Knocked down by motorcycle - 8 hours at A&E

I was knocked down by a motorcycle at lunchtime on the way to college. Probably my own fault, as I didn’t even see him. I limped away, but went to hospital as a precaution. Been on a trolley in A&E for the whole intervening time, and had one cup of tea, and nothing to eat. Waited five hours just for X-rays.

They wanted to keep me in for observation, as they couldn’t find anything wrong, but said my heart rate was too high. I said I thought it was being in hospital that was making it too high, and I thought I would be better at home.

Feel as if I’ve done a risky thing, as I live alone, but I’m a confirmed anxiety-sufferer, and am convinced it was not being home that was making me worse.

Had my first ever taste of being in a wheelchair, and it wasn’t due to MS.

Coat is written off, glasses are written off. I suppose at least I am not written off.

Tina

(content removed: innapropriate use of anon)

You poor thing, that’s awful. Hope you’re feeling calmer now. Is there a friend / neighbour nearby who can pop in if needed? Take care of yourself. xx

Good god tina glad you got off lightly, did the driver not stop to help you?

5 hrs waiting for an x-ray is a long time to wait, you will probably feel sore and stiff tomorrow, it may also take a few days for the shock to set in please if you feel worse get back in touch with the hospital, dont take any risks.

All the best for quick recovery Barbara.xx

Hi,

No, lights are out at the neighbours - I got home so late I think they’ve all gone to bed.

I don’t honestly think I have a serious injury the hospital didn’t discover, but now they’ve raised the possibility, I understandably feel anxious. I almost think I might have done just as well going straight home and having a hot bath and a cup of tea, as they didn’t find anything definite, and they didn’t give me any painkillers I don’t have at home anyway.

It was very difficult explaining that I cannot tell if/where I am hurt, because so much hurts a lot of the time anyway. They kept asking: “Does this hurt? Does that hurt?”

“Yes, but I think it always does!”

Apparently I have some unknown injury on my bum - unknown to me, that is, because I can’t see it. They actually asked ME: “What’s this?”

“What is what? I don’t know - I can’t see my own bum! First I knew that there was anything!”

Tina

x

The driver DID stop, but he was a stupid 17-year-old kid. He phoned his mum instead of the ambulance, even though I had expressly said I wanted an ambulance. Luckily, his mum phoned an ambulance. I couldn’t, as I didn’t have my phone - though maybe just as well, otherwise that would have been trashed as well.

Tina

x

hi tina

sorry to hear of your mishap

take care love and i hope you feel right as rain soon

carole x

That is awful, what a fright you must have got. Hope you can calm down and get a good nights sleep. Maybe make an app for your doc tomorrow just to make sure there are no lingering injuries and just to put your mind at rest with what is on your bum unless you have a good look in a mirror. Hope your ok. L x

Sending you a virtual hug Take care of yourself Barney

Goodness me Tina what a shock for you. No doubt you are feeling bruised and battered this morning. Just a thought but I have always found rescue remedy helpful for anxiety (use it before visits to dentist) and it might just take the edge off the shock you must still be feeling. Take things easy.

Oh Tina what a shock!

Give yourself plenty of TLC it can take a while to get over the shock.

Love Moyna xxx

Hi Tina

What an awful thing to happen.

Glad that you’re apparently OK.

As others have said I would give your GP a visit, just for a check over. He/she should have more understanding of the effects of MS on you.

It’s also possible that you might get some delayed shock.

Take care

Anne x

Hi Tina

Oh, bless you, what a horrible thing to happen. Teenagers on bikes do seem to come out of nowhere tbh.

I hope you’re not feeling too bruised today. Take it easy, lots of lounging around in your dressing gown with mugs of tea and plenty of chocolates.

If you do start to feel more than the usual aches and pains, don’t hesitate to phone your GP.

Tracey x

Best wishes Tina, I hope you are fully recovered. Peter.

blimey Tina, Hope you’re feeling better today. If you start feeling anything which you know is not the norm then please go to your doctor and please get that bottom of yours checked out, they can’t just say you’ve got an injury and then leave you no wiser as to what’s going on !!!

Blimey, Tina. Sending big hugs. Catherine Xx

Oh Tina. Sounds awful. The accident was bad enough without the trauma of A & E.

