How Did Today Go Emmie??

[Smowball]

Many of us have been wondering how your hospital appointment went this morning - did you manage to even get down your stairs to your transport?? If so then how did the hospital go - did the consultant offer any positive help??
Let us know when you can. Much love x

[barry1010]

I'm not being rude, emmie, but are you hugely obese? That's the only reason I can think of that you might need more than a two man crew.

[pixie374]

Hospitals know "patient transport" is notoriously... spasmodic. We have had people picked up at 6:45 am for a 1pm appointment, who had to wait until 7pm to be brought home again.

Brilliantly- one 84 year old man, got bored waiting to be brought home. Left the hospital to get a bus back. In the meantime, he was reported as a "vulnerable missing person"- helicopters, police, reports.... got arrested on the way back and taken home. He calmly ordered fish and chips, totally oblivious that half the country were frantically looking for him. He had no regrets... such a star :-)

[barry1010]

Not a star in my eyes, pixie, he obviously didn't need patient transport in the first place

[pixie374]

Well, he obviously couldn't get there or home, without a police escort....

[bednobs]

people like that man are the reason why other people in your example have to wait so long/get picked up so early and get dropped off so late. I had a friend who used to go out shopping/on the tube and work and them moan about her long waits for hospital transport to go to appointments. It annoyed me hugely she couldnt just do the same and go to her appts under her own steam. Eventually the GP prevented it i think.

[ladybirder]

Barry, she has mentioned being overweight.

[pixie374]

It isn't only for people with physical limitations. Sometimes, people with dementia or other conditions need safely escorting too.
As he showed really. He did manage to get on "a bus" tbf, and god knows where he ended up- but had to be brought home in a police car.

[pat2604]

If, for any reason, I am held up and going to be late, I have phoned reception of the department I am going to and they have fitted me in as long as the clinic will still be operating. We are 30 + miles from the hospital. On one occasion it was a car accident on the A47 that held us up and on another it was The Beast from the East when I had to go for my shoulder replacement.

[choux]

I think some people may have missed an important point here. emmie must be quite worried, even fearful, of getting down and up her stairs now. I can imagine well that she would not wish to make a visit to the hospital far outside her appointment time with no guarantee that she would actually see the surgeon she has been forced to wait for so long.

Waiting this amount of time for an appointment when in severe pain is something hard to imagine if you have not experienced it.

Whatever the reasons were for the NHS to decide to send 4 people to ensure emmie would be conveyed to the hospital and returned home safely someone decided it was necessary and for that assistance to be halved on the day of the appointment would have been quite devastating.

We should remember that emmie lives on her own and in times of stress that has to be taken into account.

I can only hope that someone will re-arrange her appointment much quicker than the first one.

[diddlydo]

Part of the problem is that Emmie never takes on board anything that's suggested on this site (mainly the GMEB bit) e.g. people have suggested a seat in the shower, crutches, getting a local pharmacy to deliver her meds etc etc - she appears to have said no to all of these. I suspect that she hasn't even been taking her various prescribed painkillers for long enough to have a real effect - she just dismisses them saying "they don't work". Sorry if this sounds rather harsh but sometimes people need to be told some home truths unless they're prepared to play the martyr. She should have gone with the late transport yesterday - I'm confident that she would have been seen.

[ladybirder]

You're right. I've said it myself a while back. She hears what she wants to hear and ignores the rest. The more she lies and rests the worse she'll get and she does nothing to help herself. I've no patience anymore.

[anneasquith]

If clinic was still open I’m sure she would have been seen. Relying on patient transport is a bit iffy. ( no disrespect to PT like all NHS services times are hard .

[pat2604]

Poor Emmie. She's obviously quite distressed and lives alone, which can make things worse. She needs an understanding friend to chat to and help her through this. Unfortunately,. Although lots of ABers are very kind and helpful, it is always better to have someone who knows you well to give understanding physical and mental support over a cuppa. She needs to contact social services and you don't have to go through your GP. I have found them very helpful.

I wish her well.

[choux]

Nicely put, Lottie. If you look in the GMEB thread today emmie has rebooked for Monday week! :)

[pat2604]

Thanks Choux. What she needs is a Choux by her side ;0)). Xx

[ladybirder]

She does have friends that come and visit Lottie. She mentions them quite often.

[pat2604]

I'm glad to hear that LB. Just wish she could get out, because from experience I know how difficult it is and how gradually you can get into a situation where you don't want to go out. Her housing situation really does need looking into though, but I seem to remember that she has lived in her flat for many years and it's so hard to leave a loved home. If I didn't have my husband, I would definitely have to leave our home very quickly.

[ladybirder]

She was out in February so it's not that long. And I see she has a friend visiting today.

[diddlydo]

My husband has chronic arthritis in both knees but continues to walk a lot as he realises that if he stops he will seize up. It works!

[pastafreak]

I have to admit that if it wasn't for a deep desire to be out and about...I wouldn't bother. But, that need got me through periods of agoraphobia and panic attacks. It's the same now with bad knees. Sometimes I've really not wanted to go down 2 flights of stairs...but I do it. And I walk, or get on the bus to go shopping. Sometimes I'm quite uncomfortable at the end of the day, but at least I've tried.
I think emmie can be lacking in confidence...which has undoubtedly gotten worse as her knees stiffen up. Not being open to suggestions made by folk who care, is a symptom of that fear that "it won't work or won't help"...so to avoid disappointment nothing is done.
I am glad she is a bit more open to surgery than she was a few months ago.