Back in hospital again and mobile use therein

Last Monday I was admitted to hospital again with a serious MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) infection in both lower legs. Been on a Vancomycin drip since Monday and now finally showing the first faint signs it is responding to treatment. Hopefully a few more days then finish the treatment with hospital care in the home. It is not that I don't like hospitals but it is just that there are so many sick people here and me with SLE and almost no immune system am at great risk of going home with something different to what I came in with

Currently I am in the Acute Care Unit of Monash Hospital and lucky for me they haven't realised I am using my new Telstra high speed 4G Network modem. Usually they make patients turn off all mobile phones, tablets and also previously my older 3G modem. My new 4G modem doesn't need to plug into the USB port so this time I hid the modem in the bottom of my clean clothes bag as this new one connects via wifi and runs off batteries. I don't feel guilty using the modem because all the doctors as well as all the nursing staff are allowed to use their mobile phones so I don't think the radio transmissions are an issue with it affecting their monitoring instruments.
What do the geeks think? Should I be a good boy and not use my modem?

My two cents
Personally I think modern electronics are very well shielded from spurious RFI (radio frequency interference) transmissions and like in modern airplanes, mobile phones shouldn't cause any problems and I really think these "no phone use" policies are left over rules from a bygone era when electronic devices were far less robust and quite susceptible to electro magnetic interference.

 

Get well soon.

Warning some language!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYAq-7sOzXQ

Cheers..

 

@Tim Thanks and yes the magazines are so old here that the writing has worn off

@sikvik Thanks and had a giggle with the video....... it's magic

 

Joffa, get well soon! What a drag to be in the hospital again.

 

Sure is and thanks for the good wishes.-D The upside is they still haven't realised I am using my modem so I can still check MGs LOL

 

I cannot speak to their no phone policy. Maybe they put a blanket ban on to shield their machines from older type phones. Yes it would be a pain though.

Is there another room on the ward where you can go?

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

When I went in for my Pacemaker I tethered my iPhone. Hospital had no problem with it. You might just tell them what you are doing. They may even put your bed by the window with cell phone on the window side and equipment at the head and other side like they did with me.
Better yet, don't stay long enough to need internet access!

 

Unfortunately I am in intensive care and not in a general ward.
I guess my problem is that if it really was a problem then why can the doctors and nurses continue to use their mobile phones.

 

Thanks Kes and home again is my goal I hope I can go home sooner rather than later :cool

Thanks Musky and all the staff here are very good so I don't play favourites but I have noticed several are very pleasing on the eyes

Thanks Laura :cool :-D
I check MGs while I have the morning 3 hour vancomycin drip. Currently I am 20 minutes in I have another two lots of vancomycin each day and thankfully I am slowly coming good

No WiFi over here Tim Last year when I was in I tried to give myself access to the hospital network (and succeeded) but one day later the Sys Admin came to visit and had a little chat to me rolleyes and gave me some options none of which allowed me to stay at the hospital if I didn't surrender my laptop, tablet and smartphone :cry
I think they call that checkmate rolleyes

Very true and then there is the nuclear medicine facility on the floor below so there are Xray machines, MRI machines, CAT scanners plus all sorts of other equipment. In reality I don't think my single 4G connection is much of an issue

Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and good wishes. I really appreciate it and it is reassuring to know that other people care when I am feeling a bit low in these health challenging times:-D:-D

 

Sadly not very likely If things really improve then maybe mid next week otherwise end of next week and then I will have hospital in the home for another fortnight or as required.
I was speaking to three of the doctors on my case and they indicated my MRSA infection isn't on their database so they have sent it to a research lab to see if there is something more effective at killing it :cool
Oh well in this case it would have been better to have an old secondhand infection rather than getting a brand new one coz they probably can treat the old ones better

 

Hope you get better soon.

 

Yeah, I hope that you get better, real soon, Joffa. Hospital boredom isn't good for mentally hyperactive people like me, so I can relate, somewhat. Get well, soon, my friend.

 

Yep I was quarantined and all staff wore gowns over their clothes and also gloves. When removed, the gowns were put in a separate bag to the other laundry items and the gloves disposed of in a separate bag.
Monash Medical Centre is a big training hospital so I had a lot of attention from groups of students checking out MRSA procedures.
I am on 4 X vancomycin drips per day each running for 3 hours. Also taking Ciprol and Flagyl orally so they are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it. The drips have been taking a toll on my veins and now I have a swollen left arm and for last couple of days the cannulas have been inserted by a Radiologist with an ultrasound machine as now they need to use deep veins. They are talking about installing a PICC line under my arm near my armpit and I'm not too happy but I will see what happens.
Thanks for the good wishes.

 

Thanks Kes and yes a PICC line under my right arm (left arm now has swollen veins and is unusable for a while) plus the infusion pump hanging around your neck and pumping 24 hours a day is something I hope to avoid

 

Update
Looks like I might go home today if I pass a blood test.
If my blood test is really good then I will avoid the PICC line and 1 X week of 24 hour infusion pump :-D

Gotta go so I can study up for my blood test roflamo