So we took a taxi to Rhyddings Surgery...to see Dr Smith...Ma likes him, he is a very personable young man.
We set off early, both Ma and I have a great dislike for being late......and we were something like 50 minutes early.
Ma's name came up in lights and we ambled slowly down to room 6.
Dr Smith was waiting there for us...he asked Ma how she was and she just said 'Crap'...except it came out as 'Clap'.
As the examination went on I became uneasy, and could feel a long afternoon in A&E advancing towards us fast......yes, Graham wrote a referral in his best handwriting and told us to take it to A&E.
He knows that I am ex nursing profession and gave me the sheet of paper unsealed...which to me meant that he didn't mind me reading it.
It would not have mattered much anyway, I still would have read it.
it didn't give too much away, but it did suggest that Ma had had some kind of cerebral accident which had affected her speech...something called expressive aphasia....this usually indicates that the area affected is on the Left side of the brain...Broca's sensory motor area.
So it was a taxi up to the RBH...and A&E.
The taxi driver from Hyndburn taxis was kindness itself, and while I helped Ma out of the taxi he went and found me a wheel chair.
Ma was most dischuffed to be spending her Tuesday afternoon in this manner, and worse dischuffed that this episode may mean that she cannot go on her intended jaunt to Thomas Hardy Country(that should read will almost certainly).
We were shown to a cubicle, but not before Ma had created havoc by opening a very lively bottle of 7Up and splashing it all over the floor in the waiting room(thank you to the very smiley lady who cleaned it all up).
Ma looked terrified, though she would not admit to feeling it.
Jane came and sorted us out, took bloods, did an ECG, put intravenous access in place.....Told Ma that she couldn't have anything to eat or drink and whisked the 7Up away.
We were seen by the consultant in quick time...in fact by 6pm Ma had had all the immediate tests done.....the Consultant came and told us that he was arranging for Ma to be admitted.......that she needed a CT scan of her head, a doppler of her neck vessels and possibly an echocardiogram...and these could best be done by keeping her in.
Ma was spitting feathers......I had had nothing to eat or drink since 11.30, but to be honest I didn't really want anything.
I phoned Debs, left a message on her answering machine.....a brief one which said I was with ma in A&E.......she had worked the night before and was not up and about...but she phoned me just after 6pm to say she was on her way.......I told her not to worry too much and to drive carefully.
When she arrived she told me that she had cancelled her shift for that night and for the rest of the week so that we could make sure Ma had folk doing things for her.
We started making contingency plans...we would get Ma settled on the ward then we would dash off and get her pills, her toiletries and nightwear, find a place for Chico(ma's little dog) to stay.
We waited and we waited and we waited.
I phoned himself to let him know what was happening.....not much,and that we were waiting for a bed to be available.
It was almost 9pm by the time Ma was taken to the ward.
She took one look around and said she didn't like it.......tough, this is where you are going to be for the next few days was our retort.
Once settled in we hared off to get her things and sort the dog out....Debs sister said she would have the dog...so that was one worry less.
We took the stuff back to the RBH.......and then we came back home. It was 10.30 pm.
I felt absolutely wrung out, hungry, thirsty, but yet I was alert and buzzing.
I knew that at some point I would have to contact Vanessa in Brisbane.......but I didn't feel able to do that last night. I wanted to sleep on it and think about how I was going to tell her.
Sleep on it, that's a laugh.......I couldn't wind down and turn off......my brain was running round like a hamster on a wheel......so I got up at 4.30 and phoned my sister.
I tried as diplomatically as possible to tell my sister what had happened, but she could not see past the word 'stroke'.....and wanted to get on the first plane leaving Brisbane.....I have told her that this is not the right thing to do......It might make Ma feel like she is dying....and frighten her into it.
I gave Vanessa the telephone number of the ward so that she could speak to the staff, and also speak to Ma.
I spoke to the ward this morning and they said Ma had had a good night and that she was OK this morning.....and that all the tests would start today......then we'll have to take it from there.
