Lost So Much Blood

[dlsafrica]

I had a horrible fall this week. Got out of bed, took three steps, stumbled and hit my head on the TV table... only when I got to the bathroom basin did I realise I was bleeding. 

What ambulance doesn't come for four hours? Got to the hospital with a friend from church, and I was out of there by 5.30 that night but it coukd have been so much worse. Factor in that there was a policeman in the ward the whole day. I have an irrational fear (suppose that's a phobia then) of policemen. I spent the whole day wondering what I had done wrong when he was there because of a multiple car accident 

 

[Dubious]

You most likely wasn't a high priority. 

Everyone should have first aid kits.
I have a gauze roll with me everywhere, which I can tie around wounds.
It can be a short term fix for almost everything.

Then I have an excuse to drive over the speed limit..

[DailyDi]

Owie! Hope you feel better.

[Little Cub Pants]

So did it take 4 hours for the ambulance to get there and take you to the hospital? And while that was going on you just bled out meanwhile?!??????☹️ I'm kinda confused. Did you have to get a blood transfusion???????☹️

[rusty pins]

When I started working at the hospital, in orientation the head of security spoke about how a hospital is the second most dangerous place to work.  Compaired to big metropolitan cities, ours is relatively small but it is a large hospital complex.  We have had druggies break open the secured locked main hospital doors and assult security.  The ER is where security is based although security officers are always patroling the floors and building complex.  We also have a mental unit attached to the hospital.  The floors or hospital main phone department is always calling overhead for security codes to report to areas where a disturbance has broken out.  If you think about it, a person brought into a hospital as a shooting or stabbing victum will be brought to the Emergency Room.  The people who did the stabbing or shooting may try to show up and finish the job, or have others do it for them, or the families of the victum and shooter may arrive at the ER and clash.  That has happened many times.  Having police and security in the Emergency Room is never a bad thing.  Only if you broke the law!  They are there to keep everyone safe should something happen.

[dlsafrica]

I was bleeding from the wound (blood was shooting out in a single fountain stream) for 4 hours until someone could pick me up. The ambulance never came. I was holding a facecloth over it initially, but later two bathroom towels (which were both soaked and have now been cleaned). I only have one area in the bathroom  still to clean.

And I suffer from internal bleeding (no clotting factor) so it makes it worse

[Little Cub Pants]

2 hours ago, dlsafrica said:

I was bleeding from the wound (blood was shooting out in a single fountain stream) for 4 hours until someone could pick me up. The ambulance never came. I was holding a facecloth over it initially, but later two bathroom towels (which were both soaked and have now been cleaned). I only have one area in the bathroom  still to clean.

And I suffer from internal bleeding (no clotting factor) so it makes it worse

DAMN! That's awful buddy!????????? Did you have to have a blood transfusion??? And why do you suffer from internal bleeding, is it another disorder you have???? I'm sorry you had to go through that bud!??? Hugs!❤️??❤️?❤️????☺️??❤️

[Dubious]

2 hours ago, dlsafrica said:

The ambulance never came.

This is why you never hang up until the ambulance arrives.

If they end the call, you immediately call them again.

I have seen a few Youtube videos, and in all successful rescues they hang up the phone when ambulance arrives, and when they hang up phone before they arrive the operator often get fired. 

[Little Cub Pants]

37 minutes ago, Dubious said:

This is why you never hang up until the ambulance arrives.

If they end the call, you immediately call them again.

I have seen a few Youtube videos, and in all successful rescues they hang up the phone when ambulance arrives, and when they hang up phone before they arrive the operator often get fired. 

But why would an ambulance not come just because you hung up the phone before they arrive?? that doesn't make any sense.?????? And if you ask me that's very unprofessional of them to do that, especially when the patient could be dying at that point, for all they know!???????☹️????

[Dubious]

9 hours ago, BabySpiderBoy said:

But why would an ambulance not come just because you hung up the phone before they arrive?? that doesn't make any sense.?????? And if you ask me that's very unprofessional of them to do that, especially when the patient could be dying at that point, for all they know!???????☹️????

