Now, I'm a responsible cell (mobile) phone user. People know that they can get ahold of me and I don't leave it laying around or forget to take it with me. It is my lifeline and link to my family and others. However, the day of my GP appointment I was not exactly thinking straight. I ran out the door without my glass, shoes in hand and when I got on the bus I discovered that I had left my phone in my room. Great. Well it's a 10 min appointment and 40 min bus rides, I'll be back soon enough and grab it, no big deal. Well, unfortunately for everyone else in my life, it became a big deal.
The entertaining thing was that the Dr's kept asking if I would like to call someone to be with me. I kept telling them yes, but I needed a phone book or something to look up the number because, well, all the numbers are in my cell phone... But they never did. I knew I could give my friend my flat key and she could retrieve my phone..... but I needed the number....
In the meantime, my flatmate - who was worried about me - tried to call, facebook message,whatsapp.... she could hear my phone in my room, but didn't understand why I didn't answer.
Meanwhile on the west coast, my kids knew I had the GP appointment and were all hoping I would have some kind of news. They figured that by the time they woke up I would have texted them with something. But there was nothing. My son tried to call, no answer. An hour later still no answer. In fact 3 of my kids tried calling but to no avail.
By this time everyone was just short of panic mode. My daughter in law decided to take the bull by the horns. She went out onto my facebook page and found my flatmate and sent her a message. She also reached out to my friends in the ward. My flatmate was trying to decide if she should go down to reception and get them to let them into my room. At my daughter in law's insistence they decided to see what they could do. This is now about 11:00 pm. It took reception an hour and a half before they would open my door and they made my flatmate wait in the kitchen. When they finally opened my door all they would say was I that I was not in there. So I didn't die in my room, but where was I?
My friend started to call the police and then started calling the hospitals and found me in the Southampton University General Hospital. My son called the hospital and by now it's the middle night here. They told him I was stable and to call back in the morning. He set his alarm for 2:00 am. When he called again they wouldn't let me take the call down at the desk and the phone by my bed wouldn't work. I was frustrated that I was so close and yet still had no contact. My friend and flatmate came up, gave me her phone so that the kids could call, and took my flat key so that I could get essentials, my meds and my phone.
When I finally got my phone I had a million missed calls and messages. The first thing I did was send a message to the family chat, my dad and siblings. We did a family call that I'm not sure was helpful because I looked a fright, I was not tracking well, in fact everyone thought I was on drugs, but it was just me.
My German daughter when she realised what was happening, rearranged her schedule so that she could be with me for a couple of days so that I was not sitting there with no one. Since it is only an hour flight from here to Germany she made it here in record time. Her presence here was invaluable to me and I can never repay her sacrifice to be here. At home, decisions were made and my oldest son was on the next flight out to England to be with me. So after that first day I had family around me. The overlap of a day between the two was needed and everyone felt much better about the arrangements and, well now, they could get up dates and know what is going on.
Now everyone says to put on clean underwear (knickers) in case of an accident. Really? Hum.... nope. It's like american express- don't leave home without your mobile phone. The one time I did, well it didn't work out too well. I apologize again for scaring the life out of everyone. I never knew so many people cared, and well that's a good feeling.
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