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My leg and I
Jun. 25th, 2013 06:55 pmFirst of all a big thank you to all of you who sent condolences for Adrian's (and my) loss, and good wishes for a speedy recovery. You have all been lovely and it's much appreciated!
We made it back home yesterday although not without a few delays.
The ambulance booked to pick us up at the apartment turned up early and we got to Barcelona airport with 3 hours to spare.
Then it all got a bit 'Fawlty Towers'; we had to wait in the ambulance for about an hour before they could find a wheelchair with support for my left leg. When it arrived, they wheeled me out on the stretcher and then when they tried to extend the leg support it was stuck. They tried with screwdrivers and pliers to no avail.
So it was back in the ambulance. I told them I could walk a little and wait inside the terminal but they said that they couldn't because they didn't want to be blamed if my leg got worse.
Another half an hour and the working wheelchair arrived.
Then it was the turn of the aircraft. A technical fault meant that it was an hour late.
The Easyjet crew were really nice although I found the 2 hour flight a bit long: it's not that comfortable to sit across 3 seats with your back to the window and no pillow.
At Gatwick another half an hour wait for the right wheelchair but the ambulance was there and we got home. I would have kissed the ground, if only I could kneel! lol
We gave Enid - our next door neighbour - a bit of a fright: when she saw the ambulance pulling out outside our home, she thought that something might have happened to Adrian, perhaps a heart attack brought on by recent events.
Anyway, today I went to see my GP first. He wrote a referral letter for the A&E at Lewisham hospital (and got the diagnosis translated by a Spanish colleague at the surgery).
At the A&E I saw first a (Spanish !) nurse and then a doctor.
The first appointment they had was this Thursday (and this only after Adrian pulled the "mother card" explaining that I have to go the funeral) and it is to see a specialist.
But I'll also require a MRI scan before the diagnosis can be confirmed and any surgery arranged, and the MRI scan won't happen on Thursday.
Frankly, I'm starting to get a bit concerned - the longer the wait the fewer the chances of a full recovery.
When I got home, I rang the private medical insurance we have through work. I was first told that they don't do emergencies (which I knew). When I ask what they consider an emergency they said it was A&E treatment to which I replied that since I'm at home and they didn't keep me in, it's not an emergency any longer. So they said that I should go back to my GP to get another letter of referral asking for private treatment. But they are no appointments available at the surgery...
So I've decided I'll wait to see what happens at the hospital on Thursday, trying not to get too worried or upset about it.
My GP signed me off work till the end of July...I'll turn into a vegetable in front of the telly.
We made it back home yesterday although not without a few delays.
The ambulance booked to pick us up at the apartment turned up early and we got to Barcelona airport with 3 hours to spare.
Then it all got a bit 'Fawlty Towers'; we had to wait in the ambulance for about an hour before they could find a wheelchair with support for my left leg. When it arrived, they wheeled me out on the stretcher and then when they tried to extend the leg support it was stuck. They tried with screwdrivers and pliers to no avail.
So it was back in the ambulance. I told them I could walk a little and wait inside the terminal but they said that they couldn't because they didn't want to be blamed if my leg got worse.
Another half an hour and the working wheelchair arrived.
Then it was the turn of the aircraft. A technical fault meant that it was an hour late.
The Easyjet crew were really nice although I found the 2 hour flight a bit long: it's not that comfortable to sit across 3 seats with your back to the window and no pillow.
At Gatwick another half an hour wait for the right wheelchair but the ambulance was there and we got home. I would have kissed the ground, if only I could kneel! lol
We gave Enid - our next door neighbour - a bit of a fright: when she saw the ambulance pulling out outside our home, she thought that something might have happened to Adrian, perhaps a heart attack brought on by recent events.
Anyway, today I went to see my GP first. He wrote a referral letter for the A&E at Lewisham hospital (and got the diagnosis translated by a Spanish colleague at the surgery).
At the A&E I saw first a (Spanish !) nurse and then a doctor.
The first appointment they had was this Thursday (and this only after Adrian pulled the "mother card" explaining that I have to go the funeral) and it is to see a specialist.
But I'll also require a MRI scan before the diagnosis can be confirmed and any surgery arranged, and the MRI scan won't happen on Thursday.
Frankly, I'm starting to get a bit concerned - the longer the wait the fewer the chances of a full recovery.
When I got home, I rang the private medical insurance we have through work. I was first told that they don't do emergencies (which I knew). When I ask what they consider an emergency they said it was A&E treatment to which I replied that since I'm at home and they didn't keep me in, it's not an emergency any longer. So they said that I should go back to my GP to get another letter of referral asking for private treatment. But they are no appointments available at the surgery...
So I've decided I'll wait to see what happens at the hospital on Thursday, trying not to get too worried or upset about it.
My GP signed me off work till the end of July...I'll turn into a vegetable in front of the telly.
