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April 15, 2006
You might want to stand well back...
...over there, that’s right! That should do it!
Bath time, 7 o clock Thursday night, everything is fine, not a mark on her body. 10 o clock, she is burning a fever and a rather suspicious looking spot has appeared on her forehead. The next morning she is covered.
Have you ever tried being ill on a bank holiday? I mean not dangerously ill, but hmmm this could be Chickenpox but I’m not sure and really would like to get it checked out and confirmed one way or the other because it is Easter weekend and we are supposed to be visiting my nephew who has SMA and is not supposed to be exposed to infection because when he gets it, he gets it really bad type ill.
Doctors Surgery answer phone; ‘Bugger off! We are not open. In an emergency please call CamDoc on ___ but if it is not an emergency just put up with it for the whole weekend you whining little low life.’
Now this is not an emergency. No one ever died of Chickenpox but I’d hate to keep her away from her cousin if she was clear and likewise I’d hate to take her along and infect him, maybe if I explain this to CamDoc they’ll understand.
‘Hello CamDoc here. Are you phoning on behalf of yourself or someone else?’
‘I’m phoning on behalf of my daughter.’
‘Is she with you?’
(No I left her in the sweet section of the supermarket while I came home to phone you) ‘Err Yes’
‘Is she breathing?’
‘I’m sorry, did you say ‘Is she breathing?’’
For one moment I thought that only lung failure counts as an emergency on Good Friday. Forgive me but I kind of thought that A&E existed for that sort of thing.
(Checking) ‘Oh yes.’
‘What seems to be the problem?’
So I explained and was told that a doctor would phone me back but they are really busy and it could take up to two hours.
Good job she was breathing then. I guess.
Half an hour later I got to speak to a Doctor, I explained the whole sorry situation and she agreed that it would be best to bring her in and get it confirmed one way or another ‘but’ she warned me, ‘it could be a long wait.’
Much to my amusement we got the leper treatment and were told to wait in the corridor, separated from the (apparently) non-spotty non-infectious masses, which was fine by me, as that has always been my fear of The Doctor’s Surgery, there’s always that risk that you’d come away with something more fatal than the original illness. My fear may also have something to do with my old Surgery, the waiting room was wallpapered with beige woodchip and I spent my childhood convinced that someone had vomited all over the walls and no one had bothered to clear it up but I digress.
Littleone was less amused because all the toys and books were just the other side of the door and she was forced to stare upon them forlornly through the slit sized window. After God-knows-how-long we were shuffled in by a very understanding doc who confirmed that it was chickenpox and told us all that stuff about not picking and scratching and applying Callamine Lotion when it all gets too much. Pretty much the same as the Health Encyclopaedia really.
When we got home we phoned the Parents-in-law to let them know that we wouldn’t be coming, only to be told that Nephew had chickenpox about a year ago and so is immune anyway.
If I was sensible I kind of would have asked for that vital piece of information BEFORE we waited all morning in the emergency surgery.
Posted by purple elephant at April 15, 2006 08:52 AM