Saturday. 8.20. Continuing my adventures from yesterday. I was at home in the flat and about to have a snack as I usually do for lunch and probably watch television. My mobile rang and it was a paramedic at the doctor's surgery. He said there was something showing up on the ECG which had been done earlier at the surgery and I should go immediately to A and E at Milton Keynes Hospital. At first, I thought he said there was no need to go to A and E. I think it was just me misinterpreting the message and really hoping I wouldn't have to go. There really is nothing worse than a visit to A and E and the endless, totally soul-destroying wait, which can be anything up to four hours from your arrival. Also, the fact that you have to pay when you park and then the possibility of not being able to find a parking space for the car.
So, reluctantly, I drove towards the hospital, leaving Alfie alone in the flat and I'm thinking, 'I just hope I'm not going to have to spend the night in the hospital if they've found something serious in the ECG.' I got to the car park near the A and E entrance and walked a relatively short distance into the A and E reception. I had to give details to a nurse who stood near the entrance doing what I imagine is called 'triage.' A lot of the details from the E.C.G. had presumably been sent from the doctor's surgery and then I had to report to the receptionist and was given a printed-out wristband with my name and N.H.S. number on it together with a bar code. Things are becoming more like a supermarket when you get a bar code and scanned like a packet of breakfast cereal or pint of milk, but I suppose it makes life easier and more efficient in the end, or, at least, one would like to hope so. Then I was taken through to the waiting area and my worst fears were realized. Just sitting and waiting, having to watch some weird animation on the television that was on the wall. Why couldn't the televisions at least be tuned to daytime programmes? I know 'Homes Under The Hammer' and 'Escape To The Country' aren't exactly entrancing entertainment, but the stuff which was on was dreadful. At least not as bad as the awful television system that they had in the hospital whenever Carol was a patient. I think it was called Hospicom.
I had to have a further E.C.G. and a blood sample is taken, but this time the nurse was successful thank goodness. I trust it would mean I wouldn't have to give any further blood, as booked at the surgery the previous day. I was assured that I wouldn't have to wait much longer for the results and, hopefully, not the more than six hours I had the last time I had to come to A and E, which is mentioned in an earlier blog post.
A long wait. Until a doctor came to speak to me. He told me that they had done tests on the blood sample and the new E.C.G. There was nothing serious that showed up, so I could go home! So I had spent around three hours stuck in A and E, and I was relieved that I wouldn't have to spend any more time there and best of all, I wouldn't need to stay in overnight. I walked to the car park and then realized I needed to find a ticket machine which would release me at the barrier. The machine I found was difficult to access. No instructions, and the digital screens are difficult to read in bright sunlight. But, at last, I managed to put my card into the slot which then kept hold of it, my fear was that it wouldn't come back out and cause further problems. But it didn't and, surprisingly, I didn't have to pay! So I was able to drive out of the carpark, then found it quite difficult to draw up at the machine so I could lean out of the car window and insert the card into the slot. But all worked as expected and I was able to drive out. What a relief to be able to drive away without any further problems!
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