My poor dear father has been (very well) looked after in a nursing home whilst the builders were here and we were all looking forward to his coming home tomorrow. However, the home rang me at half past midnight to say he'd fallen, was in pain and they'd called for an ambulance. This morning the hospital said his hip was broken and he'd be operated on today. I then received a strange call:
"Hello, is that WW?"
"Yes."
"This is the anaesthetist at the hospital. I'm calling to tell you that in view of your father's advanced age, this will be a high risk operation. He may not be strong enough to get through the surgery and the general anaesthetic."
"Are you advising that he should not have the operation?"
"No. He must have the operation to stop the pain. I just wanted to warn you that he may not make it."
He has made it but I'm amazed that this sort of telephone call is standard NHS procedure.
I suppose it's better to be warned than not. My grandmother didn't make it through her op, sadly. They were both in for ops on the same day, so my poor uncle had the awful task of telling my grandfather when he came round. All they had been told was that it may not work, not that she might die! (For a fused spine)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about that, JR. I hadn't worried about it until the anaesthetist called. I'm very sorry to hear about your grandmother and the awful shock for your grandfather.
ReplyDeletePoor you. Those of us that have been through the process can only marvel at the NHS bureaucracy. The surgeon could have refused the operation as happened to one of our parents. You, and he, are in our thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThank you Angus and welcome back!
ReplyDeleteOdd sort of way of going about it, I find. Did he sell you double glazing as well?
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