A & E with the H & D
A curious title, for a personal subject, and also as relief from my usual notes ....
But let me explain further ......
It was early January, and we had been away holidaying, actually spent just catching up on a years lost sleep for the first few days.
Then, one morning during my usual early walk, I pondered an unusual thought .....
Its the beginning of yet another untouched day .... here I am, without a clue as to what it holds ... why, for all I know a chap could have something happen, and end up in hospital for a night or two. I recall turning the thought over a few times mentally, as I recalled the well-known admonition to take life 'one day at a time'
Then, later that same morning ..... an odd and unfamiliar dizzy feeling, rather light headed, and that I might even faint. Well there's nothing so exceptional about that you might rightly say, except that it occurred while at the wheel of our car ....
doing 80 kph on a busy motorway ..... and towing a caravan behind !
I recall considering pulling over at the first suitable spot, but the next thing I knew was coming too, with the car and van having crossed a ditch, shot up a sloping and heavily grassed bank, and stopping just short of a fence line, with the heavy smell of burning brakes in the car !
I stumbled out, and took stock of just what had happened, and where I was !
A chap from a following car who had seen it all and stopped to help out appeared
“You OK?” he asked. And then a police / traffic officer appeared “You been drinking?” he enquired. “No, and certainly not at 11.30 on the morning” I answered
I looked around ......
The car and van were 'high and dry' well up this bank on the edge of the Northern motorway. There was not a lamp-post, nor fence post, nor any other obstacle in sight. The place was absolutely ideal for such an “Off-Road” experience – impossible to have chosen a better spot ! If there had have been any obstacle, the result could have been vastly different, I pondered.
Instead the van had a deflated tire, and was banged up “fore and aft”
The Policeman closed one lane of the motorway, and with his aid, plus the motorist who kindly stopped, we unhitched the van, changed the tire, towed the van around and back on to the motorway, and limped to the nearest Garage, then back home
Wow, that was a close one, I mused
Later on that day, my wife suggested that I visit the local Medical Centre to have a check over. Whereupon, the Doc there said “Get yourself to the Accident & Emergency at Auckland Hospital” for a more detailed check-up.
So, here I was at the Accident and Emergency entrance of the main Auckland Hospital – for my first experience ever of such. My first observation was having to go past two burly Security Guards in an adjacent glass box. My, they must have some rough diamonds coming here I thought.
Then, I looked around the waiting room at the cross-section of injured, maimed and bruised humanity on this a Saturday night about 10.00pm by this time.
One woman, badly badly sunburnt all over, caught my eye – the picture stays with me still – such a look of sheer terror and pleading !
My eye spied a sign on the corner of the desk - 'VIOLENCE will NOT be Tolerated “
or words to that effect.
I get the picture – Saturday nights must get pretty interesting here I figured.
Then, wheeled off to await a doctor, and all sorts of tests, examinations, check overs, for 2 nights. Later that first night, my memory clocked in – why this is exactly the play-out of my early morning thought “ for all I know a chap could have something happen, and end up in hospital for a night or two “
Kind of prophetic huh ?? But that's exactly what happened.
In the early hours of that night, around 3.00 am, the night nurse came by on her rounds. “How's it going?” I asked “Saturday night must be your busiest night, you must see it all in here at Accident and Emergency ?”
“Sure ” she replied “ in here, with the DRUNKS and HEATHENS ”
That's exactly what she said ! !
Enough said - I got the picture indeed
There I was .... in the A & E with the D & H's
H E A D y stuff indeed
Men and women sharing the wards, just curtains between.
In Emergency - race, culture, age, ones sex all virtually disregarded
Life reduced to the barest essentials of survival - no Television !
With just your mobile phone as a connection to the outside world
Read if you will, and ........... await the visitors and what life stimulus they bring
Patience developed ......... !
Doctors, nurses, visitors, ..... and meal-times, all act as the division of time and the days ..... expected and awaited rather keenly
With it all, an acknowledgement of other people in far far worse condition
Thankful, so very, very thankful for simplicity.
For the memory jog to 'live one day at a a time'
Quite an experience
There's NO RECESSION medically .... or to accidents and emergencies !
And chatting / listening to the night shift Nurse, who observed “ you're a person of integrity who lives life to the full” Thank you Nurse for that kind and succinct observation.
Than later, after all sorts of probes, scans, tests, monitors “ You're in good health “
So what caused my incident then ? ...... Answer .... simply DEHYDRATION !
Recommendation .... DRINK MORE WATER !
Reflections ...
Alongside other patients, in the Heart unit, mostly smokers requiring heart surgery
Listening in to them being told simply and directly about the 40 poisons contained in the most addictive drug on the planet, bar none - Nicotine, and its terrible effects on every organ of the body !
Told bluntly to STOP SMOKING or else !
Their next visit would be to the mortuary !
Watching / observing their reactions to the “Pay the Piper” time of their life
In Hospital, where the “rubber meets the road” medically speaking
OUR TIMES ARE IN HIS HANDS .......... absolutely, would you agree ?
Footnote ...
Later ....... The Caravan ...
After the above 'Off-Road' incident, and a clean-up of the colossal internal mess ...
we completed our holidays in it – hurrah !
Then the Insurance claim, and an assessor's verdict - “it would cost more to fix than to replace”
So, it became a 'total write off', and a pay out was made of actually more than I had been trying to sell it for on Trade Me anyways !
Amazing how things happen and actually work out sometimes isn't it ?
Reminds me of Romans 8 : 28 ALL things work together for good to those who .....
Encouraging ... Eh ??? |
