A Hell of a Week

[coming42]

Epistaxis! The clinical word for a nose bleed. On Monday evening whilst watching snooker I blew my nose - and the flood gates opened! With a box of tissues I was unable to staunch the bleeding, which was massive and prolonged. 15 minutes later, with a tissue stuffed up my nose, I managed to call NHS111. The clinician considered this serious enough to call for an ambulance. Remarkably an ambulance crew arrived within ten minutes and set to work 'pinching' my nose. The bleed was so severe that they considered taking me to A&E to have it cauterised. I insisted that we continued to try and stop the bleed at home as I really couldn't leave my cat who requires vital twice daily medication. Forty five minutes later and with a device fitted under my nose that had the appearance of a moustache snood, the bleed had stopped. I sat up all night, upright on the sofa, with just a blanket - and Riley for company. Avoid blowing your nose I was told! And to talk to my GP on Tuesday. Laughable!

On Tuesday I went online to the Medical Centre portal (no point in 'phoning) to book an appointment with a GP. The earliest available? Tuesday 30th January! Ridiculous. Two weeks after the 'event'! God forbid it happens again before then...