EPISODE 1002 SHORT VERSION OF EMERGENCY WARD “DELICATE ADVICE”

alan skeoch

January 4, 2024

 “PANIC! MARJORIE WE NEED TO GOT TOTHE HOSPITAL, THE

;KNEE IS SWELLING UP”  

1) Arrived at hospital at 4 a.m. Friday 

December 29, 2023.   

2)  Doctor arrived 7.30 a.m.  “Infected, must be opened

up and cleansed, New dressing….must act fast.”

3 Sinking feeling…infection  My brain reeled,  To reopen my knee?New Years weekend.

4)  “Not here…go now to hospital that did original surgery “

5) Centre of Toronto.  But we did it.   Emergency assessment by another

doctor. “We do not think it is infected,” moment of gasping relief did not last long

6) “You have a blood clot,   very dangerous’’’

7  what does that mean?  “33 To 66 days under hospital care.  Very delicate,,danger that clot goes to heart,  blocks passage of blood.”

8_) “Ultatsound  technicians are shared by 3 hospitals,,,hard to book 

Christmas week but we will try?   could be 6 to 8 hour wait time.” ultrasound done

as technician happened to be in building,..luck

9) Emergency ward filling beyond capacity,  Standing  room only.  A lot of desperate people included 6 police escorting a tall man who ws cuffed.   We waited and waited,

10   Time was a blurr. until  Saturday night when a doctor said my name

and led me to a cubicle.  Dark, Feeling of impending doom.

THEN

 “Mr. Skeoch there’s no sign of infection nor is there 

evidence of  blood clot.  You are free to gol”

11) “Can I shake your hand doctor?”

12)  I wonder if any reader of this sequence will ever understand how

it feels to have

the Sword of Damocles hung over our heads for those three days.

13)  All in all I remain confident that our Emergency Rooms are amazing…

but we were beat,,,three judgments were made,,,the third was best,

The swelling of the knee joint went down slightly

alan and marjorie skeoch

January 4m 2024

postscript: 

afterDec. 12 surgery… For ten days our son Andrew plunged blood thinner into

my stomach with a syringe.

why? To avoid blood clots