So as you can see it hasn't exactly been the best couple of days.
Watch this space.
We set off early, both Ma and I have a great dislike for being late......and we were something like 50 minutes early.
Ma's name came up in lights and we ambled slowly down to room 6.
Dr Smith was waiting there for us...he asked Ma how she was and she just said 'Crap'...except it came out as 'Clap'.
As the examination went on I became uneasy, and could feel a long afternoon in A&E advancing towards us fast......yes, Graham wrote a referral in his best handwriting and told us to take it to A&E.
He knows that I am ex nursing profession and gave me the sheet of paper unsealed...which to me meant that he didn't mind me reading it.
It would not have mattered much anyway, I still would have read it.
it didn't give too much away, but it did suggest that Ma had had some kind of cerebral accident which had affected her speech...something called expressive aphasia....this usually indicates that the area affected is on the Left side of the brain...Broca's sensory motor area.
So it was a taxi up to the RBH...and A&E.
The taxi driver from Hyndburn taxis was kindness itself, and while I helped Ma out of the taxi he went and found me a wheel chair.
Ma was most dischuffed to be spending her Tuesday afternoon in this manner, and worse dischuffed that this episode may mean that she cannot go on her intended jaunt to Thomas Hardy Country(that should read will almost certainly).
We were shown to a cubicle, but not before Ma had created havoc by opening a very lively bottle of 7Up and splashing it all over the floor in the waiting room(thank you to the very smiley lady who cleaned it all up).
Ma looked terrified, though she would not admit to feeling it.
Jane came and sorted us out, took bloods, did an ECG, put intravenous access in place.....Told Ma that she couldn't have anything to eat or drink and whisked the 7Up away.
We were seen by the consultant in quick time...in fact by 6pm Ma had had all the immediate tests done.....the Consultant came and told us that he was arranging for Ma to be admitted.......that she needed a CT scan of her head, a doppler of her neck vessels and possibly an echocardiogram...and these could best be done by keeping her in.
Ma was spitting feathers......I had had nothing to eat or drink since 11.30, but to be honest I didn't really want anything.
I phoned Debs, left a message on her answering machine.....a brief one which said I was with ma in A&E.......she had worked the night before and was not up and about...but she phoned me just after 6pm to say she was on her way.......I told her not to worry too much and to drive carefully.
When she arrived she told me that she had cancelled her shift for that night and for the rest of the week so that we could make sure Ma had folk doing things for her.
We started making contingency plans...we would get Ma settled on the ward then we would dash off and get her pills, her toiletries and nightwear, find a place for Chico(ma's little dog) to stay.
We waited and we waited and we waited.
I phoned himself to let him know what was happening.....not much,and that we were waiting for a bed to be available.
It was almost 9pm by the time Ma was taken to the ward.
She took one look around and said she didn't like it.......tough, this is where you are going to be for the next few days was our retort.
Once settled in we hared off to get her things and sort the dog out....Debs sister said she would have the dog...so that was one worry less.
We took the stuff back to the RBH.......and then we came back home. It was 10.30 pm.
I felt absolutely wrung out, hungry, thirsty, but yet I was alert and buzzing.
I knew that at some point I would have to contact Vanessa in Brisbane.......but I didn't feel able to do that last night. I wanted to sleep on it and think about how I was going to tell her.
Sleep on it, that's a laugh.......I couldn't wind down and turn off......my brain was running round like a hamster on a wheel......so I got up at 4.30 and phoned my sister.
I tried as diplomatically as possible to tell my sister what had happened, but she could not see past the word 'stroke'.....and wanted to get on the first plane leaving Brisbane.....I have told her that this is not the right thing to do......It might make Ma feel like she is dying....and frighten her into it.
I gave Vanessa the telephone number of the ward so that she could speak to the staff, and also speak to Ma.
I spoke to the ward this morning and they said Ma had had a good night and that she was OK this morning.....and that all the tests would start today......then we'll have to take it from there.
So as you can see it hasn't exactly been the best couple of days.
Watch this space.
