Rampant Rhubarb

The recommended way of cropping rhubarb is to place one's thumb in the 'pocket' at the base of a leaf and snap the leaf off with a deft downward motion. You then cut off the poisonous leaf which can be composted before taking the stem in for a wash and cooking.

One of my plants is growing so vigorously this year that the base of some leaves are almost three inches across. Deft snap??? I have to use both hands, brace my feet and hang on for dear life. All you can see of my is my fat arse stuck out between the leaves!

I have an highly aromatic red hot rhubarb and ginger crumble cooling in my kitchen. I use Delia's recipe but use stem ginger rather than powdered.

One Reason for Rising Accident and Emergency Admissions

I was a re-admitted via A&E (hours) and CDU (two days) this year as a result of my spinal fusion surgery having some unexpected issues. I had had an adverse reaction to codeine whilst in Orthopedics and larger incisions than predicted, one of which kept bleeding for four weeks. I live alone so had no support and was not really in any fit mental state to care for myself when first discharged due to the impact of the surgery and codeine. 

You'll find it surprising but I assign no blame to Orthopedics who were so busy caring for a bay of Alzheimer's' patients that my bay's assigned nursing staff had no time or space mentally to consider whether someone who'd not had a standard experience of fusion surgery should undergo a standard discharge procedure. I was discharged with nothing more than a slip of paper with the ward number printed on it in case of concerns.

My second discharge from an ENT ward was handled much better. The ward sister had arranged appointments at my GP's to having my dressings changed and checked, had re-filled my meds and issued me with spare dressings and pads to cover anything I sat or lay down upon. She was able to identify and address my needs as she was allowed the time to do so.

That said, I still ended up back in A&E twice more in the early hours of the morning due to needing a flooded dressing changed at a time of day when there was no other service available. Another night saw a pair of district nurses being sent to be from another town by my GP's out of hours service for the same reason.

My GP's practise nurses gave me some great tips later on how to handle the bleeding:
- stuff an absorbent pad down the back of my briefs
- tape inco-pads to my lower bed sheet,
- put another dressing over the top of the existing one if it leaks at an inconvenient time of day
- make use of the drop in centre in the Broad St Mall at times when the surgery is shut where possible

It's just a pity I wasn't given these before being discharged the first time as it would probably have saved at least two of my three trips to A&E, and, perhaps, the district nurse visit.

I spent a total of twelve days in the RBH. The average for my procedure is 1-2. 

I'd just like to take this opportunity to say how impressed I was by all the staff of Orthopedics, A&E, and Dorrell Ward. I just hope the 'powers' start listening to them over what they say they need to do their jobs more effectively and safely.