About mid-May I woke up with the ‘heebie-jeebies’, shakes, shivers or tremors and it was not a nice feeling. There was no pain so I did not know what to think. Arriving at the breakfast table I realised I could not face eating anything. At this point I was asked by the DB “What’s wrong?” But I could not answer clearly as all I had had was the “ heebie-jeebies”. No pain but definitely not feeling quite right.
After the usual procedure of calls to “111” as the local surgery was still closed at this time of the morning, it was to be a “999” call. An ambulance with its medical team of two duly arrived and got me back into bed to give me the ‘once over lightly’ in medical terms. As usual with these situations, nothing was immediately evident and a discussion with a doctor in the now-open surgery was made without any solid result. The medical team continued their tests and all agreed there was something odd and I should go to hospital. We arrived at the Gloucester Royal at some time approaching midday – times are a bit hazy as it has been a long time since this type of journey had taken place and I had no means of checking.
In A&E more checks and tests were made. I was asked by two doctors and a consultant “Have you done anything odd that might cause the symptoms you had?” “Have you been drinking?” No, I am not a “drinker!!” They took blood and filled me with some concoction intravenously. They trundled me off to some department for another check of some sort and back again. Decision made, take him to ‘AMU’ on the seventh floor. In this department they do more tests. Then next day moved me to another ward which was the stroke ward on the sixth floor. I had had an MRI scan, X-ray, more blood tests, covid19 tests and blood sugar tests. They relieved me of my daily tablets for various needs and I suddenly realised I had no blood pressure tablets after they said I had ‘low-blood pressure’. I am sure I have been on tablets of one sort or another for high blood pressure for over thirty years!. I was still being filled with liquid for severe dehydration – how would I know I was suffering that? I had noted nothing that I could say was associated with dehydration! Then another tube into my veins giving me anti-biotics for an unidentified infection, even possible sepsis. Well, anti-biotics and I have never got on well together and this time was no exception. My stomach became very upset resulting in the usual hurried excursions to the toilet. I had no food on Friday until late afternoon when a double sandwich was provided from somewhere,
By Sunday morning I was not feeling unwell in any way. But sitting in bed or in a chair with little or no exercise I was never going to feel energetic. Hospital food was becoming easier to eat and by Monday I was eating all my meals and I ensured I would by selecting ‘small’ on the order form. The selection list was quite good and as I am rated diabetic I only had custard for second course. So after five days in the Royal I was sent home with no blood pressure tablets which was a great benefit resulting in less frequent visits to the toilet than before I went in. Once home I did get a better night’s sleep as I was not being woken up at around five-thirty a.m. for blood letting etc. But I was lethargic. This lasted about a week or more. But I got my daily walks going and I can now say that I am as good as I was before the strange “heebie-jeebies” came on to me and amazingly I am seven pounds lighter.
Whatever brought on the cause of my unexpected stay in the Royal, I cannot thank the doctors and staff enough for their valiant attempts to find an answer to my “heebie-jeebies”. The care and attention received by all the patients in the Royal was of the highest standard. My sincere thanks to all the staff at the Royal.