h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As you may know, my R is in his late sixties. Yesterday, he left his flat to come visit me, he lives in the next town, so he took the train.
As he got off the train, he saw that the bus that stops 20 meters from my house was about to leave, so decided to make a run for it, to catch it.
Unfortunately, he didn't pick his feet up enough, stumbled on the edge of the pavement and fell headlong. It went so fast, he didn't even get his hands out to catch himself, but landed on his cheek.
People helped him onto the next bus, gave him a tissue to hold against his eyebrow, which got a crack from his glasses.
He came home, but I wasn't there - Pepe had a concert in church that I attended. (Great concert, she had a lovely solo, and the guest artists were great too). So Son met him at the door, knees buckling from the sight of blood, but helped him get an ice pack for his eye and paper for the nose, that also started bleeding.
About 1½ hours later, I returned home, and found him dozing on our bed.
He was decidedly groggy, slow to answer and very swollen around the left eye. I made the instant decision to take him to A&E.
He had fallen at around 6.30, and it was now 8. It didn't take too long to get inside the doors to the triage area, and get the first questions done with, but then the waiting began.
Some blood was taken, and after a couple of hours, he was moved to a 'lie down waiting room' where they put his bed on wheels. Well, bed is too nice a word, very narrow thing on wheels, with an orange plastic covered pad for a mattress and a strip of paper for a sheet. At least the back could be lifted up, and he had a pillow.
After another hour or so, he was sick from the nosebleed he had swallowed, which eased the nausea considerably, but the headache was really bad. Some nagging at the nurses produced tylenol after a while, and when that kicked in, he could rest better.
More beds were pulled in, six patients in the end, and some had family for company, so it got crowded. Also, coffee machine was there, so patients from examination rooms, ambulance staff, nurses, police and so on came to get coffee. TV was on, but I turned the volume down to almost silent, and put it on "the Knowledge Channel", which had some english castle documentary on. No one changed it later... better than loud sports!
At about one a.m., I asked when he might get into an examination room and seen for a doctor. The nurse said, he's very far down the list (as in not remotely dying) and there was a lot of drunk fighting in town apparently, they were very busy. I wonder if St Patrick's is getting to be a drinking reason here too?
Realising that it would be hours to a single room, R now resting better and in less pain, I decided to go home.
Both kids were still up, although it was past one. Son, of course, he couldn't sleep because of worrying, and Pepe too.
So, at around 2 a.m, I guess I slept.
This morning, R got a CT scan, and they discovered that his cheek is fractured. The doctor had missed that in the night (4 a.m.?), probably because the eye was really swollen still, and the bleeding had stopped. I suppose they were mainly checking for brain haemorrage. Luckily no internal bleeding. But still, fracture was found.
I came to the A&E at about ten, and around 11.30 a doctor came. He was really good, gave a good exam and lots of explaining.
And then we went home. Had lunch, and then a long nap.
So, now we wait for the Ear-Nose-Throat specialist to call for an appointment, looking at the skeletal damage, and probably scheduling surgery, and an Eye specialist to look at the double vision.

Glad to know R is recovery

Well done to Son for the first aid assistance

Well done to Pepe too!!

Tell R he's old enough to know better... Buses always turn up in 3's


lil xx

What a nightmare. Glad it's not worse - it sounds bad enough as it is.

Oh my goodness, what a scare!

Waiting times in hospital are awful, glad he got seen to at last.

Best wishes to all

My own time at the ER last night wasn't half that dramatic. Glad to hear that nothing seriously was amiss.

Thanks all! Group

He's quite in a good mood now, but can't chew because it hurts. So, soup for a while. And I'm not looking forward to surgery...

to all of you

Hati!
The Towel I got from you is in the towel picture from the meet! Proudly waving it!

You should have a very stern talk with R about the danger about running after buses - this year just marked the start of the unwise habit of making catching a bus more important than your life:

http://www.expressen.se/gt/kvinna-skulle-springa-ikapp-bussen---dog/

Oh, he well realises how silly he was... Don't worry.

For some reason the referral to the Ear/Nose/Throat clinic was written, but never got sent. So today, he went to the clinic, showed up face to face to understand what's happening. He's waiting for an appointment right now.

After a whole day at various clinics and examinations yesterday, he is booked for surgery.
He went to Ear-Nose-Throat, then to Jaw-surgery (mostly dental surgery I thought, but I suppose other bits of the jaw too), and finally to eye clinic.

Today, he will be admitted to the ward, and tomorrow surgery will happen.

It's big. Two or three titanium plates to be inserted. Plus maybe a piece of his hip bone, to fill up the missing/crushed parts of his eye socket and cheekbone.

Entry through mouth, but also opening skin around the eye. I am quite worried. Not that they will mess up, but that he will be in pain for a long time afterwards and not be able to eat properly. Although, when we talked about it yesterday, he doesn't mind pain as much as feeling sick/nauseous. So I'm wishing for no pain and no nausea.

Wow. That's a lot of surgery. Fingers crossed it goes as well as can be hoped.

and to R

It's comforting to have you guys to talk to.

I hope everything goes well and the healing process is fast.

What Hati said

Right now, he's in surgery. Expected finish time at noon, then recovery room, then back to ward this afternoon.

Cup of , hunny?

*pacing*