Wednesday, June 20, 2007

University Hospital Lewisham

A week of touring a hospital. I suppose you have not really experienced London untill you have experienced the services of NHS (National Health Services). Still much better than Joburg Gen but I lets admit its not difficult to be better than that.

Mom and I were getting ready to check out London and see what there was to see but after our morning at Madame Tussauds she had thought she had seen enough. So instead we had an evening of driving in an ambulance and sitting in A & E. By 2 o'clock the next day we were still sitting in A & E waiting for a bed in a ward to become available.

Mom got checked out mon eve with antibiotics only to be checked back in on tues and this time she stayed for over a week.

For those who don't know she was diagnosed with a lung infection and pneumonia which caused type 1 respiratory failure. Well riddle me this, if it was the lung infection and respiratory failure that caused the respiratory failure then why did she still struggle to breathe after it was all cleared up?


Anyways it was an experience none the less even though it is one that I wish my mom did not have to go through.
The section of the hospital that mom ended up in is called Riverside and as you can see from the plaque it was opened by Rev Desmond Tutu himself and on my birthday this year. It has 6 floors of wards can you imagine how difficult it would have been to get a bed if this had not been opened?

Mom got some beautiful carnations from Craig and Benni but unfortunately the hospital does not allow flowers so that stayed at my place - they did last long enough for mom's return though.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ja, stupid NHS
(Northcliff High School??)