Cause in some countries its all about the money.
They probably got calls that were closer, and then "forgot" to send an ambulance.

Its the same with other stuff.
I needed surgery, and got set up for surgery many months ahead, but with a few phone calls and pushing I got it in about a week.
If you are quiet, you get ignored. 

[Little Cub Pants]

2 hours ago, Dubious said:

Cause in some countries its all about the money.
They probably got calls that were closer, and then "forgot" to send an ambulance.

Its the same with other stuff.
I needed surgery, and got set up for surgery many months ahead, but with a few phone calls and pushing I got it in about a week.
If you are quiet, you get ignored. 

That's ridiculous!??? And that's a bunch of bullshit!!!!!??????? If that was me I would sue them for all they got, and I'd hire a very vicious lawyer! I would raise HELL!!!!???????????

[oliver d]

first of all I hope you feel much better, but there is something that the folk in the US don't understand about South Africa. It is a third world state run by a incompetent government with a shot health care system. No ambulance coming no surprise about that. I am a ex South African who left years ago and it has only gotten worse since I left .

[dlsafrica]

I was born without factor 8 in my blood, which is resposible for stopping internal bleeding.  Its not too bad if the wound is open to the air, but a head wound is always serious.

The healthcare system has some definite positives over, for example, America, but one would probably find that no system is 100 percent flawless. I wonder what would happen if I had a serious situation in Norway in June. I haven't got much time at all to save up, even for spending money.

[Little Cub Pants]

7 minutes ago, dlsafrica said:

I was born without factor 8 in my blood, which is resposible for stopping internal bleeding.  Its not too bad if the wound is open to the air, but a head wound is always serious.

The healthcare system has some definite positives over, for example, America, but one would probably find that no system is 100 percent flawless. I wonder what would happen if I had a serious situation in Norway in June. I haven't got much time at all to save up, even for spending money.

So if you get a head wound do you immediately have to go to the hospital? And how do they stop the internal bleeding?????

[Dubious]

3 hours ago, dlsafrica said:

I wonder what would happen if I had a serious situation in Norway in June.

If you are near a town the ambulance will come in less than 10 minutes.

If you are up in the mountains or any other remote location, they send a helicopter. 

Both are free, even for foreigners. 

[raekun]

15 hours ago, Dubious said:

If you are near a town the ambulance will come in less than 10 minutes.

If you are up in the mountains or any other remote location, they send a helicopter. 

Both are free, even for foreigners. 

the helicopter is free …

Here in the US nothing is free. Not even freedom! Bottom line i am shocked if that is true that they are free!

[Dubious]

4 hours ago, raekun said:

the helicopter is free …

Here in the US nothing is free. Not even freedom! Bottom line i am shocked if that is true that they are free!

You can buy guns at Walmart...

[vvp39]

Well, "free" in the sense of being paid for by taxpayers....

[Dubious]

1 hour ago, vvp39 said:

Well, "free" in the sense of being paid for by taxpayers....

Less than Americans would pay for insurance, and everything the insurance doesn't cover.

There is enough stories about people on this board that are broke cause of medical bills.

[vvp39]

"There is enough stories about people on this board that are broke cause of medical bills."

True. I'm certainly not claiming that the medical insurance system in this country is perfect; in fact it sucks for far too many people. I simply pointed out that "free stuff" is not really free.

[ppdude]

1 hour ago, vvp39 said:

"There is enough stories about people on this board that are broke cause of medical bills."

True. I'm certainly not claiming that the medical insurance system in this country is perfect; in fact it sucks for far too many people. I simply pointed out that "free stuff" is not really free.

All of you are right. Insurance sucks and costs too much and covers too little. The mega corps don't care about anything except the mighty buck and damned anybody who gets in the way. I yearn for earlier times when people and business had a thing called virtue.

 

 

[AbabeBill]

@dlsafrica I’m a bit late, but I hope you are doing better now? That was a terrible experience you went through. 
If you can hang you tv on the wall, and get rid of the table, it would be safer, maybe? 
You’re right about head wounds, they bleed the worst. Maybe you can pick up some pressure bandages at some point, for just in case?