Your NHS

Here is a story for you.

A friend of ours who is over 80 is in hospital in a serious condition, his wife who is just over 80 and weighs about 5 stone has been looking after him at home, it has nearly killed her mauling him about, she is so independent she makes me mad, she will not have help, only recently she has agreed to have minimal help, waste of time though, she has looked after him exceedingly well up to now.

Yesterday mornining she had a fall whilst doing a bit of shopping, she will not let us do much for her at all. She scrambled back to her car in severe pain, got home and a female neighbour helped her, she refused point blank to have an ambulance in case she was hospitalised,
She phoned my wife who went to see her immediately but would not let her get medical assistance or phone her two kids who are a bit slow/naive but a good decent family.
We went out, in the meantime the pain was bad and she phoned her own surgery who put her through to some asshole on a switchboard who told her to take paracetamol, they would send a script to her usual chemist, someone fetched it for her..
After a while she could not stand pain and got back to same switchboard who said they would sent a doctor within SIX HOURS, YES six bleeding hours.
Twaz about 7 last night when a doctor came from approx THIRTY MILES away and gave her some Tramadol which helped little.
2.00am today our phone went, she was crying in pain, my wife ran down to her in her dressing gown, she would not have an ambulance, my wife ignored her and phoned 999 , an ambulance arrived within a few minutes, she was crying with pain.
They discovered she had broken her hip in the fall, we asked if they could give her Morphine, they explained they could not as she had taken a fair whack of other stuff.
Been to see her her today in hosp, she looks better inher face and they are controlling her pain, they say she will be OK but may need an op when they can examine her in detail this coming week.
Her husband looks deathly to me, I felt sick, poor bugga.

The NHS, our misgovernment have made it so people are scared, apprehensive to go to the Accident and Emergency Dept or phone their own GP.
Some older people think they are looked upon as a nuisance.

Her kids are on the job now.

I think I have this story about right.

It's so hard for the elderly when they have to be carers too....I feel for this poor lady.
Like a lot of older people she tried to manage herself...she should have gotten help sooner.
The Dr who came to the house should have realised that she had potentially broken her hip, just giving her pain killers isn't very professional imo.

My MIL had a hip replacement when she was almost 98, she defied all the odds and came through it all with flying colours, so if this lady needs surgery that's something positive to think about.

Thank goodness you and your wife are good neighbours. x

Thank you Syl, we do try.

We still do not know if she will be given the option of surgery yet, waiting for her dorta to phone us.