On the move

Thursday 27th Feb

Big cup of tea, missed call on my phone, then home phone. Mum spoke to home GP and I think, going down to hosp for tests. Finding clothes and PJs should I be staying over!

Emergency Medical Assessment Unit (EMAU) / Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) wing – serious stuff! Dr called S (who had worked with a consultant hub Mum knew), another lady, Sisters called Mandy and Hermione.

Line put in arm. Arm promptly swelled to twice the size and couldn’t move it without using the other arm to lift it. Had to have it out and put in my foot! Nurse who took bloods and did cannula… thought my address sounded lovely…ah no. Bloods, temp, ECG – ultrasound, CT – iodine through the foot was fun! They had said beforehand I wasn’t going to have contrast then I had contrast…feels very strange.

Strange people being loud in the other bays – diabetic trying to get a kitkat off the trolley, man “had to drop my trousers for 4 females already” with sores (EWW) “partner” and her kids who were home-schooled, noisy, annoying and also had impetigo or something and man – “I now only smoke 5 a day” – all the emphasis on the “once a week swim”…

Sweating – Changed tops a lot, like Saga Noren!

Got moved to side room whilst they spoke to chest and thoracic to see whether I needed to go down there tonight. Turned out that they did and via ambulance between 7.15-9.15… Dad and Sis1 turned up when I had finished eating a remainder sausage and mash (ONION GRAVY). Plan was that Sis1 would go back to sort the supper and wid, Da would also go home after a while and then come back if heard nothing from us, to follow down  – take Mum home.

D went straight there to get there for after 9.15 – problem was we got there at 1am… got internet before we left and tried but couldn’t get internets to work sufficiently to watch The Goodwife.

Ambulance guys “you can walk???” t’was more of a hobble…called Christian and Matthew. Got there in 34 minutes. Was funny because even though I was sitting backward, I was able to tell when we had just come off the motorway and had reached the big roundabout.

Christian had been to PSC (for 2 days!) and his parents had lived in Fish Ponds. He commented on the lack of my Bristolian accent!

Was a really hot and sleepless night.

Ness had said re exam that most people ran out of time and spent longer on certain questions. She said that at least I now had time to re-order my notes and keep everything up-to-date.

Tree

Tree view

IMAG1066

first room

The Shocker

Wednesday 26th February

Exam T-minus 2 days

Wids woke me around 7.30. Got up when Da left, Sis1 door still shut. Big bowl of cereal (oats, coco pops, granola, shredded wheat, currants and rasins!) and tea, listened to Woman’s Hour. Watched Mad Fat Diary – great part about walnut whips. Sis1 came into get goggles for swimming (was quite random). Mum messaged to say that she was getting a call back from Bristol surgery.

Got books out looked at various bits. Had a shower, then had missed call from Bristol GP “I can see that you haven’t had your xray or blood test” ERRR, yes I have! Couldn’t get blood test ’til next Tuesday! Da rang – I asked why Sis1 was here, if she was working – found out she had been signed off for a month and she’d also got the Anthony Nolan job! Yaya!

Rang Mum, rang surgery to say if Bristol GP could ring her, still lots of missing calls – her ringing me not Mum.

When she got back at around 4pm, she rang home surgery and got ok to go there, they thought my Bristol address sounded lovely…. Mum had managed to talk to Bristol GP and then rang home surgery back – spoke to home GP who said just come in.

He did all checks, couldn’t really speculate as I was under Bristol GP. He was indecisive but then followed up x-ray, really wanted to know what it said. He easily managed to chase it up and get someone to look at it.

There was lots of “That’s what I thought it might show” “Just using my eyes and experience” kind of comments. Uh oh. He got them to scan a copy over.

He said that they had seen a lump in my lung. He said to me “It’s not the end of the world” and then took down the box of tissues – which I was hesitant to take from him and gave it straight over to mum.

Doc “Have you got anything on this week?”

me “Exams in Bristol” home GP “You’re not going back to Bristol any time soon..” “OhhhhhK”. He said he would talk to home hosp to have some investigations.

