The Virtual Pub
Come Inside... => The Medical Centre => Topic started by: Uncle Mort on November 25, 2015, 05:40:45 PM
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Part One:
It started last Thursday morning. Whilst brushing my teeth I noticed an odd fluttering in my chest. Checked my pulse and it seemed a bit fast. I have a pulse oxmeter so stuck that on my finger ~ pulse rate 198 beats per minute. eeek:
Dialled 999, paramedic arrives, take ECG, looks perplexed and calls for ambulance. I’m carted off to the local A&E. eeek: eeek:
At A&E doctor looks at ECG, looks perplexed. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to grab some health info from my records including contact details for the specialist clinical team I’m under at Barts hospital. A&E doc and the Barts doc confer and between them agree to slow my heart using Adenosine. Doc has a couple of medical students trailing around with him so he gets one to insert a cannula. He actually made a good job of it, just a bit messy (didn't get the plug in quickly enough)
Anyway, the drugs work (makes you feel very weird for a few moments, though I didn’t get the sense of impending doom that is often associated with its use.) Basically it switched me off and on again. eeek:
Normally, after a bit of a rest, you can go home after this. Unfortunately because of the unusual architecture of my heart Barts request that I be kept in hospital and monitored for 24 hours. confused:
TBC...
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Mort lives cloud9: (Paradoxically)
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Part One:
It started last Thursday morning. Whilst brushing my teeth I noticed an odd fluttering in my chest. Checked my pulse and it seemed a bit fast. I have a pulse oxmeter so stuck that on my finger ~ pulse rate 198 beats per minute. eeek:
Dialled 999, paramedic arrives, take ECG, looks perplexed and calls for ambulance. I’m carted off to the local A&E. eeek: eeek:
At A&E doctor looks at ECG, looks perplexed. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to grab some health info from my records including contact details for the specialist clinical team I’m under at Barts hospital. A&E doc and the Barts doc confer and between them agree to slow my heart using Adenosine. Doc has a couple of medical students trailing around with him so he gets one to insert a cannula. He actually made a good job of it, just a bit messy (didn't get the plug in quickly enough)
Anyway, the drugs work (makes you feel very weird for a few moments, though I didn’t get the sense of impending doom that is often associated with its use.) Basically it switched me off and on again. eeek:
Normally, after a bit of a rest, you can go home after this. Unfortunately because of the unusual architecture of my heart Barts request that I be kept in hospital and monitored for 24 hours. confused:
TBC...
Bloody hell! eeek:
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It gets better whistle:
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It gets better whistle:
Sexy nurses...? eyes:
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:sex023: :sex023: :sex023:
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Half of mild on my slate... Thumbs:
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eeek: Take care old chap. Sounds like you are in the best hands. :thumbsup:
Top tip: Keep a set of jump leads in your pocket.
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eeek: Take care old chap. Sounds like you are in the best hands. :thumbsup:
Top tip: Keep a set of jump leads in your pocket.
what he said :thumbsup: (well not really the jump leads bit but you never know)
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Part Two:
So, here I am in the hospital assessment ward wearing my NHS jim-jams and tethered by a 10 foot cable to a heart monitor. Oddly enough I feel fine. Apart from having bloods taken I’m left to my own devices.
I’m in a standard NHS 4-bed bay with three other men. Opposite is 21 stone chap with COPD and diabetes who looks like he will expire at any second. He’s wearing a too short t-shirt and low slung jogging bottoms so all I see is a vast expanse of belly pocked with white marks caused by what I assume is his diabetic pen. Next to him is a Len Goodman lookalike, only smaller and skinnier. He is a cheery eastender so naturally I avoid talking to him. The third chap is pleasant and quickly spoken. Turns out he’s a church minister and he gets plenty of earnest Christian visitors. Both him and Len are heart attack suffers of some sort are also tethered to monitors. We all feel like dogs on a leash.
Sadly, none of the nurses can be described as sexy.
Next day (Friday) doc tells me that my troponin level has come back positive indicative of a heart attack. eeek: This leads to further discussions with the Barts specialists. I potter around all day, as far as my cable lets me that is.
Early evening the doc returns.
Me: “Is it good news?”
Doc: “define good news”
Me: “I get dressed and walk out of here”
Doc: noooo:
“because of your raised troponin level Barts want you over there ASAP so we are arranging transport.”
Me: eeek: eeek: eeek:
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eeek: eeek: eeek:
Hope Bart's give you betterer news.
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eeek: happy100
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Fingers crossed Uncle....
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Get well soon..
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eeek: eeek: eeek:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wot they all said
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Part Three:
Off to Barts; I contact my son and he and his mum nip over to the house to get a few bits and pieces for my pending stay. Doc comes back to tell me that the transport has been ordered and will be here shortly. He also mentions that Barts have requested the use of “blues” (i.e. flashing lights) eeek:
Ambulance crew arrive with trolley. Two very fetching young ladies. (well, they’re fetching me) The driver is small, blonde and a bit ditzy the other, tall and a more serious brunette. They strap me to the trolley, wire me up to the portable monitor and off we go.
Ditzy blonde: “ooh, I’ve never driven in London before”
Me: eeek: eeek:
A quick dash down the M11, on to the North Circular and in via the A13. I timed it: 35 minutes. Tall brunette nice and chatty.
Arrive Barts, crew have trouble finding the ward but security guard turns up and shows us the way.
Ward nurse hands me fresh jim-jams, I go behind screen to change while nurse chats to ambulance crew.
