The ER vs A&E

Well, it has been 6 weeks to the day, maybe even the hour, that I was honoured to have the privilege of finding out how the NHS works; up close and personal.  And not just the NHS, but the emergency room.  I mean how lucky can a girl get!?!?  I lead such a charmed life! 🙃

What is A&E you ask.  Well, it is accidents and emergencies, I think.  Let me google.  Yup - that's it!  I think of A&E as Aine and Effie, but that's a different post.  hehehe

So here I was, doing my daily workout, paying no attention that I was on the rebounder (mini-trampoline to you that didn't buy into the new branding name and marketing scheme),  doing a workout that was supposed to be on the floor because Pahla B said I could do her floor workouts on the rebounder.  So I'm jumping wildly, while she is NOT, when suddenly, I'm twisting to the left, attempting to land on my left foot, while kicking out my right foot and my left arm is boxing forward.  simple right?!?!

When I suddenly go down, HARD, onto my left ankle that has twisted under, certainly not happy to not only have my weight raining down, but with extra force from a high unintended bounce.

CRAAAACKKKKKKK & CRUNNNNNCH 

is seriously what I hear.  

While I'm not really in pain, yet, I feel like this just may not be a good thing.  I'm not sure, but the sound was daunting.  But still, it certainly can't be anything that frozen peas and elevating above your heart can't fix.  

I mean, why not wait it out and just see how this goes.  I vow not to tell a soul!  Not yet, I need a plan, a strategy before I get others involved.  

This is when  I get a text from Karyn, Cameron's mom and fellow WEG, saying I hear you broke your foot??  LEVVVVVIIIIIII?  Apparently Levi did not take the same vow.  

Karyn has great advice, "you should just go now, since you are gonna have to have it looked at anyway.'  In hindsight, she was right, but I wasn't ready to succumb to that knowledge and I had NO IDEA how to get to A&E, let alone the hospital.  

Once Effie finds out, the next day, she has her heart surgeon doctor husband over here pronto to survey the damage.  He compliments my quick action with peas and elevation and tells me it is up to me of what I want to do.  That is until he texts his osteo doc friend that says I must immediately go to A&E.  

So the gig is up,  Effie and Gru manhandle and wrangle me into their car, kicking and screaming all the way, and force me to go to the hospital.  Or something like that.....

This is the QEUH - Queen Elizabeth University Hospital

So we get there, and there is barely a place to park, the place is full of ambulances and nobody around.  It's tough to even find the door to enter.  Where is the valet parking I'm used to at the children's hospital of Spectrum in GR?  Effie asks if I can walk, and I know it is the LAST thing I can do, so she steals a wheelchair sitting stranded outside.  It is a basic model and one that doesn't seem to go forward, so she pulls me, backwards, to the door.  Where they promptly sit me in a queue, OUTSIDE.  WTF?  It seems the inside is too full.  

So I wait, in a wheel chair, that cannot be pushed forward, or by my own arms, until somebody drags me backwards to the desk.  

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.  

see what I mean?!?!?

Once I'm checked in, they need to drag me to minor accidents, so the security guard does so and immediately slams me into a table.  I shit you not.  I jump sky high, because I am backwards remember, and didn't see it coming.  She says, 'sorry love', and carries on.  Then she gets to a ramp and says, you will need to help push up the ramp, yet she is no where near any handrails for me to do so.  Am I to push with my foot?  Is she mad?  What is she playing at?  As I continue to do whatever I can, she turns the corner and rams me right into the door.  No joke.  I'm literally dying now.  WTF kind of place is this?  If you are not banged up enough when you get here, they will set you right!!  🤣

Next up a nurse comes to survey the situation, and she twists, turns, prods, points and flexes my foot.  NOW I'M IN PAIN!  

But of course we know what is next, I'm dragged to x-ray, by the funniest Scottish Lad of all time.  I am laughing all the way as he moans about these bloody wheelchairs and how much exercise he gets because of them.  Half of what he says is lost on me because Scottish is another language altogether.  

After x-ray and another Scottish ride back in this rickety thing, they announce the verdict.

Broken in two places.  The 5th metatarsal and the ankle is chipped.  I'll spare you the ankle x-ray.   

BLOODY HELL!!!!!

Ain't nobody got time for this!  But if truth be known, it did happen at a good time if ever there was one.  It was the day after we returned from Cambridge and Dublin was at least 3 weeks away and surely I'd be fully walking by then.  

And while the visit was a pretty hilarious, I was in and out of there in 2 hours, which I think is a win.  As that never happened in GR, valet parking or not!  And then when I left, the line was over 6 people  (outside remember) so I beat the crowd!  