I went to re-register whilst he spoke to Mum.

Receptionist “We won’t be able to register you today, it is between 2-4pm and you need ID” I said I would just fill in the form whilst I was waiting for Mum.

Some mood appropriate slow song which I recognised, must have been Radio 2, these places are always tuned to that station! I only filled in part of the form before Mum came back. She handed it over – “You need to fill in the rest of the form” Mum “No, its ok, please just talk to home GP” Apparently they ripped up the form before asking him. OOohh. Annoying but luckily home GP sorted it out.

I found the song!

How

Tuesday 25th February

Exam T-minus 3 days, no sleep.

Wonderful wakeup call at 5am. Had only just got back to sleep after coughing at 2am. B being really loud, could hear R, JG and JI as well as two others. There was some guy asleep in the kitchen who I woke up hahahahahah.

As I had finished my antibiotics, I went back to the Bristol “better” GP. She advised to get bloods taken and go for a chest x-ray at hosp as well as keeping up the steamy baths. She had silver nails and silver eyeshadow, eyes lined black under her glasses. I wasn’t quite convinced by the getup.

When I got back, I had a puff of the inhaler she subscribed and I looked up where the nearest hosp was and started to decide whether to face the extortionate parking fines. As I was pondering, I had already heard R and a female voice next door. I heard B chatting to someone who had come out of the kitch, presumably the guy who had been there this morning. She left to go and do her presentation. Unnamed sounded whiny, found out was called P. They knocked on R’s door as unnamed girl was P’s friend, various comments about who or who wasn’t naked, “just go in” says B and then second time before B leaves he tries and its locked – she says wait in the living room. Great!

Whiny “Noname, weee need to go, so and so has gone for lunch already, I’m going to go outside and smoke and you let me back in?”

I left, locked the front door, ignoring him outside. He kept trying to look at me as I did so and then didn’t really move out of the way to let me out. Really. And he looked like an idiot, think he grabbed the door before it closed, unfortunately – although wanted to stop him, didn’t want to talk to him. Only felt slightly smug locking the door on him. HA.

Was sunny, walked passed a pub called Snuff Mills, even though it was at least 40 mins away from where its namesake actually was…. Strolled straight into general x-ray, “what’s your Christian name?” (- interesting) took about 20mins, strolled home.

Whilst getting lunch in the kitch, the bell went and then R came in. He didn’t deserve much of a greeting, looking ugh. Corridor had smelled ugh, like redbull. No questions about the girl, I had started to wash up so I would have something in which to have lunch in! “Did you hear B last night?” he wanted to get water so I said and indicated he could use it, ignoring the q. Door went, me – “Ah there it goes again!” He hesitated and then went. I heard someone come to fix the shower.

R “are you upset about last night?”

me “No, why would I be upset about being woken up at 5am?”

R sigh, but no sorry “You have to understand, it’s going to happen, hasn’t happened in a while, we are freshers…BLAH BLAH – K didn’t complain”

me “Well K is hardly here”

R “But blaaah blaah”

me “R, seriously, I’ve said everything on this to B”

R “Aaaaggghhh, I cant be bothered with this”

He left, I was then able to stress and cry over the carrot soup whilst looking out over the car park, ignoring the recycling.

Thought I heard R and girl, chatting or whatever. I plugged into iplayer, headphones on. I had the soup and then laid down to listen to the last bit of Mccreeevieeee after the agricultural drama (haha).

