A Big Prick

I should have known today would be a terrible day when I was halfway to the hospital and realised that I had forgotten my insulin. Great no breakfast while I'm dialysing, I was starving too, so I had to make do with 2 small cups of tea and the salad out of my sandwich (1 slice of cucumber, 1 & a half slices tomato and a few shreds of lettuce = NHS salad sandwich ... I've had more salad garnish in their regular sarnies).

Sister Mac was assigned to me today and she successfully managed to get a needle in my arm which was used as the arterial supply for the dialysis machine, my chest line was used as the venous return so I got a really good dialysis for a change.

When it came to having the needle out I didn't stop bleeding for about 20 minutes - they had given me a mega dose of heparin which is an anticoagulant because I have a history of clotting the machine, and this prevented me from getting up as quickly as I would have liked. But eventually it did stop and I made my way home.

When I got to a village called Culford I got caught doing about 40 in a 30 limit. It's the first time in 19 years of driving that I've ever been caught, I'm not a speed freak as such but like most people I often do about 5 -10mph above the posted limit. I'm a bit peeved about the whole situation as I do normally stick to the limit through this village but I tend to coast from 40 down to 30 in my own time, the speed trap was round a corner about 200 yards in from the end of the 40 limit and the police were hiding behind a dark reddish-brown Range Rover so I didn't think it was very sporting of them. I expect that will be my first 3 points on my licence and a hefty fine.

When I got into Twisted Pines I needed to get a loaf of bread for bacon sandwiches for lunch so I stopped in at Tesco and parked in their back car park. As I was getting my stuff from the back seat an old geezer in a Corsa swooped in through the whole row of vacant spaces next to me and almost took my offside wing off! He then attempted to park in the spot next to me where I was standing with my doors open rummaging for my bag and jacket. Then he pulled forward again and revved his engine several times which I took to be impatience causing me to grab whatever I could so I could get out of his way. Why the other 10 spaces were no good to him I don't know but he wanted to park next to me - I almost said something to him but when I saw how doddery he was I thought better of it.

While I was walking towards the shop and putting my jacket on my arm felt warm and wet so I felt my elbow and sure enough I'd sprung a leak! I went back to the car because I had some gauze on the passenger seat and by the time I got back my arm was soaked. I stood there beside the car with pressure on the leak, covered in blood wondering what on Earth I should do. I have rarely felt so isolated as I did standing there in a public carpark covered in blood with no-one taking any notice.

The pad I was using soaked through pretty quickly but I didn't want to take the pressure off to put a clean one on, I just needed a nice thick pressure pad applied but wasn't sure where I was going to get one from. I decided to try and get someone to help and eventually managed to get someone's attention and the next thing I know is she's got someone from Tesco to call an ambulance!

A Tesco first aider came out to me and she was lovely, she obviuosly had some knowledge but what she lacked was equipment. I had a whole cluster of Tesco staff round me when the ambulance turned up - siren wailing, lights flashing - I was mortified. I'd been hoping for the first response guy rather than the full blown ambulance jobbie.

Anyway suffice to say they were great, I kept apologising to them for calling them out to such a minor event but they were OK about it and cleaned me up, patched me up and generally made a fuss of me. Thanks James and Graham the EMTs, and thanks Sharon for not walking away like everyone else!!