Sunday, May 16, 2021

 

I spoke to Helen this morning. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that all is well, but all is at least in hand.

 

She tripped and fell heavily, as we knew. When she had cautiously established that nothing was broken, she went upstairs to clean herself up – and when she saw the wound, decided that she needed medical attention. She was alone in the house. She went next door to her neighbours, but they weren’t there. She decided that either a taxi or an ambulance would take too long to arrive, so she drove to the Royal Infirmary herself. The desk where she presented herself assumed that since she had driven herself there, and walked in, she belonged in Minor Injuries. And in Minor Injuries there was a substantial queue (of people with nothing much wrong with them, she says).

 

Helen is a fairly forceful character. I wonder if she was more shocked than she realised. Did she try telling someone that she could see the bone?

 

When a medically qualified person finally saw her, things moved forward promptly. An x-ray confirmed her own diagnosis: nothing is broken. That's a mercy. But a nerve or nerves are severed. She will have surgery tomorrow (full-scale, general anaesthetic) for that. Yesterday they put in temporary stitches and gave her some crutches and sent her home.

 

One good thing, though. She was about to embark on a serious couple of hours of housekeeping when the accident happened: she had changed out of her nice new trousers. The old pair she was wearing when she fell have been written off, as feared.

 

Knitting.

 

I finished those socks. Here they are. I am horrified to see through the eyes of the camera, how different they are. Maybe I’ll keep them for myself.





There is nothing in my sock stash that I particularly like, but there is a ball of Regia Pairfect (in rather alarming colours). I did a Pairfect pair once, I think; it was rather fun. I went to Arne and Carlos on Youtube, to remind me how to do it, and cast on. We’ll see.

 

I got around the garden by myself this morning – C. usually comes on Sunday, but she has a cold. 2080 steps – it has been one of those days when nothing seems to please the telefonino.

 

Instead of reading, I have been re-watching the old BBC “Pride and Prejudice” to serve my nerves. It’s still good.

11 comments:

  1. That was quite a fall Helen took to need surgery. Hope all goes well and she is soon back on her feet.

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  2. Yes, nothing like that upbeat music - and knowing that it ends well - to help you through a bad day. Thank you for sharing Helen's awful experience with us - I kept wondering whether they had decided that something had caused her to fall - always a question that is asked. But prompt surgery to follow and all good wishes that it works.

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  3. Hope all will be well with Helen. I'm sure she must have been in shock. I think those socks are fine, I suppose it depends on the nature of the recipient!

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  4. Oh my, surgery for Helen's injury! My wishes for her quick recovery, and glad she did not have a night in hospital, which is never a pleasant experience. Will she come home after the surgery?
    The socks are different, but in a nice way. they do make a pair!

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  5. Jean, those sock “cousins” have been quite trendy among the teens and twenty-somethings here in the States; perhaps one of your granddaughters would enjoy them. Thank you for the update on Helen, and best wishes for smooth surgery and quick recovery.

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  6. Anonymous9:15 PM

    I'm sorry to hear Helen's injury is so severe, but glad they will be able to fix her up. I hope it all goes smoothly from here on.

    I love the socks - they are fabulously fraternal! I think you should keep them because they're so wonderful.

    I love P&P in all its incarnations. A great choice for calming the anxiety.

    Beverly in NJ.

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  7. Sending positive thoughts to Helen for safe surgery and a speedy recovery. (We communicated very briefly over your state of health at one time!)
    Socks in very bright colours will probably go down very well with one of the younger generation - purrrfect cruise knitting.

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  8. Poor Helen! What did she fall on that cut her so badly? I do hope all goes well repairing the damaged nerve. That will no doubt be very painful for quite some time.

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  9. So glad to hear that Helen's leg is 'in hand' as it were, and hope all continues to improve. I am in awe of anyone who knits socks and non-identical twins are a real statement. There is a sock shop that sells non-matching pairs!

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  10. Anonymous10:24 AM

    That is just awful for Helen's ER experience. I have heard that it is always better to arrive in an ambulance. Otherwise you are not taken seriously. I know of one experience in my neighborhood where the very long wait (at least 5 hours) resulted in the totally needless death of the teenage girl. She had an intestinal blockage which led to a lethal infection since it was not treated early on. Mentioning it here to spur anyone on in a similar situation to be forceful as you put it, Jean. Even very assertive people can be intimidated by a hospital situation. And not all ailments appear to need an ambulance. Hope Helen has good follow-up medical help and recovers completely. Chloe

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  11. =Tamar3:30 PM

    I hope the surgery goes well. Lesson 1, never run for the phone! If it's important, they'll call back.
    The socks are fun. Someone will like them.

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