An Unexpected Medical Crisis
One situation the day before
necessitated a visit to the Accident & Emergency Department of Manchester
Royal Infirmary yesterday morning. A 30-minute walk home from work took the
best part of 75 minutes.
I was tired, shuffling my feet, and
enduring discomfort and pain in the groin area. At first, I thought it was
tissue bruising or chafing until a shower inspection suggested it might be
something more serious. It was hard and needed checking out.
First Impressions at A&E
On arrival at A&E, I observed a
patient with what appeared to be two cannulations visible beneath the long
sleeve on his right arm. He had come outside to smoke. Whilst I am usually
baffled by such behaviour, I am coming to understand that the hold smoking
addiction has over people, regardless of their health condition, requires
extraordinary intervention to overcome.
The triage process included a referral
to the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), with a waiting time of about 40 minutes.
The nurse at reception who registered me for treatment shares the same birthday
as I do, though I was polite enough not to ask about her year of birth.
We both agreed that, through the
generations, getting separate presents for birthdays between 21 December and
Christmas was a rarity, a trauma carried into adulthood. We had a good laugh
about it.
Assessment and Referrals
At the UTC, after exchanging
introductory pleasantries, I was examined on a gurney. The assessment indicated
that I had a swelling, quite possibly an abscess, and I was being referred to
the Ambulatory Care Unit (ACU). By this time, my bearings within the
labyrinthine corridors of the hospital had been lost, though following the
directions proved helpful enough.
At the ACU, the nurse examined the
groin area. In all cases, the nurses were female, and I had no qualms about
having my privates reviewed in a medical setting. The abscess was still quite
solid and showed no indication of producing pus. However, she did attempt to
squeeze it to obtain a culture sample. That was exceedingly painful, but needs
must.
Afterwards, she took two vials of
blood following a second intravenous insertion and wrote a prescription for
co-amoxiclav, to be taken three times a day for a week.
Navigating the Hospital Complex
The pharmacy was located in the
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. The best directions I received came from a
helpful porter who said, “Go on until all the signs turn yellow and you're at
your destination.” After registering my prescription order (free for two
reasons: I have been a registered cancer patient within the last five years,
and I am over 60), I went to the toilet.
There, I was able to examine the
problem more closely. It was the size of a marble, with a bit of hardened
tissue extending from the ball of the abscess. This is medically known as the
inguinal region or, more specifically, the inguinoscrotal region. Because the
abscess sits within this crease, friction and rubbing exacerbate the pain,
affecting the way I walk as I try to minimise the discomfort.
Managing the Pain
Even after taking pain medication, the
pain was such that I was almost bent over double whilst walking around my flat.
I tried a hot compress last night and plan to do so again this morning.
However, I have been advised that if this abscess does not clear up within a
few days, I should return to A&E to have it incised and drained. This is
not a prospect I am looking forward to.
For now, I am indisposed and taking
bed rest, having padded the area with some cotton wool.
My visit to A&E, from triage to
collecting my prescription, took less than four hours.
