Dad found himself back in A&E earlier this week.
I believe it’s called Münchhausen’s syndrome; when someone enjoys the medical attention so much, they seek out a little more. So, seemingly not content with the daily physio visits, dad now has an occasional district nurse visiting, too. Maybe it’s the uniforms?
He was out in the garden and went to come up the two steps into the house by placing the walking stick just inside the back door onto the small mat. As he transferred all his weight onto the stick, the mat suddenly slipped and he crashed to the ground, bashing his shin into the concrete step.
Normally that would hopefully be nothing more than damned painful in a fleeting moment, which it was. But when you’re on blood thinners, the smallest gash can now become the Trevi Fountain – minus the beautiful location and Italian accents.
So, with my step mum left hosing down the kitchen to avoid it looking like a crime scene, dad sets off to the local A&E with a helpful neighbour. Simple. Uh, no…
First A&E has 4+ hour wait, so it’s suggested they drive to another. Eventually get seen at the second one and is told the skin is too thin [on his shin] to stitch. They use paper stitches and tell him to come back if the blood seeps through. An hour later he’s back! More paper stitches and pressure pads and told to keep his leg raised for two days.
Up to that point, it had been a good week, though: walked nearly half a mile with physio; werewolf scar healing well; neat [expected] rainbow bruising down his chest; and one notable small victory… using some pipe insulation to make the fork easier to hold means he’s virtually back to eating a meal the conventional way.
Note: The above is an ingenious little device which works a little bit like a trumpet, er, without the trumpet! Current load setting: crush a grape! : )
Nige' Ollis 