Oh Dear, You’re Really Not Well At All, Are You?!

Something you should know about me is that I never really get sick. By that, I mean the kind of sick that requires medical attention. Minor sniffles, coughs and colds, sure, I’ve had those. But illnesses that call for a visit to the doctor have been very rare occurrences throughout my life. In fact, so rare that when I do need to visit the doctor, it takes me a while to remember which surgery I’m actually registered with. And as for hospital admissions, even rarer.

Exactly one year ago today, on Wednesday 10th January 2018, my medical history was about to get a little bit busier! Now, as mentioned in my previous post, we had agreed that I probably had full-blown flu. However, sometime in the afternoon, I can remember thinking to myself, “This feels like more than flu.” I was very aware of how odd it was to think that as I’d never had flu so I didn’t really know what it felt like. All I knew was that whatever this was, it felt really bad. Unbeknown to me, Mim, my now fiancee (that’s a wonderful story for a later post!) also had a bad feeling and was going to come over to see me that day. Up until that point, I had told her to stay away so she didn’t get sick.

Jo and Sarah helped me call 111, who, after asking lots of questions, advised me to go to my local doctor’s surgery. I couldn’t really get out of bed so we phoned them instead. After another round of questions, he sent the community paramedic to see me. I can remember her arriving as clear as day, she walked into my room, took one look at me, and said, “Oh dear, you’re not very well at all, are you?!” She took my temperature, which was 40, took a urine sample, found traces of blood in it and said, “I’m calling an ambulance for suspected sepsis, it’ll be here in eight minutes.” The rest of that day is a bit of a blur but, I remember some of it and people have helped me fill in other parts.

A couple of minutes later, a first responder arrived, took one look at me and said, “You need an ambulance, don’t you? I haven’t got one of those! I have got an ECG machine though, let’s check your heart.” He was a jolly chap and brought some light relief to an otherwise terrible situation. Shortly after, two more paramedics arrived and they did have an ambulance, which was most helpful.

When they walked into my room they immediately noticed the amount of empty gin, whiskey and vodka bottles on the floor and asked, “Has he been drinking?!?” We had to quickly explain that Jo and Sarah run an online business selling fairy light lamps made from used Spirit bottles, and that, because I was drinking so much water, they were the largest containers available.

The paramedics helped me stagger down the stairs (I was rocking shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops), out the house and into the back of the ambulance. They laid me down and opened all the doors and windows in an attempt to cool me down. Now, as a kid, emergency vehicles were really cool and you always wondered how much fun it would be to ride in the back of one. Well, my time had finally come and let me tell you, it was not as fun as seven year old me thought it would be. Ambulances are not designed for comfort, or tall people. My feet were hanging off the end of the trolley and my arms kept falling off the side. I think they did another ECG, stabbed me in the arm with a couple of things and then it was time for my first ever ambulance ride.

When we arrived at Frimley Park Hospital, I was taken straight into Resus, which is the bit of A&E (the emergency department) where people with life-threatening conditions go. My parents had beaten the ambulance and were waiting for me. Here’s another thing that you should know about me – needles and I have not had a particularly good relationship in the past. We were about to become much better acquainted. They were struggling to get a reading of my oxygen levels, so had to stick a needle directly into the artery in my wrist. It was at this point that my Mum knew I was seriously ill. Apparently, I didn’t appear the slightest bit bothered by the fact they’d just stabbed me in the artery!

This next bit may come as a bit of a surprise. It certainly did to us. After just a few hours, during which they took some blood, pumped me full of fluids and antibiotics, they discharged me. We were told that they had no reason to believe that I had anything other than the flu. My Mum and Mim were in the room when the doctor told us this and I can remember looking at everyone’s faces (including the doctors) and thinking, “no one looks convinced that this is a good idea!” But I was prescribed some flu medication and sent home.

I spent that night at my parent’s house and actually got some sleep for the first time in a few days. I woke up the next morning and managed to go downstairs and sit in their lounge. Shortly after lunchtime, I received a call from Frimley Park Hospital. They said that they had found a bug in my blood and that I was to return to A&E immediately. My Mum drove me back and dropped me off by the entrance and I just remember zombie shuffling in through the doors and collapsing onto the nearest seat. By the time my Mum had arrived, I felt so awful and was so exhausted that I was about to just lay down on the floor. At which point, someone came out and took me through to a bed.

Over the course of the next 12 hours or so I had lots of medical professionals prodding me, poking me, sticking more things in me, asking me questions and listening to my heart. All we knew at this stage was that I had a seriously aggressive bacteria in my bloodstream and that they had discovered a heart murmur. Neither of these things were good, but at least we had finally established that it probably wasn’t flu!

I want to end with a mention of that amazing peace that I wrote about in my first post. I believe in a God who has promised us a peace that is greater than anything we can ever imagine. Jesus offers peace that can hold us steady in the most desperate times of our lives. A peace that shines a light through the darkest of nights and remains a strong and sturdy anchor in the fiercest of storms. My Mum also believes in Jesus and experienced that peace firsthand in the hospital that day.

She had just been told that her son was life-threateningly ill. As she stood waiting outside A&E for Mim to arrive, who was coming straight from work to the hospital, a thought popped into her head, “In all things, give glory to God”. She has since told me that she remembers immediately saying, “How on earth can I do that at this moment in time?” But sometimes in our journey of faith, we just have to trust that God knows best, and my Mum is wise enough to know that He always does. So she sang quietly to herself, a piece of music from her Church – The Gloria. It is very simple and goes like this,

Glory to God, Glory to God, Glory to the Father.
To Him be glory forever.
Alleluia, Amen.

As she repeated those words over and over, she describes experiencing a peace that calmed her. In the weeks and months to follow, when we needed it most, we would all experience that peace. There will be many more times in future posts when I talk about peace. Because let’s be honest, we could all use more of it in our lives. No matter how bad your circumstance or situation. No matter how much the storms of life rage around you. I believe that you can have peace. Please feel free to contact me if you want to explore that more.

That night, I was transferred to the Coronary Care Unit because my heart was not functioning as it should and I wasn’t responding to antibiotics, and just to prepare you, it gets worse, before it gets better.