GWS ColinJ.. DVT/Pulmonary Embolism

[dan_bo]

While I was waiting in a side room at A&E, I told my sister everything I knew about clotting, DVTs, Pulmonary Embolism, Vitamin K (the body uses it as part of the clotting mechanism) and so on. I told her that I had been supposed to get a thrombophilia screen done to see if I had a genetic mutation which makes clotting more likely, and how anticoagulant drugs interfere with that test so the blood sample needed to be taken before my treatment started ...

Anyway, the hours passed and I was getting tired. It had been a stressful day and I needed sleep. A nurse appeared with a syringe in a plastic tray and announced that he was going to inject an anticoagulant into my belly fat. Yeah, yeah, been there, had that done, felt really squeamish ... I looked away, he lifted my tee-shirt, wiped the skin with that alcohol stuff they use, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the syringe getting closer ...

Suddenly, my sister shouted "STOP!!!!!!"

The nurse leapt back in fright and I jumped up so quickly that I almost ended up impaled on the syringe anyway!

"You forgot to get your thrombophilia screen done!"

Oh, flipping heck, yes! We told the nurse and he wandered off to get a doctor to sign the test request.

I was going a bit loopy from fatigue and stress and started a very animated monologue in which I illustrated rather too realistically the kind of noises that I might have made if my condition had become critical. A sound of strangled gasping reverberated down the empty corridor. My sister was sitting by the open curtain to our side room and she saw a nurse sprinting full-speed along the corridor towards us ...

"No, no, it's okay - it is only my moron brother playing the fool!"

The nurse glared at her and went back to her duties.

Sis turned to me and barked "Don't - you - ever - do - that - again!!"

Oops!

Never had you down as a pain in the arse Col!

 

[ColinJ]

Never had you down as a pain in the arse Col!

I have a wacky sense of humour, but maybe A&E isn't the place for it!

There were certainly some characters ahead of us in the queue, including a drunken English lad who was trying to have a conversation with a drunken French lad. The English lad said in terrible French that he could understand French but wasn't great at speaking it, and the French lad said zat eeees Eeeeeenglish, eeeeees, 'ow you zay, sheeeeeeet! At which point, the logical thing to do would be for the English lad to speak slowly in English and the French one in French, but they both continued in the wrong languages! Other people in the queue ended up trying to interpret for them.

It turned out that English drunk had been walking over the roof of a local swimming baths, as you do on a night out, when he clambered down onto a wall before falling off that into a locked yard. He hurt his leg. He then climbed onto a wheelie bin, back onto the wall, then back along that to the roof. He ended up staring at a 20 ft drop and thought better of it of it, wobbled back along the wall and fell off it again before falling off on the street side and hurting his other leg!

The French tourist had been playing post-pub football in a car park with some locals and had managed to wreck one of his legs!

 

[colly]

I've just caught up on your news Col. Sorry about the setback, don't let it get you down too much. You must be so frustrated after all the progress you've made.

Stiff upper lip and all that. Eh? What? That's the ticket.

 

[Herzog]

GWS!!

Puts my broken leg into perspective. I know how tiring recovery can be and wish you success

 

[Herr-B]

Bloody hell, a kick in the balls when you really didn't need it. GWS, still, again.

 

[ColinJ]

Yes, it is a pain becoming fragile just when I was getting my strength back, but if I can get through the next month or two okay then I should be able to do more cycling again.

I should only need to take a short break from the bike and I am still walking okay. The first embolism was horrific, but if this one doesn't get any worse than it is now then I should cope.

I have an appointment with my GP tomorrow to discuss my care plan.

 

[classic33]

I have a wacky sense of humour, but maybe A&E isn't the place for it!

There were certainly some characters ahead of us in the queue, including a drunken English lad who was trying to have a conversation with a drunken French lad. The English lad said in terrible French that he could understand French but wasn't great at speaking it, and the French lad said zat eeees Eeeeeenglish, eeeeees, 'ow you zay, sheeeeeeet! At which point, the logical thing to do would be for the English lad to speak slowly in English and the French one in French, but they both continued in the wrong languages! Other people in the queue ended up trying to interpret for them.

It turned out that English drunk had been walking over the roof of a local swimming baths, as you do on a night out, when he clambered down onto a wall before falling off that into a locked yard. He hurt his leg. He then climbed onto a wheelie bin, back onto the wall, then back along that to the roof. He ended up staring at a 20 ft drop and thought better of it of it, wobbled back along the wall and fell off it again before falling off on the street side and hurting his other leg!

The French tourist had been playing post-pub football in a car park with some locals and had managed to wreck one of his legs!

See, thats what A&E Departments are for. Cementing relationships, whilst regailing others with stories of your heroism.
Just think of what you'll be missing if you never see the inside of one again. Now they're closing the local one.
Best o'luck with the recovery.

 

[Baggy]

Buggeration! Sorry to hear this, everything crossed for you that it doesn't get any worse and that you are soon on the road to recovery - think it's the best approach you're taking to look at it as a setback and not back to square one

 

[Saluki]

Sorry to hear of your setback. Sending best wishes to you for a good recovery.

 

[Scoosh]

Sorry to hear of your setback. Sending best wishes to you for a good recovery.

Sorry @Saluki - that's not enough these days.

He needs a too !

 

[jann71]

Hope your feeling better soon xx

 

[Scoosh]

Hope your feeling better soon xx

See @Saluki - xx is very acceptable !

... for Colin, of course ...

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Just reading of your set back @ColinJ good this time it was caught early, giving you a chance of a speedier recovery.
Not too speedy though, as @Scoosh said, to take it easy for a bit seems best.
Maybe take up knitting until you're fit for the bike again? The whole of CC could do with winter socks ... we'd pay you in home baked cake

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Sorry to hear your return to cycling has been delayed, Col. Anyhow, I don't know how to say this but I think I ought to warn you: it looks like Scoosh is trying to set you up with that Norfolk lass, Saluki. If he's right, you're going to miss those hills

 

[DCLane]

Not good news - I hope you're better soon.

It sounds like you need a good woman to take care of you ... wonder where you'd find one ...