After the ambulance paramedics left yesterday evening I had the usual sleepless dex night - maybe two hours evening and night all told - and at some point overnight I thought what happens if things don't look any better in the morning and we need to go to A&E for a scan and maybe more? Will need a backup plan or two for the Friday Tesco delivery.
In the morning my eye looked if anything a bit worse, and still no memory at all of the fall or the few minutes afterwards. So the choice was to go to A&E Broomfield (NHS, no cost but probable long waiting time)or Springfield (private hospital, £250 or so for a CT plus any amount more for one thing and another, but hopefully much quicker). In the end we decided on paying £100 for a private GP (same day) and his advice. He was particularly interested in finding the reason for my dropping out of consciousness just before the fall and for maybe five minutes afterwards. I now know that during that time people were checking my airway for obstructions and my mouth for loose teeth, and others were busy trying to keep up with the nosebleed and saving the carpet (not very successfully, unfortunately). He suggested a brain bleed or clot, a mini-stroke (TIA), or even some unlikely result of either my myeloma or my myeloma treatment. He rote us a couple of letters - one for Springfield, one for Broomfield, and sent us on our way to Broomfield. The A&E waiting room was full,with the triage queue stretching out of the doors (and not moving). So we decided to try Springfield instead. No luck there, because the right doctors to deal with the paperwork and the protocols wouldn't be in for hours... back to Broomfield, by which time the queue was shorter and moving, if slowly. Eventually got to the front, got triaged, sent off to another room to wait. And wait...
Had an ECG. Had blood taken for more tests, including a clotting screen. Waited some more. Finally seen by an A&E doctor who made me go through the whole tory again, examined me, and decided to send me off for a head, brain, and facial CT. Then, of course, more waiting for the results of everything, which were: No brain issues, but small nasal fracture and bigger sub-orbital one. Potassium a bit on the low side, blood numbers otherwise OK. Given some precautionary antibiotics and sent home with firm instructions not to blow nose for 48 hours. Easier said than done, I think, but will do my best. And still no real answer as to why I blanked out and fell. And by that time (a bit over 4 hours in A&E, not too bad by current standards) the eye was looking worse:
Just have to wait things out for a couple of weeks and hope that everything gets gradually better and not any worse. Lots of instructions about what to do if I start getting double vision etc....
No comments:
Post a Comment