T’SHUVA

We’d had a lovely Tuesday evening with Allison (my sister), Rachel (her daughter) and Abigail (my other sister’s daughter who’s studying in Cardiff), having lots of laughs about family stories from previous generations. We saw Allison and Rachel off back to Llanelli and decided to walk the dog before taking Abigail back to Talibont (her hall of residence). Zoe (our daughter) was doing some last minute cramming for a food hygiene exam the next day.

We normally walk up to Whitchurch (the next district) and back. As we came back along Church Road, I felt an impact and excruciating pain in my groin. As I fell and clutched at myself, I thought I’d been shot. We soon realised that someone had thrown an egg at me from a passing car! On two occasions in the past, we’ve had potatoes thrown at us from moving cars while we’ve walked the dog. I kept blacking out when I tried to stand up and began to go into shock.

Eventually, some kind locals brought me blankets and cups of tea to keep me warm until an ambulance arrived. It was a busy night for the ambulance service and I was regarded a low priority. After about an hour, Carla went for the car while Zoe came to look after me. We cancelled the ambulance and I was transported to A&E.

When I was eventually seen in A&E triarge, the nurse gave me paracetemol and codeine to ease the pain. That’s when the next drama took place – I’d forgotten that codeine didn’t agree with me. The last time I’d taken it was when I was a teenager and I’d had a bad reaction then, but not as bad as this.

I was sent along to another waiting room to see a doctor. While I was waiting, I began to feel really agitated and had pain in my back and just under my ribcage. It got so bad I began to pass out, going cold and clammy. I could hear Carla calling for help. The nurses eventually got me lying flat on my back and in about 30 minutes the pain subsided.

Then the tests, questioning and the hook-up to an ECG machine began. After two readings from the ECG machine, the doctors began to think I’d had a heart attack. It wasn’t until I had several blood tests and six more ECG readings taken – by this time it was mid-afternoon the next day – was I told the results were clear. The test had shown I hadn’t suffered a heart attack. Apparently, A&E had done a bodge job with the ECG readings and these readings had caused the doctor’s some concern.

What I had suffered was an allergic reaction to codeine. To the nurses, it looked like a heart attack – I suppose it’s what they call in Llanelli, a ‘joking one’. I hope and pray I never have one as this was a bad enough experience. Spending time on a cardiac ward is enough to give anyone the frighteners. What kept me going was that there isn’t a history of heart disease in our family, I’m fit and active, eat healthily, don’t smoke and drink very little alcohol.

I was eventually discharged at around 7.00pm Wednesday night. It was great to be at home and in our own bed. We slept until around ten this morning. Carla has spent today in bed with a chronic migraine from all the stress – so I’m occasionally shuffling about looking after her. The doctor’s told me to have lots of rest and to occasionally walk about the house to help the healing process. I’m bruised, very sore and walking is a chore. However, I’m very grateful to God that I’m alive.

Today, I’m missing my department’s Christmas meal and a farewell to a good colleague – all because of some idiot’s idea of a practical joke!

Hopefully, in a few days I’ll be feeling better. I hope so as Jonathan (my son) is coming home from Sweden on Monday and I’m in the middle of painting his room!