Scotland Chapter 5

Old postcards of the Royal Aberdeen Infirmary

When the doctor came to look at me and tell me about my surgery I could not believe it. He looked like a young Hugh Grant! I hollered at my girls Cherie and Isla that the hospital sure has cute doctors! They chimed in and said "They only come to see you!" You should have saw the doctors face......he turned all shades of red and about folded! I think Ross couldn't believe I did that! It was really cute! That is how the girls and I became fast friends. We were a trio already!

So, I am now ready to go to surgery and they come to get me. I am feeling so sorry for my husband because here we are alone in a strange country and I am getting ready to go get surgery and I could tell he was totally stressed out and as afraid as I was. they said they hoped to do laproscopic surgery but if it was too bad they would have to open the knee up to do a good job. I must tell you I had the morbid thought and made them promise they would not do more to me than they said....I had a vision of waking up with NO leg....


hospital as it looks today pictured above

Our friends had gone home hours earlier and they told hubby to call when he was ready to have them come back and pick him up. He wanted to stay with me at the hospital, and knew I was afraid to be alone. When they came to take me to surgery he followed the gurney down the hall and expected to be led to a waiting room for family of surgery patients, you know like we all are used to. We got to the elevator and the nurse said to him, "You can't go with us". He said "I want to hear how her surgery went from the doctor". The nurse said to him "no provisions for that, you can see your wife tomorrow at 2 o'clock in the afternoon during visiting hours"

Well it was 10:30 pm and that is a long time to wait to see someone who is as sick as they said I was, who was having surgery!

Now he had to call my 86 year old mother that he had no idea what was going to happen or would happen to me! Can you imagine? Those of you who know my mom will not imagine how hard that was! To top it off my mom was not well at the time either because she had taken a horrible fall and was now suffering with vertigo. Thank goodness my niece and great nephew came to take care of her and she wasn't at home alone. That would have been horrible and I would have worried myself sick!

When we got on the elevator the male nurse who was pushing my gurney said to the floor nurse, "You should have not done that to her husband because they are from so far away". She said, "it's the rule" and he said "don't do that to someone like them again" . Somehow I don't think she took that to heart...I am sure she will do it again. She was young and doesn't have enough life experience to know it was a bad thing.

The last thing I knew was I was in "theater" (what they call surgery) and the anesthesiologist was there waiting to knock me out. I do remember saying to her, now there will not be any big surprise for me will there please. She said no surprise.

Hubby found a compassionate nurse who did direct him to a room he could wait in while I was in surgery and he saw me come back to my ward. He did come in and see me to make sure I was okay before he called Richard to come get him at about 2am.

I was out of surgery and there was no more he could do. Richard and Angela came to pick him up.
Hubby sitting in my window Ward 43

to be continued.............................don't want to wear you out to quickly! :)

Scotland Chapter 4

As I lay sobbing on my bed and looking at my hospital gown that I was told to put on I heard this sound from the other side of the curtain.... "who's crying, did you hear that? Who is crying?

Well, it was the two young ladies across from me. They were all worried that someone was crying. I replied saying that it was me, I am behind the curtain. They both said it was going to be alright and trying to comfort me and asked me what was wrong? I said I wanted to go home and I was going to be having surgery. They both responded with, "Ahhhhhh" and then said "where are you from, you have an accent"

Hubby opened the curtain and I faced them telling them that I was there from Oklahoma, in the United States visiting friend, and that we were celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary with this trip. They really Ahhhhhhhhhed on that one. They wanted to know when I got to Scotland, and I told them last night I arrived to my friends house. They were sorry that I had gotten there before I even got a chance to see anything much.


We chatted back and forth and introduced ourselves. The older one straight across from me was Cherie. Cherie is 26 and had fallen down the stairs at her home after tripping on a toy her son and left on them. She had been home alone and said it took her 4 hours to crawl to a telephone to call for help. She had gotten a plate and four screws in her hip! Cherie works at a local school and is Mom to 2 absolutely adorable boys.