Once home, I get to googling how long this is gonna take and what to do to make it go faster.  Levi in his infinite wisdom says 6 weeks, which I guffaw and promise that isn't the truth.  

As I relax into my new life of crawling to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and learning how to walk with sticks, I decide that the Great British Bakeoff and I are gonna get real intimate.

I'm grateful for all of my frozen home baked meals, and that Jackson works at a grocery store.  So at least  Kitty Crocker has a bit of safety stock to fall back on.  

I've now since gone to my follow up appointment, did the x-rays, and they announced, "good news, you won't need surgery."  What?  I never ever thought I would.  This appointment only takes an hour.

Do you know what else, I never got even a piece of paper telling me what to do.  I've walked out of ER with a booklet of paperwork covering the birth of jesus and how to handle strep that was almost a small novel in GR.  But here, I am just sent on my merry way.  The doc says, pay attention to your body, stop wearing the boot about an hour a day, and follow what your body tells you.  Hmmm, well that's a novel concept.  

Okay - I can do that.  I mean, really what choice do I have?  And as I sit here at the 6 week mark, I realize with all laughter of a fart in church, it did take 6 weeks, and probably more due to the ligaments that take up to 3 months to properly heal.  🤦‍♀️.      uggg

But here is the mind blowing part, I never got a bill.  NEVER.  Nothing.  It cost me the taxi ride.  And I got a free boot out of it??  That is a huge difference between my two beloved countries, and I'm going to have to take a stand on this one, Scotland wins hands down.

Here's hoping none of you have to experience the joys of breaking your foot and that you can just live vicariously through me  -  stay healthy all!

Hopalong Cassidy

The Oma visit

Woohooo! While there were many a planned (then canceled) flights, a pandemic, and lots of covid going around, I'm happy to announce that Oma has finally made it to hang out with us Gangsta Glaswegians! 

💙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Effie, being the dear friend that she is, insisted on picking up Oma from the airport.  So with me, hobbling along on my broken foot (🤦‍♀️), we went and waited at arrivals.  And Waited.  AND WAITED!  Her flight was on-time, she doesn't check bags, so where was she?  

who can guess where we are?  

Oma is a pretty intrepid traveler, so we were starting to get concerned.  

I mean, Glasgow is a pretty little airport comparatively speaking.

Was she delayed by customs?  She does have that sinister smile?!?!  You know that there is a criminal face lurking in there somewhere!  😂

Lo and behold, as Effie and I start to give up, here comes Oma, walking towards us.  HAPPY DAYS!  It seems it was us all along, awaiting at the domestic arrival area, ooops.  sheeesh....

We made up for lost time right away at the Botanical Gardens.  

Introducing Oma to my favorite tree here.  The Monkey Puzzle Tree.  Now how cool is that name (& tree)!

Why is she carrying around a trash bag?  

She even got to attend one of our game nights.  Though this one looks rather grim!  LOL!

Effie's delicious meal more than made up for our lack of games.  

While Oma was here, she saw loads of stuff.  Buchanon Street, both our TK Maxx's (or course), the Kelvin Walkway, the Westend, loads of Charles Rennie Mackintosh stuff including the church and house, Glasgow Uni, & even attending a lease agreement meeting at Open Gates.  It was jam packed.  And she felt it in her shins.  Glasgow is a series of hills and it isn't for the faint of foot!  

No trip to Glasgow is complete without a jaunt over to the capitol city of Edinburgh.  It is a world Unesco Heritage site, so it is, and the nemesis of the Glaswegians.  Think MSU vs UofM or Duke vs. UNC.  Luckily, I didn't grow up here, so the rivalry is lost on me.  Though if you must know, I'm MSU and Duke all the way on the previous one!  (but you already knew that....) hehehehehe   

Edinburgh Castle

The royal mile

It was chilly, I never realized how much colder it is there.  But it is actually a thing.  When we got back to Glasgow, it was almost balmy.  Who knew?

We hunkered down in here out of the rain for a bit.

Then we did the hop on hop off bus, but never really hopped off, we just rode around and around!

We also enjoyed the Van Gogh Alive exhibit.  

I

It was great to see, but we had places to go and people to see.  

And wouldn't you know it, that included our old home of Dublin.  Off we flew for a quick jaunt across the pond.  My heart and soul are happy when we go back and visit the Emerald Isle!  💚 🍀. It was the first time we were all back there together as the original  core 4.  

The mailboxes always make me smile.

And the boys were thrilled this favorite was still there!

Even Oma's flowers were still on the stoop at 44 Fitz

And of course seeing friends was the best part!

People didn't recognize Levi!  He was a wee boy when we moved there and look at him now catching up to Jackson.

