'It was very lonely' - Kilkenny patient on life during restrictions in St Luke's General Hospital

A patient admitted to St Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny last month has outlined the loneliness she and other patients experienced during the latest spell of hospital visiting restrictions.

The woman, 77, originally from Foulkstown, but now living in a housing estate on the outskirts of the city, attended the A&E department of the hospital on Thursday, July 20 after feeling unwell for a number of days. After presenting herself to staff, she was quickly admitted to a ward and tests began.

Many days of worry and uncertainty followed for the local woman as staff investigated the medical issue. However, despite her poor health, the constant flow of visitors to meet the woman was a shining light during a difficult period.

Friends and family came to her bedside on a daily basis for conversations ranging from the news headlines to amusing stories from the days gone by. Unfortunately, all was about to change...

On Thursday, August 3, the local hospital imposed visiting restrictions across the complex to combat an increase in Covid-19 cases. 

"It was awful, you worried where they (visitors) were gone," she said. As staff raced to put the appropriate measures in place, communication with patients suffered as a result, with whispers across the ward and an eventual question to an on-duty nurse confirming the restrictions, according to the woman.

"I understand they had to do it and they were quick to act but they should have told us straight away, it was very lonely."

Despite the troublesome period of uncertainty, the Kilkenny native is full of admiration for the doctors and nurses at the hospital, stating: "The nurses were brilliant," adding, they worked very hard to care for the patients but "there’s not enough of them."

Two weeks of no visitors took its tool on the woman. Known locally as a 'chatter box,' her usual trips to the city's coffee shops for a chat and a 'cuppa' were put on hold. The weekly collection of her pension, which was more than merely collecting money, but a chat with 'the same old faces' was out of bounds and the outside world felt a million miles away.

"It was awful, I just didn't know how long it would go on for. I was ringing my grandson regularly to keep an eye on the house." The woman, who has lived in the county all her life, also expressed concern for her belongings, constantly in fear of important items of clothing being lost due to the sheer size of the hospital population. 

The local woman, who spent 15 days of her total stay in St Luke's Hospital under Covid-19 restrictions is recovering at home now and has expressed her deep appreciation to everyone involved in the hospital, from the doctors and nurses to the hairdressers down, but has urged management both in the hospital and the HSE to be 'more conscience' of the 'harm' isolation from your family can have and 'weigh up' those challenges with Covid-19 in the weeks and months to come.