Sarah: Changing the Narrative

18/06/2026

After 3½ weeks in hospital, I finally got home.

I had been counting down the days. Home. My own bed. My own people. No more waiting for transport, surgery dates or discharge plans.

And it is a relief.

But if I’m honest, the reality is more complicated than the fantasy.

I’m still non weight bearing for another 4 to 5 weeks. I can’t use crutches because of my limb difference, so for now I’m largely confined upstairs. Every appointment needs ambulance transport. Every trip to the bathroom takes planning. Everything takes longer than either of us would like.

Hospital is exhausting, but it also comes with routines, equipment and people whose job it is to help. Suddenly you’re home and trying to build a whole new routine from scratch.

I knew all of this before I left hospital. I worried about it for weeks. Yet the emotional impact still caught me by surprise.

I’m relieved.
I’m grateful.
I’m happy to be home.

And I was tired, overwhelmed, tearful and a bit scared too.

Today feels different.

The nurse from the Discharge to Assess team visited and did a sit to stand blood pressure assessment after I mentioned my long history of losing vision when I stand up and my tendency to faint. And yes my BP dropped significantly. A nurse will visit again tomorrow and the day after. A physiotherapist and occupational therapist will also be involved, and when this team discharge me, they will refer me on to the community rehabilitation team.

My consultant follow up appointment has also now been booked for next Thursday. All we need to do now is arrange the hospital transport.

It finally feels as though all the pieces are starting to come together.

After a good night’s sleep, I’m feeling much more emotionally stable and much more regulated in terms of my sensory processing. My body is still overreacting to odd things as though it doesn’t quite believe it’s safe yet, but I no longer feel completely overwhelmed.

Healing isn’t a straight line.

But today definitely feels like another positive step forward.

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Image description:
Trexy, a pale grey T-Rex with ginger hair and an orange leg cast, sits on a bed upstairs at home holding a mug. A small table beside the bed holds medication, a glass of water, a phone and a calendar. Through an open bedroom door, family members can be seen downstairs. The text reads: “HOME AT LAST. Nobody talks about the day after.” The image highlights the mixed emotions of returning home from hospital while recovery and daily challenges continue.

18/06/2026

17/06/2026

Woo hoo! Good ambulance ride chatting with the assistant and the driver keeping everything smooth and steady.

I’m Home 🥰 With clean soft sheets that will not give me a rash. And a window that actually opens. A loving hubby and the kettle is on.

Image descriptions:
View from a bed towards two tall arched windows with patterned curtains. Blue sky, white clouds and green trees can be seen outside. Sunlight fills the room, with a radiator beneath the windows and part of a bedside cabinet visible.

View from bed during recovery at home. An orange lower leg cast is visible in the foreground, with sunlight streaming through tall arched windows. Green trees can be seen outside, and a dressing table and mirror are visible across the room.

17/06/2026

Woo hoo 🥳🎉🎊🙌🏻

I’ve just been informed that the ambulance from Manchester is on its way to collect and transfer me home.
Still keeping everything crossed 🤞🏼

16/06/2026

I should have known better. 😤😩

The transport for today has definitely been cancelled and rebooked for 08:30 tomorrow morning.

The disappointment is very real and, if I’m honest, quite difficult emotionally. I’ve spent days getting everything organised, ready and waiting to go home. Paul came to

I’m trying to stay positive, but I really hope this doesn’t turn into a repeat of the surgery list, where tomorrow becomes the next day, and then the next.

On the bright side, as Lisa Keates
is staying, it’s only fair that her conversational pal stays too. 😜

Fingers crossed that this time tomorrow I’ll be on my way home. 🤞💝

15/06/2026

Woo hoo! Home tomorrow.

After more than three weeks in hospital, all the plans are finally in place.

The Derby consultant came to see me this morning and my local hospital has accepted the referral for ongoing care. My new consultant will take over once I’m home.

This afternoon I had a new cast fitted. It’s a very striking orange. I’d like to say it’s simply because it matches my hair, but perhaps it also serves as a useful warning sign: “Please don’t bump into this leg!”