You take it steady.

Shazzie xx

Hi Tina How are you feeling today? You poor thing - no wonder your heart rate was high! I hope you managed a decent night’s sleep, and considering what could have happened, I’m glad you escaped relatively unscathed. Think you need to pamper yourself today Jane xxx

Thanks everyone. I have survived the night. The more time passes without anything awful happening, the more confident I am that there’s not some dire slow bleed somewhere, that the hospital failed to find. A leaflet they gave me said I should not really be alone for the first 24-38 hours, but it will be 24 hours at lunchtime, so I reckon by the small hours, I can stop worrying - and there’s less risk the nearer we get. I’m not in a v. good state - even worse than usual - but no nausea or loss of consciousness, or any unexplained fluid from any orifice so I think it’s ‘just’ severe bruising, and I did the right thing to come home. I think, if I’d stayed at hospital, I wouldn’t have got any sleep at all, would have got MORE stressed, and they’d probably have found my heartrate still up this morning, and again hesitated to let me go. Eight hours in bedlam was quite enough. I’m sure I’m more comfortable and possibly even safer at home, as I haven’t got anything stressing me out, and causing symptoms I otherwise wouldn’t have,

When I eventually plucked up courage to undress last night (reluctant, as I was so stiff), I found awful bruising I hadn’t even known was there. Slightly more worrying, I don’t think the hospital did either, because, do you know, they NEVER fully undressed me to check if I was hurt under my clothes. And they only X-rayed bits of me I complained about (one elbow and the opposite heel), and - bizarrely - one knuckle. It didn’t look any more battered than the whole set (I’d grazed just about all of them), and I hadn’t complained of pain or loss of use, but for some reason, they had concerns only about the pinky of my right hand, which was no better or worse than anything else - not sticking out at a lurid angle or anything.

Now I’m home, I think the bits of me they didn’t X-ray look far worse than the ones they did. My bum cheek is almost completely black, which must have been what the doctor was referring to, when she asked: “What’s this?” But I reckon she could see only a tiny part of it, because they never asked me to remove jeans or underwear. Upper thighs are also in a bad state. I reckon this must be where the bike actually fell on me, after it hit me. Hospital have not examined this at all!

But I suppose it’s all fleshy areas, not close to any vital organs. I’m guessing you can take quite a battering to the bum, without it being at all dangerous.

I realised the headache that was one of the reasons they were hesitant about letting me go was almost certainly a combinantion of stress and - disgracefully - hunger. As soon as I got home and had tea and toast - too late to cook, and hardly anything else in the house anyway - the headache started to fade. So how ridiculous, that they’re worrying about a patient’s headache, when the cause is that the patient has been there hours and hours, with one cup of tea! I was probably dehydrated as well as stressed. I wasn’t even offered tea at all, until the shift change at 7 p.m. I’d already been there since about 2:00. I know A&E isn’t like a normal ward, and many patients won’t be capable of eating, but since I hadn’t been declared ‘nil by mouth’, and was allowed tea, I don’t know why I couldn’t have been offered a sandwich. It’s an awfully long time to go, when you’ve got an underlying health condition as well

Everyone was unfailingly cheerful and polite, but I didn’t feel I was examined very thoroughly, and it’s not good that I waited 5 hours for X-ray, and nobody paid attention to basic needs, like food or drink! To be honest, if I’d gone all those hours without a cup of tea usually, I’d be feeling a bit dodgy - without being hit by a bike first!

I won’ be going to the doctor unless there’s any dramatic change I’m worried about. I can’t take all the faff of the fight for an appointment, and going there on a jolty bus. I don’t think a GP would do much for bruising, except prescribe painkillers - which luckily (ha-ha, if you can call it that) I have tons in the house anyway, courtesy of MS.

Hospital didn’t give me any painkillers to go away with, so just as well I already have some, isn’t it?

I’m absolutely slathered in arnica, and the few bits of me that don’t have arnica have got Savlon!

Tina

xx

Just seen your post Tina, glad to hear you are on the mend and feeling less stressed. What a horrific experience for you. Make sure you look after yourself and if you think anything is getting worse do go back to the hospital, and maybe take a flask! Take care, Laura x