Strange places in strange hours
Nov. 16th, 2006 10:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annwfynA&E at 4 am is a surreal place.
pierot had an asthma attack last night, and so we ended up in A&E. Jez stabilised very quickly - pretty much as soon as they got him on a nebuliser - so I think we rapidly got moved down the priority list for the doctors and left to our own devices, sitting there, occasionally chatting about nonsense and listening to the chaos around us.
There was a policeman wandering around looking for a t shirt. Apparently someone had come in wearing a green t shirt which had then been taken off at some point in A&E, and he needed it for evidence. But no one had a clue where it had gone. I spent a while wondering who the Green T Shirt Man was. Was he some kind of murderer, with the blood of his victim potentially on his clothing to incriminate him? Was he a victim of assault who needed to prove contact with his attacker? The policeman seemed pretty calm and laid back about it, which made me wonder if the evidence was that important, or the crime that major, but he was still looking for it, slowly and methodically, three hours later, which made me wonder.
There was a woman who was brought in, lying on a stretcher with a towel pulled over her face. She was alive, but wouldn't take the towel away. She made a whimpering noise, and I wasn't sure if it was pain or just that she was crying. A little while later I heard hysterical crying from a couple of cubicles down and heard a woman crying "I just want to go home. I just want to leave. I want to leave" while one of the nurse's muttered to another outside our cubicle "it's a really nasty cut. The doctor opened it up, and blood just starting pouring out". I think she was talking about the crying woman, and I wondered if maybe it was self inflicted harm. Surely an accidental cut would be something you'd want looked after? But I'm not sure, and I've been wondering about what other reasons would make someone with a really bad cut want to leave A&E with such desperation.
There was one other woman as well who was being interviewed by three policemen, and loudly saying "I never..." while nursing a bruise on her face. I heard "he just hit me," once, and wondered how she got hit. Was it a random fight in a bar? Was it domestic abuse? I'm not sure.
I also got asked what ethnic grouppierot was by the receptionist when he was being booked in and I was talking for him, as his breath was too short for him to talk. Apparently it's required for their forms (god knows why). I said "his father is Sri Lankan and his mother is German". She stared at me and then said "there's not a box for that. I can do Asian/White British". I said "that'll be fine." She frowned and then said "best just put Mixed: Other, coz he's not British".
I nodded understandingly. Sadly there was no box which said 'dubious foreigner' which I always think is the best description of Jeremiah.
We got home around 6.30 am, after briefly being locked in their carpark when the barrier refused to rise, despite having a valid ticket. We called for security, who didn't arrive for ten minutes. While we were waiting, the barrier just went up, apparently at random. I put my foot on the accelerator and got us the hell out of there.
I drove home through London waking up, with the traffic beginning to flow, and got home in time for a couple of hours sleep before jez had to go to work. And now I'm sitting here, almost wondering if it was all a dream...
pierot had an asthma attack last night, and so we ended up in A&E. Jez stabilised very quickly - pretty much as soon as they got him on a nebuliser - so I think we rapidly got moved down the priority list for the doctors and left to our own devices, sitting there, occasionally chatting about nonsense and listening to the chaos around us.There was a policeman wandering around looking for a t shirt. Apparently someone had come in wearing a green t shirt which had then been taken off at some point in A&E, and he needed it for evidence. But no one had a clue where it had gone. I spent a while wondering who the Green T Shirt Man was. Was he some kind of murderer, with the blood of his victim potentially on his clothing to incriminate him? Was he a victim of assault who needed to prove contact with his attacker? The policeman seemed pretty calm and laid back about it, which made me wonder if the evidence was that important, or the crime that major, but he was still looking for it, slowly and methodically, three hours later, which made me wonder.
There was a woman who was brought in, lying on a stretcher with a towel pulled over her face. She was alive, but wouldn't take the towel away. She made a whimpering noise, and I wasn't sure if it was pain or just that she was crying. A little while later I heard hysterical crying from a couple of cubicles down and heard a woman crying "I just want to go home. I just want to leave. I want to leave" while one of the nurse's muttered to another outside our cubicle "it's a really nasty cut. The doctor opened it up, and blood just starting pouring out". I think she was talking about the crying woman, and I wondered if maybe it was self inflicted harm. Surely an accidental cut would be something you'd want looked after? But I'm not sure, and I've been wondering about what other reasons would make someone with a really bad cut want to leave A&E with such desperation.
There was one other woman as well who was being interviewed by three policemen, and loudly saying "I never..." while nursing a bruise on her face. I heard "he just hit me," once, and wondered how she got hit. Was it a random fight in a bar? Was it domestic abuse? I'm not sure.
I also got asked what ethnic group
pierot was by the receptionist when he was being booked in and I was talking for him, as his breath was too short for him to talk. Apparently it's required for their forms (god knows why). I said "his father is Sri Lankan and his mother is German". She stared at me and then said "there's not a box for that. I can do Asian/White British". I said "that'll be fine." She frowned and then said "best just put Mixed: Other, coz he's not British". I nodded understandingly. Sadly there was no box which said 'dubious foreigner' which I always think is the best description of Jeremiah.
We got home around 6.30 am, after briefly being locked in their carpark when the barrier refused to rise, despite having a valid ticket. We called for security, who didn't arrive for ten minutes. While we were waiting, the barrier just went up, apparently at random. I put my foot on the accelerator and got us the hell out of there.
I drove home through London waking up, with the traffic beginning to flow, and got home in time for a couple of hours sleep before jez had to go to work. And now I'm sitting here, almost wondering if it was all a dream...
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 10:43 am (UTC)I remember being sat in doctor's waiting rooms, or A&E, and I always end up wondering what the other people are there for. Then making stuff up about them in my brain...
....
Date: 2006-11-16 10:48 am (UTC):(
no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 10:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 11:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 11:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 11:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 12:04 pm (UTC)People are always more keen early on.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 02:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 12:22 pm (UTC)You are having lots of late night outings lately hon.
I really do feel for Jez as a fellow asthma sufferer with similar A&E experiences. Although I think the nebuliser is fun - you could almost get high off that oxygen!
I'm also impressed Jez went to work the next day. I haven't taken a sick day off in years but the one time I did was the morning after a late night asthma related casualty visit.
And I know what you mean about the car park too. Although the reason we got locked in was not expecting to have to wait so many hours to see Doc and ending up totally running out of cash. We had to go and pay the security guard by credit card!
I hope Jez rests up and recovers soon.
Mango xx
no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 12:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-16 12:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-17 03:20 am (UTC)I'm also glad i'm not the only one who makes up stories about why other people are in Emergency...
I'm also astounded at how people are so fixed on putting people in ethnic boxes, especially those of mixed ancestory... I've often giggled to myself as to the possible dilema faced by the potential offspring of Jon and I... J being of a (singaporian)Chinese Malay Mum and a (malaysian)French Portugese Dad... and me English Scottish Mum and (jewish)Swiss/German, Welsh heritage) English Dad.... we figure we're both aussie. I guess thats all that matters eh???
hope to see you both soon...
j