And the non-touristy (kind of hidden in plan site) Iveagh Gardens remains a favorite of mine.  

We had such a blast!  It was like old times with all 4 of us together, it's just this time, everyone is taller than the Oma!!!  😆. It was such great craic!

Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate it.  

Glasgow gang group hug to you all,

Celtic Kitty

ps.  a trip to Glasgow is incomplete without these few stops....

Life is good!  

 

The interloping author!

The Glasgow Squad blog has been hijacked!  

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Randi and my daughter’s name is Kaitlyn and we are Kitty’s cousins. We recently planned a trip to the UK to visit London and explore the University of Glasgow in Scotland, as Kaitlyn is thinking about studying abroad after High School. Kitty graciously opened up her home and tasked us with writing her blog this week :)

Before we ventured to Scotland, we spent a few days in London where we met up with some friends to tour the City, see a Broadway show and eat fabulous food!  After 2 ½ days in London, we took a short flight to Scotland. We arrived at Kitty’s around 21:30 where she embraced us with open arms!  We talked for a bit and then off to bed where we found this note and a box of cookies with the Scotland Highland Cow in London (a perfect picture given our travels!). 

A note and box of cookies from Kitty

She also left us a heartwarming note in the bathroom; what a wonderful host!

The next day (Monday) we walked around Glasgow and visited the City Center, the Necropolis Cemetery, and George Square.  That evening, Kitty served us some chili that she made and had slaved over for hours the day before!  Kitty Crocker is definitely a wonderful cook!  After dinner, we all played a game and Kitty and I stayed up and talked.  

George Square 

Necropolis Cemetery

On Tuesday, we took a train to Edinburgh.  We toured Edinburgh Castle, took a Harry Potter tour (which was more about J.K. Rowling and the writing of the books, which was extremely interesting) and just walked around.  Edinburgh is a beautiful City and we are so glad that Kitty recommended we visit.  That evening, Kitty Crocker prepared fish tacos for us and it was delicious!  We again played a game after dinner and Kitty and I stayed up and talked.  

 

Edinburgh Castle 

Part of the Harry Potter Tour.  A real headstone of someone named Thomas Riddell, thought to be of inspiration to J.K. Rowling for her character Tom Riddle.  

On Wednesday, we toured the University of Glasgow and WOW, what a beautiful school!  

University of Glasgow 

That evening, we went out to dinner with Kitty and Jackson to an Indian restaurant that was AMAZING!  This restaurant was located in a quaint little area that was beautiful at night. 

Ashton Lane where we had dinner 

We tried to have an after drink at a Pub across the street but the bartender asked if everyone in our party was over 18 (Kaitlyn is only 15) and despite Kitty’s confident response in saying “Yes, of course they are!” we got trapped with his response of wanting to see ID’s.  I quickly replied that since a band was getting ready to start, we decided this wasn’t the place for us as we wanted to talk (phew, deviously got out of that one!)  KItty and I improv well together…LOL!

That evening, we tried a Scottish treat (Tunnock's tea cakes) and Kaitlyn tried a Scottish soda called Irn Bru. The tea cakes were good; the Irn Bru not so much. 

We unfortunately headed home the next morning.  

Although London was definitely exciting, nothing can compare to the time spent with Kitty talking and catching up on lost time, enjoying her fabulous cooking, participating in their nightly routine of rolling the dice at dinner to find out what question we were answering and playing a game after dinner; I can say without a doubt, this was our favorite part of the trip!

Thank you Kitty, Jackson and Levi for inviting us into your home!  

Love, 

Randi and Kaitlyn 

Kitty Crocker reporting for duty!

What a complete blast we had with Randi Lynn and Kaitlyn.  I truly feel like Randi is more of my sister than cousin.  I certainly treated her as such when I babysat her while growing up.  I am sure I treated her just as 'good' as my older sisters treated me.  It's a wonder she still came to visit.  😂

Now that the world is opening up again, here are the things you should know when you too come to visit:

-I'll point you to all the fun places to visit

-I'll get you into a pub, but may not get you a drink. (age dependent)

-Kitty Crocker becomes chatty Kathy (my real name is Kathleen) and I will keep you up every night until midnight talking!  

-I'll do my best to make you feel right at home

-You will have to play board games after dinner, and we are ruthless!

-Then I will miss you when you are gone!

Come on back Randi and Kaitlyn - you are both welcome ANYTIME!

 

bon voyage - Celtic Kitty

ps.  I wonder if I should open up a B&B someday????  Italy, Spain, & Croatia are contenders after Levi graduates HS, that is.   I do LOVE aiding any and all like minded souls in their travels, as I still find it one of the best things to do in life!