My Cherie

The next bed across was Isla (pronounced I la) and she and her boyfriend were in a car accident when a farmer pulled out in front of them on the highway. Isla had a broken back and Isla is a19 years old university student.

Isla Sweetie

Then the anesthesiologist came to talk to me before I went to surgery. She was a Indian woman and asked me all the usual questions before surgery. She asked my weight and I told her and she slapped her forehead and fell backward into the wall.......

Hubby said POUNDS not kilograms, which is about twice as much...that was a little humor, when I wasn't seeing any! I can still see her doing it and laughing to myself!

to be continued....................

Scotland Chapter 3

We drove over to Aberdeen after I packed a few things I might need for my stay in the hospital. We arrived at the hospital area and it was not clearly marked as to where you get "dropped off" to be checked in. Richard has always told us that in Scotland they don't want you driving your cars and provide little parking for them which means any designated parking is usually a long walk to where you want to go...that is how they keep the "old world" charm of the country. Well, the line going into one area was backed up, which later we found out was the main door...


Richard parked us in the public parking area and I had to muster up all my courage to stand the pain to walk up to the hospital. It was not a really long walk by normal standards, but a hideous one when you are hurting and limping like I was. I was being brave and thinking of the song "Cowgirls don't Cry" but it was hard! We got to the front door and Ross quickly found a wheelchair, be it the weirdest wheelchair I ever saw, to put me in and we found the area of admittance. I was looking all around and could not believe my eyes...
It looked old and beat up and I was thinking, what have I gotten myself into now!
They sent us down to Rheumatology to see a doctor there. It was a staging area where there were two people waiting one to be admitted to the hospital and other was just to be assessed like I was. A young woman doctor came to see me and went over my symptoms and looked at my leg. She said they needed to do blood work and then she would be back to talk to me.


You know as you sit and wait in a place like that you get to looking everything over! I was getting more freaked out by the minute, but remember I don't do "medical" very well anyway so it doesn't take much to freak me out. About 90 minutes goes by and the doctor comes back and informs me that I have a high level of infection in my blood and my white count was way off the scale..... and that I have a septic knee ( nice for staph infection) and I am going to have to go to surgery! Well you can imagine that now I am about to hyperventilate!

The rheumatology area pictured above
Hubby thinks I am weird I take hospital photos :)

She then tells me I will be taken up to Orthopaedic and I go to surgery from there....and a doctor will come talk to me about my test results further.
A nurse wheels me up to Orthopedic and they take me into a ward FULL of all kinds of people!

My bed is in the back far left corner by the window so we wind through all the people standing around. It was evening visiting hours by then so that is where all the people came from. In Scotland people get lots of visitors I figured out, but it did not help my fear and feeling of lack of privacy at a time I was so scared! They pulled the curtain around my bed and left us.

I was in Women's Ward 43 and I was sharing it with the 5 other women. I had not been in a Ward my whole life and I had not saw one since I was a kid! I don't like things that are too much different than I am used to. Richard and Angela were also fretting the fact I might should have been in one of the country's private hospitals. I was here now, so debate over.

A doctor comes in and talks to us that I need to have emergency surgery to flush out my knee immediately. He said my knee was the least of my problems if this was not taken care of quickly. Hubby and I just looked at each other, I could not believe it, what was he really saying to me, I could die? Yes that is what he meant and we agreed to the surgery. Thankfully visiting hours were over and it was quiet when we talked to the doctor. Hubby looked at me and said "you are terrified"! I replied yes I was, and the sobbing started.

to be continued.........

Scotland Chapter 2

We boarded our plane to Edinburgh Scotland that night at 9 PM to fly over to the country I had always dreamed of visiting but was too afraid to go! I had never saw New York City and it was fantastic to see the city and the Statue of Liberty from the air. I was awe struck with what I saw, as we flew up the coast of New England it started to become dusk and it was so beautiful looking out the plane window at the Full Moon in the sky. As it became darker the full moon shown across the ocean waters into the inlets and the coastal towns had their lights on, and they were twinkling like Christmas villages! I was seeing something very beautiful and I knew I was seeing a rare sight I could not replicate again. It was just magic and I was enjoying the plane trip and I was so glad to see this beautiful site.