I reappear,
Tall brunette: “nice pyjamas”
Me: “I know. I look like a beach castaway”
Ditzy blonde “tee-hee”
Nurse: “get in bed”
Me: “can I use the toilet first”
Nurse: “no you have to use a bottle”
Me: ”but I’m not plugged in yet” cussing:
She relents, I wave cheerio to the lovely ambulance crew and a few minutes later I’m in bed and wired up to a load of high-tech equipment.
Duty doctor arrives to put in a cannula (the A&E one having fallen out some time back) He faffs around, “got it” I look, “I don’t think that’s in” I say. He ignores me and proceeds to flush. Agony! It’s like my arm is on fire. “that is extremely painful” I say through gritted teeth. He digs around, flushes again, same result.
Me: " censored: censored: censored:"
He gives up and I’m left to try to get to sleep.
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Amazing stuff Uncle, this is becoming the all new daily must read :thumbsup:
Hope your progress to robust health continues despite the odd cannula fiasco or two.
Popcorn:
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Amazing stuff Uncle, this is becoming the all new daily must read :thumbsup:
Hope your progress to robust health continues despite the odd cannula fiasco or two.
Popcorn:
^^^ wot Steve said ^^^
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Cheers chaps :thumbsup:
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Cheers chaps :thumbsup:
Chin up, all will be fine now you are in Bart's hands. :thumbsup:
rubschin:
(https://www.virtual-pub.com/SMF/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frequencycomputers.co.uk%2Ffile%2Fbart17.gif&hash=d7845d5effc052acc17da526d4c8609f41c6081b)
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drumroll:
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Part Four:
The weekend starts here. Another 4 bed bay but this one is state of the art. Barts is undergoing redevelopment and I’m in the newest part (linky (http://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/our-hospitals/st-bartholomew%E2%80%99s-hospital/barts-heart-centre/image-gallery/)) Unfortunately, despite this being the 21st century they haven’t bothered to install public wi-fi so my little notebook computer is of no use. It also turns out that there is no mobile phone signal. So I’m effectively cut off from the outside world. Banghead
There’s not much to say about weekends in hospital. Nothing happens. I do get unplugged from my monitor for a while so that I can use the desk phone to contact my sprogs. And I get a visit from the duty doctor of my specialist heart unit ~ Kate, and she is yumster. eyes: Enough to get anyone’s heart racing. We discuss what investigations need to be done. An Echo and a MRI (or maybe a CT scan) are mooted for the beginning of the week.
My son and my Ex visit on Sunday but apart from that, Zzzzzz…
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Part Four:
The weekend starts here. Another 4 bed bay but this one is state of the art. Barts is undergoing redevelopment and I’m in the newest part (linky (http://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/our-hospitals/st-bartholomew%E2%80%99s-hospital/barts-heart-centre/image-gallery/)) Unfortunately, despite this being the 21st century they haven’t bothered to install public wi-fi so my little notebook computer is of no use. It also turns out that there is no mobile phone signal. So I’m effectively cut off from the outside world. Banghead
There’s not much to say about weekends in hospital. Nothing happens. I do get unplugged from my monitor for a while so that I can use the desk phone to contact my sprogs. And I get a visit from the duty doctor of my specialist heart unit ~ Kate, and she is yumster. eyes: Enough to get anyone’s heart racing. We discuss what investigations need to be done. An Echo and a MRI (or maybe a CT scan) are mooted for the beginning of the week.
My son and my Ex visit on Sunday but apart from that, Zzzzzz…
rubschin:
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We need pics of Kate
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Can you watch the footy... rubschin:
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All this happened last week, I'm out now and just recounting events in digestible chunks.
Anyway to cut this long story short, on Monday I have a CT scan ~ shows no narrowing of my arteries ~ Hurrah!
Tuesday starts with an echo and then a stress test, more bloods ~ all look OK :thumbsup:
Final diagnosis ~ SVT, no complications so I'm set free at about 7pm and make my way home. One final twist ~ the next morning I come to take the first of my new drug regime as prescribed and provided by the hospital. Turns out they've given me someone else's prescription. doh:
Couple of phone calls and then the ward manager calls me. He apologises and arranges for the correct drugs to be couriered over. I expect someone's head to roll for this Sinister:
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Kate?????????
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Last week........BM take that half of mild off my tab please ... noooo:
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Good news, if delayed. :thumbsup:
Glad to have you back to "normal".
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Glad to hear you are feeling better Uncle :thumbsup: cloud9:
Must have been scary at times scared2: scared2: happy100
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Oh Unc ..you poor thing .
Well done on recognising and actioning straight away and for getting out the horsepickle quickly enough before Nick visited with his grapes scared2:
Hope you are well into recovery mode
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Thanks everyone :thumbsup:
I had a brief discussion with the electrophysiologist (another yummy lady ;) ) They're offering ablation as a cure for the arrhythmia but I remember Snoopy writing about this and I'm not sure if I fancy having it done.
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Thanks everyone :thumbsup:
I had a brief discussion with the electrophysiologist (another yummy lady ;) ) They're offering ablation as a cure for the arrhythmia but I remember Snoopy writing about this and I'm not sure if I fancy having it done.
IIRC Tony Blair had it done soon after becoming PM and he seems to have carried on for many years since. But then if you don't you might get to see this Kate again sooner
Not an easy choice and I suspect in VP tradition I have offered nothing of any help whatsoever. It's a free service