I heard R and K chatting K “Oh I didn’t hear a thing last night” TYPICAL. Bloody typical. But he had said before, he didn’t care anyway…

Carried on with a bit of practice exam and then Mum rang for Skype around 5. I put music on one laptop by the door and slumped against the wall, she wanted to know why I had been asked for a chest x-ray. I didn’t know – response had been to check nothing had been missed. Mum said she could come get me, as I was so upset and tired from no sleep. She said to throw in revision in a bag and come. I insisted I would drive after emailing Jane about my exams for advice based on what happens should the x-ray shows something? Can’t remember. Grabbed some bags out, put in work, washing, food, only grabbed fridge stuff most needed eating. Shoved it in the car. Went back in to wash up – filled up sink, put stuff in. Went to move nick-able items from cub to room, came back and K was washing his plates! WTF as well as some unknown girl “It’s big in here, tidy etc, unusual to see you doing this – you look really domestic”

K ”One off”

me “You should do it more often”

K took ages but said – “I’ll do yours”

me “DW” JUST HURRY UP. He got rid of the water so I sped on. B came in at some point, I didn’t actually hear what she said.

Something like

“Are you off home to study”

“Yes”

“Did you go to the Docs”

“Yes, I had an x-ray”

B “Well that’s good”

Me “Well, it is and it isn’t…”

B ”I’m sooooooo sorrrrryyy, T and MG said I was sooooooo louuuuddd”

Me “Uh huh”

She went out, I finished washing up. Grabbed stuff. Just bout to get into car and saw B “You going now?” me “yeah” B “Ok See ya later” me “yeh”

Got petrol, sped home – got back 7.45. Just unloaded, on step when Baby pulls up with sis 1 and Mum. After unloading and hugs. Mum looked at my arms, took a photo – worried about swelling.  Watched lots of The Goodwife then supper. Didn’t really feel like eating much. Wid was really smelly. Watched Death in paradise (loada rubbish!). Looked for clothing to wear – hardly had anything :/

Plan to contact doc tomo to find out what the xray was about. Sooo many pillows, Mum took numbers to ring doc during work tomorrow, bad sleep, lots of cough, bashed elbow and knee.

In the beginning…

Monday 24th February

Exam T-minus 4 days

I left B doing her essay – didn’t even ask her and went on a walk to the post office with Carlos who needed to post his passport form. It was such a tedious process as the man behind the counter was so unhelpful. He didn’t know how much the standard passport form was, they didn’t do check and send and he couldn’t pay by card for the postal order but he could get cash out to pay for it… He then felt he needed something so bought a four pack of chocolate covered Madeira cupcakes with excellent stay put frosting. As we walked back down the road, he stuffed one in and we walked along the river to the fishing duck pond.

We sat on a bench and had a cake whilst looking at the ducks and geese floating around. He was mentioning his evening – social with both uni’s skydiving clubs in Clifton. Various jokes about the Bristol boys followed. I told him about B only just telling me about her and J the week before. He asked if I had asthma on the way up the hill – unfortunately not, just unfit…

She had gone out on the Saturday before half term despite needing supposedly to get up quite early to go home for kid leisure centre work although I thought I had heard her and J in her room before I left – the same one which MM goes to. She had gone out to Syndicate with R for his friend’s friend VIP outing. Apparently involved a free glass of fizzy and Jamie buying a £60 bottle of some other champagne. I hadn’t seen her as I went to see Sis2 and hang around Exeter for the day. She said some comment and I said – something like “Hey, wait a sec…you and JI haven’t yet” and then she said “Oh I thought I had told you…” “No, I bet all my answers seemed out of place..” She had been worried about him getting with someone at Carnage. Whatever.

Got home at around 5.30 and did a bit more criminal litigation practice. Could hear Jor come over and B chatting about Carnage and giving tobacco to him? R was trying to contact someone about getting a Carnage t-shirt. He had been persuaded by Jor and so had B. “I’ve almost finished my essay…” “I’m going to find other people and go with them so I’m not with JI” whatever. R to me – “Did you know the shower holder is broken?” me, “REALLY. You only just noticed?”

Put a pizza in and threw some salad in a bowl, time for Silk. R wanted to borrow £10 for his tee – doubt I will get that back. They came back – B comes in wanting to borrow the black ruffle dress off Sis1 I had saved from the charity shop bag and help to alter her carnage shirt. It was playboy bunny – I got my bunny ears out and told R he should just wear his playboy bunny dressing gown…. They both had bow ties, looking good!