Thursday 12 July 2012

We Hadn't Even SEEN Any Blood Yet



Sonata: It's nearly time for my four-monthly check-up at the diabetes clininc ... which means having a blood test a few days before . So , earlier this week at 7.45 , I joined the queue by the hospital lab . It's always fairly busy , but on Tuesday morning the line was out of the waiting room and snaked half way up the hall . All breakfast-less , we stood ... and stood ... and stood , the queue growing behind us . No one was coming out , either .

??

Eventually someone did and we began to shuffle forward . By 8.25 I could see the door to the waiting room . By 8.40 I could see inside the door to the waiting room .

Unfortunately , so could the young man in front of me . Tall , gangly and presumably as hungry as me , he paled , his knees buckled , he swayed backwards and then pitched forward , banging his head on the door post with an enormous CRACK . And fell like a stone . Two nurses bustled up with a stretcher and pushed him inside .

"Well , that's one way to jump the queue " said someone behind me .

P.S. It turned out that the wonderful machine that prints out patient-specific labels for each blood sample had broken down and we'd had to wait for everything to be set up again , but I was finally seen and free to rush to the cafeteria at 9.15 . Meanwhile the young man emerged from a side ward , bled , fed and with a huge "egg" on his forehead at 9.00 . We all clapped .

10 comments:

June said...

What, nobody had blank sticky labels and a PEN?

gemma @ loz and dinny said...

I love how uniting queuing for a common cause can be. I have made some outstanding friends in toilet queues at pub gigs! Poor hungry man!

Tattieweasle said...

I faint or at least come over all queasy at the sight of blood so I feel for the young man dreadfully!

rachel said...

Sad, but very funny!

Friko said...

Blood tests happen at our surgery. no waiting, no queuing, just a ten minute general conversation with others in the waiting room, a friendly nurse, a bit of banter with said nurse, sharp scratch and Bob's Your Uncle. You see the doc a few days later, after the results have come back from the lab.

The delights of a country practice!

English Rider said...

How hard would it have been for them to keep you informed? Secondly, our "health care provider" started using numbered tickets at the lab, so that everyone can sit down until called. It's a great improvement.

Rattling On said...

Aah you see I carry my own reserves for such an occasion. Mainly round the midriff and rear ens...

love those cupcakes said...

Poor lad. Sadly, not the first time I've heard of someone leaving hospital with more injuries than they arrived with.

Planet Penny said...

Oh dear, glad it was no more serious than an egg on the head!

Liz Hinds said...

Oh dear! Poor man. I tend to faint even without a delay so I do empathise.

Hope all your results are good and manageable.