Continuing the theme of two coming along at once (buses you may remember) this is the second health blog in a short time. Oh no not that old chestnut I hear you cry. We’ve heard all we want to hear about your health. But wait just a minute this blog is not about my health it’s in fact about Mrs Summerhouse’s she who last week did her best to out-rank me in matters of health.
The outcome was blood poisoning even possible sepsis which, as some of you will know, is potentially fatal. So if the end was quite serious the start of this medical episode was verging on the farcical. It all started when one of our dogs found and started chomping on an undesirable paper towel / tissue (I did not actually see it) whilst on one of our walks. To cut a long story short, of at least this part of it, she put her finger in his mouth to extract the item and he took exception to this and bit her.
Only a tiny cut but definitely bleeding, this I did see. I could hardly avoid seeing as she was waving in front of my face saying or even shouting unkind things about the dog. Whether this would have been enough to cause the poisoning I’m not sure but just to be sure a day or so later she went out in the garden to pick up leaves without gloves or any protection of any kind.
That seemed to do the trick and so one evening a couple of days later she showed me her arm, the left one in fact and it had a red line (presumably the vein) but now inflamed and pulsing is that the word. We learned later it is called tracking but we didn’t know that then. I said you need to go to A and E. I’m not going to A and E she said. Well at least ring, the much-maligned, 111 I insisted. She did. I deserve more credit than I have got thus far for saving her life (as it turns out later I did). Had she left it much longer the poison might have done real damage. All this was not helped by her rheumatoid arthritis condition which is bad for people with infections as it fights against any treatment (anti-biotics).
Anyways via the original 111 call, to first medical provision, to first A and E, to second A and E and hence admitted to hospital for 5 days and three, yes three operations on her finger to try and rid her of the recalcitrant poison. And this for the woman who didn’t even want to ring in the first place. So a week of Weetabix (God how I hate it) and no cooking from me, taxis (did you know that Uber will deliver you a sandwich? I most certainly didn’t), various visiting hours, support from friends and family (verging on intimidation, apparently they think I am unable to look after myself, as if) and trying to look after two dogs, one of whom very probably caused all this but seemed serene in the knowledge as we all lay watching TV each long evening, as he is now as I write this. See photo above of two main culprits. I’m hoping the writing will afford me a little of the same serenity.
You’ll be pleased to know, cutting another long bit of the story short, she is home now. I really didn’t need reminding how dependent on Mrs Summerhouse I am for my day to day well-being but God or whoever evidently thought maybe just a wee tweak. And here we now are, next week all reunited. That was hard work. Please no more reminding required.