The equipment was delivered to our house this afternoon, the ambulance transport has been booked, the discharge paperwork is complete, and my prescriptions have been signed. I’m just waiting for the medications themselves.

Tomorrow, sometime between 9am and 1pm, I’ll be heading home. I’ll be travelling in bed and still have another four to five weeks of non weight bearing ahead of me, followed by rehabilitation.

It’s a strange feeling. There is still a long way to go, but this feels like a huge jump forward rather than just a step.

I cannot thank all of you here on my page, my family, friends, visitors, and the staff at Royal Derby Hospital enough for helping me reach this point.

Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly tomorrow.



Image description:
Photo taken from a hospital bed showing my right leg raised on pillows in a bright orange below-knee cast. My toes are visible at the top of the cast with green nail varnish. Hospital equipment and a ward trolley can be seen in the background. The image accompanies an update that I am being discharged home after more than two weeks in hospital following ankle surgery.

14/06/2026

Good idea.

12/06/2026

Ward 206 update

For the first time in a while, home feels like a realistic possibility.

The plan has changed. Rather than waiting indefinitely for a rehabilitation bed, the team have assessed whether I can safely manage at home with the right equipment and support.

Today Paul was assessed by OT using the transfer equipment and passed with flying colours. They watched him helping me transfer between bed, chair and commode while keeping all weight off my broken ankle, aka me balancing on my left leg- thanks Pilates balance work. The equipment is due to be delivered on Monday and, all being well, I could be home on Tuesday or shortly afterwards.

The biggest challenge now seems to be working out who is paying for what. My consultant is at Wythenshawe, the equipment is coming from Trafford, and I’m still in Royal Derby Hospital. Apparently moving one disabled woman from one place to another requires rather a lot of administration!

I’ve had quite a lot of foot and ankle pain today. The registrar checked everything and reassured me that pain from a dislocated ankle, a complex fracture and surgery is expected, especially as the swelling continues to settle. It tends to come and go rather than stay constant, although today’s pain was definitely Oromorph-worthy.

I also had a prolonged migraine aura today. Thankfully it never developed into the headache and vomiting that usually follows, but it left me feeling pretty washed out.

I am a little worried about Paul. I’ve tried to persuade him to accept some extra help while I’m non weight bearing, but he insists we’ll manage. Anyone who knows him knows that once he’s made his mind up, that’s usually the end of the discussion! I may have to trust that he knows his own limits, especially with the grandchildren still coming on Tuesdays and Thursdays as usual.

After three weeks in hospital, I think being home, even with all the challenges, will be good for both of us.

Thank you again for all the messages, support, visits- the DIL her Mum and Granny also came today, cards, gifts and encouragement. They really have helped me get through some difficult days.



Image description:
Simple CTN-style illustration on a white background. Trexy, a pale grey cartoon T-Rex with ginger hair and very short arms, sits on a hospital bed wearing blue and white striped pyjamas. A casted leg rests on the bed. An open blue door on the right lets in light, with a short path leading towards it. Large black and orange text reads: “One Step Closer”. A small Changing The Narrative logo appears in the bottom right corner.

10/06/2026

Ward 206 update

Today has been a quieter day with no major news, which isn’t a bad thing.

I had visits from my daughter-in-law and hubby, then a lovely surprise visit from Mandy, a former colleague, and her sister Michelle. They are thoughtful, kind, fun people, and even their mum sent me a bunch of grapes to aid my recovery. Clearly they inherited their kindness from her.

The good news is that my pain levels have eased today after a particularly difficult high-pain day yesterday.

My ward friend has now gone home. I’m delighted for her and her lovely family, although I’ll miss our chats. It also makes me look forward even more to the day I can head home too.

I had hoped to see the OT and PT today. It’s possible I missed them during my very long morning nap, although nobody mentioned that they’d been. I did manage to sit out this afternoon, and Paul brought me a lovely meal and some treats.

One day at a time, and today has been a good one.