generally, as well as if I was eating and brushing okay. It was nice to touch base with the hospital and verify some things (such as - is it okay that I haven’t had a bowel movement since before surgery?? - she said yes it is expected from the lack of food and meds I have been taking!)

My mum then helped me have a bath as my hair really needed washing. I’m glad we are pretty open as she was able to wash my hair without me feeling embarrassed much at all!

I had another two hour nap a bit late in the day but I still also managed to sleep through the majority of the night. Although I woke up several times covered in dribble! Really bad compared to other nights, not sure why! I have also completely stopped taking the Codeine as I am able to manage the pain with just Paracetamol and Ibuprofen.

[letoiasgobstopper]

[Day 1 Post-Op] The journey home - 21/June/2018 

I was discharged from the hospital around 11am which had been planned the days prior. Before being discharged I had quite a bad nosebleed through my left nostril, presumably this is where my breathing tube was. I ran out of tissues quickly, though, between the nose bleed and dribbling! 

The nurse brought me a chocolate milkshake which was difficult to drink considering the previous nights’ experience but I had a small cup of it to reduce my hunger. 

I managed to get myself up and dressed and had a nurse re-do my hair and put the mask back on. It felt so nice to get my hair sorted as the braid I had done before surgery had become a right mess. 

Upon discharge the nurse gave me some liquid paracetamol and ibuprofen and some codeine tablets which I can crush and take with water in a syringe. Along with a packet of normal tissues, wet cleansing wipes, a bottle of mouthwash and a few syringes. She asked me if I had chosen to hire the cooling mask machine  which I said I had but I had not spoke to anyone at the hospital about actually hiring it. The previous information booklet we received made it sound as if we could hire it from the hospital, but it turns out we have to hire it from a separate company, which do same-day delivery 9-5 ... apart from weekends. So for now I have been keeping my face cool with various ice packs and face masks until I can talk to the company on Monday. 

Many of the blogs and videos I saw of other people who have had this surgery recommended drinking from condiment bottles. Turned out they were so right! It is so much easier to squeeze liquid into your mouth rather than having to use a syringe or a straw; especially when swollen or numb. 

Because I am unable to smile it seems a thumbs up has become my new way of showing happiness. I am able to talk reasonably well but this is changing often due to my face becoming tight and the swelling and numbness fluctuating. 

I had some smoothies and soup in the evening which were actually very nice and filling - thanks mum for getting them for me and serving it in a condiment bottle haha 

It was difficult for me to get to sleep due to all the discomfort. I was very tired but I kept having weird dreams/thoughts... I wasn’t quite asleep but it was like a dream. Probably from the medication. But it was quite difficult... I got asleep eventually for a few hours and woke up around 2am for some more painkillers and switched from sleeping in bed to in a chair to support my back better, as I think I had been slouching which made my back very achey. 

Throughout the evening my face had had different numbness but has mainly been the left side of my bottom lip and chin and the right side under my eye. I have had lots of tissues on hand to deal with dribbling! It has been easier to dribble out excess saliva than to swallow it. Tmi? Maybe.