THE GARLIC SOUP THAT NEARLY KILLED ME. Part two.

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The outcome.

The fire brigade have done their bit, demolishing my back door to gain entry. (Might have been easier to force the Yale lock on the front door) They cut me out of the chair which had held me tight for eight or nine hours. The ambulance crew assess me, slightly hypothermic with a rapid pulse rate, bruising and swelling to my knees, hands and back. But I can stand gingerly, and I don’t think any bones are broken. A hot cup of tea is heaven.

You may remember I have recently adopted two new kittens. They are just getting used to my house and are loose in the kitchen when I fall.  There is no sign of them when the ambulance crew rescue me, perhaps they ran upstairs with all the banging. I ask the firemen to pop them into the cage with some food if they appear later. The firemen stay behind until a security firm makes the house safe. I’m off in the ambulance to Royal Preston Hospital again.

Casaulty is relatively quiet at 6.30 am on Easter Tuesday. I see the triage nurse quickly, and then go back into the waiting room in a wheelchair. An hour later, I’m wheeled into another nurse who takes blood and observations. Another hour in the waiting room before a doctor sees me. It’s difficult to tell who people are in the hospital these days, as they all wear almost standard uniforms. Back in the waiting room before a visit to the X-ray department. And so it goes on, all the essentials covered, but at a slow pace.

At some stage, I’m told I will be admitted to a ward, but at present, there are no beds. In the meantime, I have an intravenous drip set up. I prepare for a long wait in my wheelchair, but suddenly I am taken to a ward,  a bed becomes available, and I’m just lucky to be chosen for it. It is mid-afternoon by now.

The ward I am on is the Acute Frailty Unit. A succession of nurses and doctors deal with me. More blood is taken, and another IV infusion set up when the first one leaked in my arm. Their concern is the level of Creatinine Kinase in my blood. High CK levels are an indication of muscle damage, and after my trauma, my muscles are releasing loads of it. If it becomes too high, it can cause kidney damage. All the extra fluids are to speed the progress of its elimination.

This continues for four days until the levels of CK come down a little. My arms are becoming more and more bruised from the frequent blood tests and IV drips. A small price to pay.

The bruises and swelling behind the knees and on my hands and elbows lessen, but the large friction burn down my back, from rubbing against the chair seat, is very sore and oozing. It will take a few weeks to heal.  This makes it very difficult to sleep comfortably, especially when connected to a drip. The general noise on the ward I can cope with. ( I will spare you the gory photographs of the injuries) I am in much better shape than the other elderly men in the ward, who are frail.

More doctors visit me, and everyone is incredulous as to the circumstances of my injuries. All the staff are friendly and proficient, and I have nothing but praise for them. Even the meals are OK. But when may I go home?

Eventually, my bloods improve and I am discharged. I walk gingerly to my son’s car and head back to Longridge.

First of all, I have to report that the kittens didn’t stray and they are sitting in their cage to welcome me. In the intervening days, my son has been visiting them.

But what of the rest of the house? The back door, or where there had been a back door, has been boarded up securely. The surrounding plasterwork has suffered from the ‘break-in’ and there are bits of glass everywhere.

Outside are the remains of the door, showing signs of how difficult it had been to breach.

The offending kitchen bar stool is lying there and sends a shiver down my spine to think back to my imprisonment for over eight hours within it. I just made it out in time.

Getting comfortable with my skin damage is still a big problem, but my general mobility is improving quickly, especially as I now have more freedom to exercise. I’ll be down to the shops tomorrow.

Further lessons learnt.

Maybe buy tinned soup.

Check the house for trip hazards.

Consider an external key safe.

Consider a personal emergency button; there are several to choose from, all connecting to a call centre if needed. Perhaps it would be better to have one of the ‘clever’ watches that can make a call for you, as this could be used whilst on my outdoor activities, giving a greater range of security backup. I will look into the various options; my sons are already doing so.

Oh, for a quiet life.

25 thoughts on “THE GARLIC SOUP THAT NEARLY KILLED ME. Part two.”

  1. Eunice

    Well you certainly don’t do things by halves do you? I still can’t visualise how you became so tangled up in that bar stool though. I’m glad you’re more or less ok, the skin damage will heal. A smart watch might be a good idea for the future, at least it would be on you all the time especially when you’re out and about.

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  3. ms6282

    We’re all very glad you survived that ordeal. A simple slip led to such complications. The emergency alert sounds like a sound idea. Take care.

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  5. Michael Graeme

    Thank goodness. Good old Royal Preston, still patching us up. Glad you’re on the mend. I bet the firemen made a racket coming through that door.

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  6. EJ Blogs

    Wow, what a story, glad you came out alright in the end! Lots of food for thought, and crazy situations you can’t imagine you’d ever need a plan for 😅 I’d recommend a smart watch, mine is only cheap but has a function that if it detects a fall when I’m out hiking/biking it can alert my next of kin (or a number of your choice). All these adventures and it’s a bar stool that causes the chaos 😂 Hope full recovery isn’t too long 😊

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  7. conradwalks.blogspot.com

    That watch sounds a good idea. I suppose on a walk you will have your phone with you anyway but having a back up would add extra security. The watch could be accessible on some occasions where the phone may not be, as was the case this time.

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  9. tonyurwin

    It’s hard to plan against such a freak accident like this. We all prepare for adverse events when hiking alone, but I would never consider threatening things happening in the “safety” of my home. One to think about. Glad you are out and on the mend.

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  10. shazza

    The smart watch does sound a very good idea, especially as your such an adventurer. No more adventures in the house though hey. 😊 Glad the kittens survived the ordeal. They must have been pretty scared too.

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