I was going to put this in the Steam Room section, because it really
should belong in there, but decided to put it in the Blog Section.
Its a long one, you have been warned.
I've mentioned about the pantomime of a blood test in Gibraltar, so here it is.
For those who don't know quick up to speed for your all.........had a
raised ALT result a week before going to Spain for a month (daughter
lives in Gibraltar).........Asked at my hospital if it would be a good
idea to arrange to have a blood test done in Gibraltar, told yes, I had
a blood test booked for when I got back, so if they both were OK I would
get back on my drugs quicker, plus and for me the big plus was just for
peace of mind, knowing what was happening.
Right here we go......Get yourself comfy,a drink at hand, phone off
the hook......the whole sorry tale is about to unfold.
I got the number for the hospital in Gib, phoned up, spoke to someone
in the clinic that took the blood, explained what was what and why I
need it..........No Problem, just bring a letter from your hospital
requesting the test and why I needed it and the blood test form.
Clinic weekdays between 8 and 10 in the morning, just walk in take a
ticket and wait your turn.....simples......or so I thought.
Got what I needed from my hospital, they had requested ALT and full
blood count. I turned up at the hospital Wednesday morning at 9am,
took my ticket and waited. Number came up, went into room three
chairs, two nurses and one paramedic....I got the paramedic, told him
all about it, he asked a nurse what to do, she asked if I'd been to
accounts. Told her No, wasn't told to do it, was taken into an office
inside the room to speak to a lady, who it turned out to be the lady I
spoke to on the phone. She apologised for not telling me about
accounts and took me down to the accounts office. Left me there to
sort it out. A lovely young, very helpful (thank goodness) man took my
details, filled a form in and said it was sorted. I asked if I needed
any paper work and was told no. Back up to the blood room I went, had
my blood taken and then asked how long it would take to get the
results back because I needed them to email back to my specialist
nurse in the UK. Told to take the blood and paper work up to the
pathology lab myself. So off I went with husband following........The
Pantomime was about to begin............
Got there, rung the bell, lady came, repeated it all to her and asked
how long it would take. She went off to ask....came back and told me
I had to go to accounts.......Conversation here.....
I've already been there.....
Where is your receipt?.....
What receipt I asked him if I needed anything and
he said no......
sorry we can't go ahead without the receipt, go back and
get it.
So, off I went back down to account, leaving husband sat
there, telling him I wouldn't be long.
Back in accounts, told the nice young man what I'd been told, only for
him to reply ''You haven't got a receipt, because you don't have to
pay for it, your British, don't worry I'll ring them and sort it out
for you'' On the phone he went, babbling away in Spanish, stopping to
ask me why I needed the blood test done carried on babbling away,
finished the call and turned to me telling me he had just been
speaking to the manger of the path lab and the only way I could get a
blood test done there was if a GP or a doctor in the hospital
requests it, a doctor in the UK can't requested it. Went on to say
that the manager had suggested that I go along to A & E tell them I
feel ill and ask for the bloods to be done......Well, first of all I
didn't feel ill so wouldn't know what symptoms to tell them, secondly,
with my past raised liver results and me then saying I felt ill I had
visions of them wanting to admit me, just in case. I told my new best
friend in accounts this and he said don't worry I'll ring A&E for you to
see what I can do. Another conversion in Spanish followed, but he
gave me the thumbs up sign and a wink whilst talking so I knew something
had been sorted for me. He ended the call and told me to go to A&E, ask to
speak to the staff nurse, she was expecting me and she would sort it out.
So off I went after thanking my new best friend.
Got to A&E a few people sat around on chairs and three people stood at
the reception desk. There was a buzzer to press if no one was there
so I asked if they had already pressed it. They had, but told me that
they had been there some while, a lady sat down said she had to wait
20 minutes before anyone arrived for her. God, you could be dead in
that time if there was anything seriously wrong with you, bearing in
mind this is an Accident and Emergency department, you don't go there
just for the fun of it. Eventually a nurse appeared from behind the
glass sliding doors, people in front of me got sorted out, I told the
her my name and that the staff nurse was expecting me. Told
to sit down.
It wasn't many minutes before I was called into a little office,
thought good, nearly done now. The nurse got a form and started
asking questions, I told her why I needed the blood test done, that
I'd had the blood taken, but I needed a doctor to authorise it. By
this time she was joined by two other nurses and I soon became
involved in three different conversations at once. Nurse one took
over and started to write on the form that I needed to see a doctor to
request my bloods to be taken....I'd already told her they had been
done, I pulled up my sleeve, showed her the plaster on my arm just to
convince her that the blood was sitting upstairs in the path lab. Oh,
she said.....I will get a doctor to authorise it, it won't take long
for the results to come back, sit outside and we will call you when
we've got them. I asked if I could ring later for them only to be told
that I had to see a doctor, told her that in the UK I just ring the
specialist nurse and they give me the results. Was told by all three
nurses that they do things differently in Gibraltar and under no
circumstance nurses are allowed to give me the results. I have to see
a doctor, he will explain the results to me and tell me if I need any
treatment. Well, if thats how it's done in Gibraltar fair enough I
will have to wait. I then went upstairs to get my husband, (still sitting
patiently upstairs), back down to A&E we went and sat down to wait.
