A Follow-Up

 

One of my favourite Fall Pictures, taken exactly 12 years ago today from my beloved house on the bay.

My saga at the hospital clinic was a nightmare from beginning to end. To say I was traumatized for a while is an understatement.

I took a taxi to the hospital.

(1) No one showed up at the desk to assist me. 

(2) I texted my problem solver to tell her this. And hunted for a wheelchair in my limited capacity; not one to be had, all in use.

(3) When no one showed up after 15 minutes, I found a security guard who went all the way to the emergency section to bring back the most enormous wheelchair I have ever seen. The only thing I could use as a form of rollator, a walking assistant.

(4) As I tried to maneuver this behemoth along the busy corridors, a woman popped up out of nowhere - introduced herself as the woman I had been in contact with to secure volunteer assistance for elders/mobility challenged. No apology, but a shrug of the shoulders and a spiel about how she was trying to secure electronic golf carts to ferry elders like me around, but ha-ha, they needed a budget. She quickly abandoned me when she noticed my glare.

(5) I made it into the clinic and was hooked up for the infusion. Always comfortable, reclining chairs and warmed blankets. About 10 of us in there all looking like we needed our teddies.

(6) Nurse there asked me if I had been told this was only the first half of my infusion I would need to come back next week for more. My haemoglobin was extremely low. No, I hadn't I told her. Someone had slipped up.

(7) Halfway through my infusion my alarms went off. Oh whoopsie, the infusion wasn't working properly. All tubes pulled out, vein finding was a failure, into the back of the hand, hitting the bone, with the second one. Lovely. Do not move. Do not read. DO NOT SCROLL ON YOUR PHONE. I settle down again. Try to sleep. 

(8) Two hours later, I stagger out of there. Grabbing my tank of a wheelchair (it could seat 3). Call a cab, get home, exhausted.

(9) A few hours after that, I realize something incredible. In spite of all these quite awful challenges, I had survived. I had managed successfully. Well done, me. All my little scared and mobility-challenged self had triumphed.

(10) For my next infusion, I am driving, arriving early to secure handicapped parking and using my own rollator combo wheelchair to navigate. A friend offered to go with me just for support. I may avail of that. Time flies when you're chatting with a friend lying on your recliner hoping the random tubes do their job.

Getting into winter on the beach (Middle Cove) near where I live now. The air is crystal clean and sharp. There is no air pollution in Newfoundland - another of many reasons I moved here so many years ago now.