27 June 2009

An 'Interesting' Day

It started out as a typical Saturday. I did a visit in the morning, a few errands later and then home to prepare two Sunday services. Confession-time here: I rarely get my sermon done before Saturday and usually spend Saturday afternoon writing it.

At about 3:00, Wonderful Husband rings from work to say that he's seeing 'flashing lights and black spots' and he's booked a check-up at the Optometrist after work. Immediately, I'm thinking 'detached retina'. WH said 'I rang NHS direct and they told me to go straight to A&E ('accident & emergency' - 'Emergency Room' in American) but I thought that was a bit over the top.'

I told him I'd be happier if he went straight to A&E. Which he did. To the 'wrong' hospital which didn't have a facility to look at eyes. He finally ended up at the 'right' hospital which has an ophthalmology unit that seems to be a national centre of excellence; well, according to their website, they do eye surgeries that can't be done in any other part of of the UK.

Anyway, they found that he had a tear in his retina and they have performed laser surgery and sent him home.  He can see;  his eye isn't bandaged and there is no worry about driving or travelling.

This leaves me in awe and amazement and also reminds me that I'm getting old! I reckon 15 years ago, it would have had to have been conventional surgery with a knife. (I know someone who had this sort of surgery in the early 1980s and it was major surgery.)  Now it's a quick procedure and home. 

Right now this feels rather 'Star Trek-ish' (think walking into Sick Bay and having the doctor wave a computer at you and everything is sorted) and it also feels like an amazing blessing. It also reminds me how lucky we are in the West. In some countries, a person would just start losing their sight at this stage.

Thank you, Lord.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank God! Yes, absolutely amazing what they can do. I was at a conference today where the speaker noted that, as a child, we feared polio and went from polio shots to sugar cubes to - nothing. And remember smallpox shots? Today's med students know nothing of this.

Thank God also for quick thinking on you and your husband's part.

PS - I think we have the same technology here - you just have to have insurance. Obama won't have that fixed before you get here, but we have hope.

PamBG said...

I think we have the same technology here - you just have to have insurance. Obama won't have that fixed before you get here, but we have hope.

I was tempted to add a comment at the bottom of my post to the effect that if you don't have insurance in the US, you'd go blind as well but I thought that might be too much of a cheap shot.

I'll tell you what, though. There was certainly the temptation to not buy temporary individual health insurance cover until one of us has a job and can have group health. THAT temptation is no longer there!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to hear that everything worked out. That is an amazing story! Hopefully, nothing else like that to happen any time soon!

Richard Hall said...

Some of this medical technology is extraordinary, isn't it. So glad your husband got the treatment he needed - yay for the NHS!
And I hope that neither of you will be making much use of that medical insurance when you get back Stateside. Be well.

Doorman-Priest said...

I love a story with a happy ending!

David said...

Yes thank you Lord. I think by what you said you ended up at a hospital not a million miles from here!

Thank you also to those generations of socialist politicians - many of them inspired by a Christian faith - who have made it possible for such surgery to be free at the point of delivery.

Lovely story, really encouraging and a good reminder that we still have battles to be fought.

PamBG said...

I think by what you said you ended up at a hospital not a million miles from here!

2.1 miles from there, if Google Maps can possibly be that accurate!

Thank you also to those generations of socialist politicians - many of them inspired by a Christian faith - who have made it possible for such surgery to be free at the point of delivery.

Amen. Might get 'round to writing a post to that effect. The conversation elsewhere is head-bangingly frustrating. I'm going back to the land which thinks that caring for others is unChristian and that being a Clint-Eastwood-rugged-individualist is What God Wants. Bah. (Dons tin hat)