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Sunday 14 June 2009

The Accident - Part 3

Bürgerspital Solothurn


It was gradually getting to the end of my holiday/stay in the local hospital. Things were getting into a routine. Breakfast at 7 in the morning, in bed naturally, afterwards a half hour relaxation and then a wash and more laying around. I could really get used to the life of luxury. We had an interesting case that arrived in the ward around 2 in the morning on Sunday. A young lady had been to a hard rock concert in a local small town. Nothing unusual and after the concert was having a drink outside with her colleagues. Then a driver drove off from the parking lot and managed to drive over her foot. He naturally continued his journey and did not bother to look what he had run over. The poor girl did not even notice it at first but then the pain started. Her colleagues brought her to the hospital and the result of the x-ray was not so good. More broken bones than complete bones. However after a longer operation they managed to piece things together again with wire and screws. She had a local aneasthetic in her back so could listen to Pink Floyd through the ear phones whilst they were operating. She was a lovely girl and brought some fun into the ward with her various colleagues who were visiting and phoning quite a lot. She said it was a good job she had the high "heavy rock" boots on otherwise the damage would have been worst. She also had to take her rings off for the operation (I think she had about 20 on her fingers).

My husband would visit once a day, he would have come more but I told him there was no point rushing off to the hospital every evening as well, after all he had three cats to look after at home. He was not sad, but said that since I was in the hospital our chief cat Nera had decided not to come home any more and spent the days and nights outside, often sleeping on the porch. The smallest cat Fluffy decided that the best sleeping place was on the settee next to my husband and our other cat just did what she wanted to, which was normal.

When Mr. Swiss came to visit we usually went together to the hospital restaurant and could sit outside and have a drink. I then noticed the sparrows that hung around the outside tables looking for crumbs and food falling on the floor. I have never seen such well fed fat sparrows. They had the ideal life in that hospital and were quite tame, hopping around on the tables and picking the rewards. Unforunately I did not have my camera with me.

Slowly the time came to say good bye. On my last morning the station doctor gave me all the documents I needed for further attention. She said I do not have to have the stitches taken out, they dissolve. I had to visit my splint friend Freddy for a last check and he said that is a joke. He can see the knots in the "seam" through the plastic covering and the stitches do not dissolve, they have to be removed. Back in the ward I told the doctor, she had another look, phoned the surgeon that operated and had to rewrite the leaving letter saying I have to visit my doctor to have the stitches removed. Eventually with about one hour's delay we left the hospital, like two teenagers hand in hand, but only because I was very shaky on my feet getting into the fresh air again.

I now have to go to the physio therapy once a week to get my arm working 100%, visit my doc to have the seam removed and in a month's time go and see the surgeon that operated so that he could have a look at his pièce de résistance on my arm. I also have to go and see the neuroligist to see if everything is responding I suppose. Yesterday Mr. Swiss spent one hour ironing and he has to help me with the cooking as peeling potatoes with one hand does not work. Yesterday I even managed to clean the windows. Mr. Swiss went shopping so I decided to have a go and it worked. I have a good system, and really only needed one hand. My son was at home so he organised the blinds for me. Every day I can do a bit more.

I do actually belong to the first aid group in our village so a lot of the hospital stuff was not so strange or new to me. One of the ladies in charge of the group phoned me to ask how things were and I told her I think I learnt more about first aid in the seven days in hospital than the eight years I have belonged to the group and she agreed. There is nothing better to watch things being tried out on real suffering humans, after all we only practice in the group.

So that was my adventure hospital, one of those blogs I hope does not have to repeat itself. Here I am sitting on my bed ready to go home. The cushion is now my constant companion. If I am not wearing my arm brace I have to have it under my arm to keep the arm upright.


Hospital

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