My afternoon with the NHS
Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 6:31 pm
**WARNING - - THE FOLLOWING TEXT CONTAINS A MEGA RANT** !grin!
Yesterday I somehow injured myself! Halfway through the afternoon I noticed my left foot was feeling real cold and a bit painful and it very quickly grew more and more painful and swollen. and I then couldn't put any weight on it. So I sat with it elevated, put ice on it, took lovely painkillers and assumed it would be better this morning, seeing as I hadn't fallen, twisted or banged it in any way.
Well today when I got up it was still the same so I called the NHS direct line who went through the usual diagnosis thing with me over the phone and told me to either go to my GP or go to my nearest walk in minor injuries place (10 miles away). So I go to my GP (who for the first time ever gave me an immediate emergency appointment) and while I'm hobbling up the path to get into the surgery, the only person who offers to help me get inside is some old lady who was smaller than I was despite having loads of men walk past me.
The GP doesn't know what's wrong and tell me that I will have to go to our local A&E dept. and go through to have it xray'd. The local hospital is about 10 miles away in the other direction. Lovely. So I finally get there and am wheeled up to the Xray dept who tell me my foot isn't broken, that they would give my doctor a report in 7 days and that I could go home.
I'm obvioulsy not really able to walk on my own so I go through the the receptionist on A&E to ask her if my auntie (the senior sister of our a&e) is there, which she isn't coz she's away on holiday. So I ask her for some crutches and I'm told I can't have any unless I go and register as a new patient and wait in the waiting room which had a 3 hour waiting time. Obvioulsy wasn't really in the mood for that.
So now I'm back at home, still not knowing what is wrong with my foot and still not able to put any weight on it, and with no crutches meaning I'm stuck sat in one place! GGGRRRRRRRRRR!!
Rant over !happy!
Yesterday I somehow injured myself! Halfway through the afternoon I noticed my left foot was feeling real cold and a bit painful and it very quickly grew more and more painful and swollen. and I then couldn't put any weight on it. So I sat with it elevated, put ice on it, took lovely painkillers and assumed it would be better this morning, seeing as I hadn't fallen, twisted or banged it in any way.
Well today when I got up it was still the same so I called the NHS direct line who went through the usual diagnosis thing with me over the phone and told me to either go to my GP or go to my nearest walk in minor injuries place (10 miles away). So I go to my GP (who for the first time ever gave me an immediate emergency appointment) and while I'm hobbling up the path to get into the surgery, the only person who offers to help me get inside is some old lady who was smaller than I was despite having loads of men walk past me.
The GP doesn't know what's wrong and tell me that I will have to go to our local A&E dept. and go through to have it xray'd. The local hospital is about 10 miles away in the other direction. Lovely. So I finally get there and am wheeled up to the Xray dept who tell me my foot isn't broken, that they would give my doctor a report in 7 days and that I could go home.
I'm obvioulsy not really able to walk on my own so I go through the the receptionist on A&E to ask her if my auntie (the senior sister of our a&e) is there, which she isn't coz she's away on holiday. So I ask her for some crutches and I'm told I can't have any unless I go and register as a new patient and wait in the waiting room which had a 3 hour waiting time. Obvioulsy wasn't really in the mood for that.
So now I'm back at home, still not knowing what is wrong with my foot and still not able to put any weight on it, and with no crutches meaning I'm stuck sat in one place! GGGRRRRRRRRRR!!
Rant over !happy!