Nurse: She looked very pale, like she was going to faint.
ME:But she didn▓t.
Nurse:Well she just sat and put her head down.
ME:Did she have anything to eat or drink this morning?
Nurse:Yeah,┘well she has a poor appetite.
ME: I▓ll take a blood sample.
Nurse: She▓s not too keen on needles and blood stuff┘
ME:Neither I am┘
Matron: Nurse, quick, Mrs Glasson has fainted!
Nurse left in a rush.
The doc recognised the name, and asked:
Can I help?
Matron:yes please, follow the blue corridor, her room is second on the right .
The doc got to the room, and assisted the nurses:
What▓s her name?
Nurse: Emilia Glasson. Has been quite weak lately, complained of abdominal pain.
ME: Anything else? Heart condition? What about her medication?
Emilia came back to herself. The nurses helped her up. Doc checked her, then followed the Matron.
Matron:I▓ll get her notes. She▓s been with us for two years, came from Bodmin Asylum. Lived in there for twenty years or so .
ME:Who▒s the next of kin?
Matron:A man visited last year towards Christmas, said he was the husband, but she did not recognise him, he didn▓t have any identification┘We▓ve got a policy about┘
ME:Yeah, yeah┘Anyone else? Children?
Matron: She never mentioned. Did not talk much when she first arrived, hasn▒t been much coherent since..
Martin was puzzled. Driving back to Portwenn, he remembered when Louisa had mentioned her mother left her and her father when she was a child, but did not give more details. According to the Matron, her medication helps her behaviour a lot, but the side effects were awful. He was debating whether he should tell Louisa, or keep to the code of confidentiality. Emilia▓s husband visiting at Christmas time coincided with the time of Louisa▒s father visit, painful to everybody involved, and brought another rare species of birds on the brink of extinction┘
Back at the surgery, Martin got back to work. He could see, from the appointment sheet Pauline had prepared, that Louisa had an appointment to check the results of her anaemia blood test.
ME:Hello, Louisa, please take a sit.
LG:Hello, Martin.
Still awkward between the two of them┘
ME:As you are here, would you mind if I update your notes? I need some information about any disease or condition recurrent in your family.
LG:About anaemia?
ME: And others such as coronary, or blood disorders, alcoholism, mental illness, anything you can think of?
LG:Are you saying that I┘ what are you insinuating?
ME: These are just routine questions, I didn▓t mean that you have any symptoms of ┘Hem┘Let▓s start with your father▓s side┘
LG:Dad▓s a smoker, so after forty odd years of nicotine I guess his lungs don▓t look so good; he likes his drink of course, oh and he had chicken pox when I was six; that▓s about it.
ME:And your mother? What do you know about her and her family?
LG:Not much, she left when I was young, Dad didn▓t talk much about her parents.
ME: Do you know where she is now?
LG:No.
Phone rings
ME:Pauline, I▓m with a patient┘
[Pauline: It▓s urgent, Doc, Burch Grove called about a patient you saw this morning
ME:Did they give a name?
[Pauline: No, they said you asked for information about next of kin
ME:All right I▓ll call them back.
[Pauline: No they need a visit. They said she▓s all yellow and clammy
ME:Probably the liver┘. Sorry Louisa, I▓ve got to go. Can you make another appointment asap?
LG:I guess so.
Martin got to the Nursing home as the ambulance men were pulling the bed out, with Emilia breathing through an oxygen mask.
ME:How▓s she? Any complications?
Amb Man: You▓re the GP? We▓re taking her to Truro for exams. Was absolutely soaking, and yellow. BP was low. I wouldn▓t be too hopeful for that poor soul.
ME:I▓ll follow you.
Amb Man: She▓ll need a bit more support. They couldn▓t get in touch with any relatives.
ME:No their notes don▓t seem to be complete on the matter.
Matron:Well excuse us, but she hasn▓t had a supportive family so far, one visitor in two years! It▓s quite hard to keep updated with people like that┘
ME:And the only who came, you threw him out, without even checking who he was!
Matron:We can not let anybody in, Doctor!
ME: Is there an entry in your visitors book?
Matron: His name is down as Terry Glasson, from Portwenn.
ME:I know where to find the next of kin.
Amb Man: We need to go now┘
Truro Hospital A&E. Louisa is running down the corridor towards Martin, who is talking to the medical team.
LG:What is it Martin? You said it was urgent, but you didn▓t give any clue what about!
ME:Louisa, I think I▓ve found your mother.
LG:You have┘
ME:Can you first confirm that these are her name and date of birth?
A nurse shows the admission form.
LG:Yes, well I think so┘
ME:Louisa your mother has just been admitted from Burch Grove in Bodmin. I suspect liver malfunction, maybe hepatitis, which has got worse due to anaemia┘
LG:I need to sit down┘
ME:Yes I understand it▓s a lot of information in one go┘.
LG:I need to see her┘
ME:Louisa, she is very weak, probably not awake. Do you want me to come with you? I can explain more about her condition, and treatment.
LG:If you like┘
After a while, Louisa left the room, in tears. Martin followed, feeling sorry for her. Compassion had never been his forte, but when it comes to this woman, he is a different man. He has feelings he never thought he had in him. He hated seeing her like that, and hated the fact that no matter how good a doctor he was, he could never heal the pain she was feeling now. He put his hands on her shoulders, but could not find a word of comfort. Suddenly she turned around and embraced him. Still crying, she rested her head against his shoulder. He put his arms around her, and finally says: She▓s gonna be all right!
That▓s all at the moment. I▓m going on holiday, so won▓t be working on that one for a while!!