We settled in and got comfortable, wrapped up in our blankets and ready to sleep. My leg was still hurting but at least I had a big comfortable seat. I was so grateful hubby had treated me to first class now that I was not feeling as good as I would like.

I dozed off and on most of the night and as we got close to Scotland you could not see anything due to the clouds until just before we were coming down to land. It was so neat looking at the little farm houses out in the country side! Picture perfect I thought to myself.

We landed and disembarked the airplane at 7:30 Edinburgh time awaiting Richard and Angela to pick us up. They had about a 3 hour drive to fetch us and they found us about 8:30. I had ditched the wheel chair but my cane gave me away to them that something was not quite right with me. I just brushed it off and said "long story" don't ask. I must tell you I was in agony by now and my leg was huge from swelling. I think I hid it well and I hope I did.

We drove to their home in Banchory the scenic route and stopped at several little tea houses and a pub for a snack. The country side was so beautiful and the houses were just like out of a movie! I could not believe that everything was so adorable and how preserved the past was for them! I told hubby I love it here! I was hurting, but the beauty around me distracted me of it. I was in heaven on earth!!!!

We arrived at Richard and Angela's house and my leg was getting unbearably painful, hot and swelling. It was red and purplish on the back side of my calf. I think riding in the car with my leg down made it hurt and swell worse.

Ross went and spoke to Richard about it and said he thought I needed to see a doctor. They told Ross we had to call the NHS health care hot line and speak to them to get me an appointment with the local doctor's clinic in their town. We did and they asked questions and then made the appointment for the next morning in Banchory.

We got up and ate breakfast and then went to the little clinic. They took my name and then you wait to have your name called. They did soon enough and I had to go to Room 6, so I walked down the hall, painfully I might add, and opened the door. There sat a young female doctor who I explained my situation to. She examined my leg and said my knee is hot and how did I feel about my body otherwise? I told her if you cut my leg off at the hip I would be fine....she laughed and told me she had left her hack saw at home that morning.

The doctor decided we needed to go to the hospital in Aberdeen to get blood tests and maybe I need to get IV antibiotics! What!!!!! I don't want to go to a hospital on my vacation! She called them and told them to expect me. I think Angela and Richard could not believe it any more than we could!

Richard said lets go to lunch first. I must say that was a good thing, but it was the longest lunch I have ever had because I was so freaked out. I must tell you I am not much better about medical procedures than I am about flying.... need I say more?

to be continued........

Scotland Chapter 1

I have been absent for sometime the reason being we were in Scotland for two weeks. We had our 25Th wedding anniversary to celebrate and my hubby was turning another year older while we were to be gone. Hubby has traveled with his job before he retired but I haven't gone out of the United States before except the usual Canadian and Caribbean trips. I hate to admit it but I am a white knuckle flier and I have talked myself out of this particular trip off and on for 2 years. Our friends Richard and Angela, have had their door open to us for some time and there was always some reason in my mind not to travel. We bought the tickets from my travel agent friend who got us great prices. We were set and no backing out now, the 1st class tickets were to make me less nervous! Yeah right, it started right after the AIR France flight from Rio went down in the Atlantic, then there was the crash in Amsterdam.....well then the pilot died in flight from London to Newark.....oh my gosh! Well I gotta get that right out of my head, don't I? Now all I have to do now is pack my clothes and have fun. As I was packing my shoes I knelt down and snap...something happened in my knee. I fell over on the floor and told my husband, I pulled a ligament I think. That was on July 2 and we are scheduled to leave in 3 days. I will be okay, just take it easy. Well my knee swelled up and just kept getting more painful. We flew out of Tulsa at 7 am the next morning but I had to be taken in a wheelchair in the airport because my pain was so bad. My hubby and I thought this is temporary and I will just be off of it during the trip and I will be good to go....

We flew into Newark N.J. and had a 9 hour layover. Thank goodness for the Presidents Club for our layover! I was able to relax in a non crowded area until our flight was to leave at 9PM

that evening. We were making the most of it as they said.....

to be continued........