Doing my best with serious comms & IT constraints
Was playing bed roulette from 31/10 to present with an inguinal hernia- diagnosed over a year ago & on waiting list for ultrasound scan, and received a letter [ADMIN EDIT: details anonymised] for a mid-Nov appointment at Victoria Hospital near Hampden.
Meanwhile having been moved into a flat with no heating or hot water, broken lights & more up a 300ft hill 6 miles outside Glasgow the hernia grumbling got worse & after 2 days crawling around on floor & unable to sort out food & drink, I called 111 & after discussion with SAS control room dialled 999 around 19.30 on 30/10, the crew arrived at 05.30 on 31/10, but because I weigh 100Kg & there are 3 sets of defective steps plus defective pavement to get to the road a second crew was required & I arrived at QEUH (8 miles) at 06.30
After triage upset the team (with my pulse at 35 - its hit 28 on one daily check)
Into Resus Ward for monitoring then ARU at QEUH as holding, then 2 wards in Stroke Unit in what remains of old SGH before transfer to Gartnaval (who weren't expecting me)
Gartnaval at least has a free patient wifi that doesn't drop out of at least once per day plus a 4g/5g signal that isn't totally flakey
After rebutting th accusations that I'd fallen & fractured my pelvis, with a CT scan plus 2 Ultrasounds (at least proving I'm not pregnant!) I'm queuing for an MRI to get my lower colon untangled from my glutes & other parts of my left buttock, which delivers excruciating pain when any loads go through trapezoid & related system
This episode has provided some valuable insights, especially as I'm informally interviewing staff about travelling to the sites & the blinkered/narrow way that NHS is hemorrhaging money to provide and manage car parking (for empty cars going nowhere)which often uses over 50% of the land on the site, but is only used fully for around 40% of the time, lying unused for 60% to collect rainfall & enhancing flood risk.
One doctor drives from Finnieston (barely 2 miles?), and can queue over 20 minutes to get on/off the site as they need to get to the gym!
Another porter is a retired AB from Faslane who worked in submarines
Much more to post but for the frustrating need to use just this phone