I would imagine the time would of been around 10.30.
Well we sat there and sat there, the sliding door kept opening, a
doctor there with notes in his hand, each time thinking I was going to
be called but NO. Husband getting impatient, me telling him that I
wasn't really ill, so I would be way down the pecking order. During
this time I had been getting concerned about a young man sitting
opposite me. He would of been late twenties early thirties. I could
see he was in a lot of pain, he kept clutching the left side of his
chest, putting his head back and I could see from the look on his face
and his eyes he was in alot of pain. He coughed a few times and it
made him breathless, I also noticed he was sweating. I'd been on a
first aid course many years ago and in theory I know how to do CPR and
I had visions of him falling to the floor and me having to do CPR,
wondering if I would beable to kneel long enough with my dodgy knees.
A nurse reappeared at reception to play on the computer, she had kept
appearing and then disappearing behind the sliding doors, so I thought
blow it, I'm going to ask him if he's alright. He didn't speak very
good English, but kept saying to me...''It's hard, it' hard'' whilst
leaning back and his eyes rolling in his head.. I asked him if he
wanted me to get him some help, he just shrugged his shoulders and
said ''I don't know''. I really got the impression he didn't want to
make a fuss. Well I did, turned to walk to the desk just to see the
nurse do her disappearing act again. I sat back down and kept my eyes
on reception waiting for someone to reappear. Finally it happened and
I got up told her about my concerns for the young man, she said she
would go and see how much longer he had to wait and chase up my blood
test results. She returned a few minutes later to tell me that
because of all the earlier confusion, my bloods had missed the first
blood run so they wouldn't be back until after two. Husband and myself
decided to go a walk, have lunch and come back. I said my goodbyes to
the young man, he thanked me for helping him and off we toddled to
enjoy the sunshine, the time was 12.45pm.
We got back just before two, a person actually sitting in reception,
told her why I was there, told to take a seat. My young man had gone,
so that was good, at least he was being treated. Well, again we sat
there waiting for the sliding door to open and me being called,. It
got to 2.45, husband moaning again I was just about to see what was
happening when I was called...Yippee at last!!!!.....only to be told
that yet again my bloods had missed the run so come back after 7pm
or.......wait for it.......PHONE to get the results. Phone!!!!......I
told her that I had been told that under no circumstances I could
phone for the results. Well, she said, it depends on which doctor is
on duty, but I'm sure they will tell you over the phone, to save you
coming back.(she wasn't one of the same nurses I saw earlier) So off
we went once again, I was beginning to lose the plot here. We decided
not to phone, using our mobile over there would cost a fortune and we
would probably be put on hold until the doctor could speak to us. The
next day we had planned to go to Rhonda so we decided to wait until
Friday.
Here we go again.........
Got there at about 12 noon, rang the bell, a nurse appeared told her
I'd come for my blood test results, told to sit down and wait. Within
a few minutes she appeared, called my name and then handed me a brown
envelope....'There's your results Mrs Cooke''. Looked at the
envelope, the penny dropped while it took so long. Across the front
of the envelope in big black capitals read.....On Her Majesty's
Service....thats why, they had to ask the Queen.
Sat down next to my
husband, opened the envelope whilst saying......and the winner
is......only to be confronted by what I can only describe as being
double dutch. There was four different headings in bold of test, then
underneath different medical terms with arrows pointing up, arrows
pointing down, numbers in bold with what I can only say looked like a
mathematical equation next to it, then two numbers in not so bold print.
34 test in all. Back to the reception I went clutching my MTX
booklet, back came the nurse, told I didn't understand any of it,
showed her my MTX booklet where the results are recorded. All I
wanted was a reading for each test they had done. She took it off me,
told me to sit down and off she disappeared behind the sliding doors.
She appeared once again about 5 minutes later, called me over,
explained that the bold numbers were the actually readings and the
other two numbers were the ranges of what it should be. Asked me if I
could fax the results over, or scan them on to an email because........
if I wanted to see a doctor, I would have to go to accounts, because I
would have to pay,. I just looked at her and said..............
''I'm British.....I don't have to pay''. With that we left...........
I had finally lost the plot!!!! ........Mind you it was Friday 13th April.
Daughter scanned & emailed the results and later that afternoon one of my
specialist nurse emailed her back saying that they were back within
normal range. I didn't realise until Iater when I was looking at the
results and read all the other bits on the paper. Across the top of
the report it read....Urgent Report. On looking further I saw that it
had been requested at 12.45, that was when the nurse went to chase my
results up and I was then told to come back at two because it had missed
the first blood run, this after I had sat in A&E for goodness knows how
long waiting for the results, that hadn't even been requested. Then to add
insult to injury a blood test that had been requested at 12.45 from A&E took
6 plus hours to be done, how urgent is urgent then?..............
I only hope that none of my family need to go there in an emergency.
Paula
