Day 76......... KOL

I'd booked the Tickets to see the Kings of Leon play at Hyde Park before "The foot" happened. So after having to cancel all of this years sailing, holidays, exhibitions abroad I was rather determined that this would be one event that I'd manage to get to.
I had to purchase another two tickets on top of my original two, to allow me to be able to sit within the accessible arena due to Ticket master's refusal to give me a refund, but this was still better than missing out !
So off I went on my big adventure yesterday morning, after a long drive to London, we parked the car in Park avenue underground & we began the hike to Marble Arch. Typically inconvenient, I became in need of the loo ! This is a nightmare, after all concentrating on the ground so as to avoid any slippery obstacles with your crutches, doesn't enable you to hop at any speed :(
I plodded on slow & steadily, as the panic set in, my palms began to sweat- brilliant on plastic crutch handles ! Eventually, after about 25 minutes, we made it to Marble Arch & asked a policeman where the nearest loo was. He suggested we try to cross the road (a major junction in central London !) & use one, in one of the shops. After a bit of crowd dodging & 3 pedestrian crossings were successfully conquered we made it to KFC. Only to find the loos were up 2 huge flights of stairs ! So I gamely began to hop up them, by now my hair is stuck to my head with the sheer exhaustion & panic sweat, & my now very sweaty palms were slipping around precariously on my crutch handles, not a great position to be in !
I got to the top- hurrah !
Bugger !!!!
A long queue for the ladies !
By now even my boyfriend was concerned & sweetly offered to act as bouncer whilst I used the gents.......... just as thought I was about to lose yet another shred of dignity courtesy of the foot I spied a KFC worker out of the corner of my eye.
"Excuse me" i asked in the calmest voice I could muster, " please can you tell me where your disabled toilet is ?" The KFC worker, was a small but impatient oriental lady who carefully surveyed me up & down, looking intently at the perspiration on my forehead, my crutches & of course the foot ! She muttered something that I couldn't understand & gestured downstairs ;(
So I picked my way back down the two flights of stairs & followed her to the back of the restaurant where she did, after one more scrutiny of the foot, unlock the disabled loo- Bingo !!!!

So normality resumed, I was now pretty tired, shoulders hurt, foot was swelling, protesting at the hike & bumping around, so we made our way back to Marble Arch, where I sat & recharged my flagging arms. We were waiting for two friends to join us, one of which was a Canadian, with a knack for hunting down Knights in Shining armour I discovered later.

Our friends arrived & we started to make our way into Hyde Park, after about 20 minutes, my left palm began to hurt, I stopped & looked, not only had I developed an impressive blister, it had just burst ! I carried on a few minutes longer, my friends by now were getting a little concerned. The pain from the blister was beginning to cause a problem all of its own- off setting my balance ! Our Canadian friend decided, action was what was required & set off stridently across the park in search of a St Johns ambulance. She struck gold ! We found a couple of policemen in a patrol van who were only too happy to unpack their first aid kit & bandage up the offending blister with enough wadding to ensure I'd not only be protected, but look like I'd done something far greater to it than the hard earned blister. The care & attention they were taking over the task in hand did make me feel just a little bit special- haha !
Whilst the policemen were concentrating on my hand, our Canadian friend decided more help was need & once again strode off purposefully across the park...................

I couldn't believe it ! She'd pulled it off again !
As she walked towards me I could see she was being followed............ by "Pablo" a park keeper, who was driving a golf buggy !
Pablo kindly piled me, the foot, the hand & my crutches into his golf buggy & after telling my friends he would look after me until they caught us up, he put his foot to the floor, heading in the direction of the gate to the disabled access area.
Great fun!
By now, yes I did have to concede slightly that having "the Foot" sometimes had a few advantages.

Friends caught up, we entered the gate & wow ! The disabled area was not only seated with plenty of room for me & the foot to have our own chairs, it had it's own disabled loos ! No lengthy muddy queues for me- Wahoo ! It also was on a staged area, not too far from the stage & above the crowds. Drawback was, only one friend could accompany me in as a carer :)
I had a great evening, in relative comfort & worth the struggle. It was by far the best evening I've had in 76 days !

Foot still protesting today with swelling & of course the inevitable pain that goes with it, but it was soooo worth it :)

Good old NHS

With an icepack on my foot & it supported by the crew members coats, Peter the skipper drove me the 2 hr journey back to the local A & E in Tunbridge Wells, I found a seat & still in Musto & Dubarry's along with my bag of foulies & sailing gear I began to wait.....
After a while I hopped over to the reception desk & enquired if I should sign in or something ? The receptionist beckoned to a seat in front of her & began to take down my details, the foot was growing nicely at this point, along with the throbbing. After completing a few basic questions, nature of problem, name address etc, she then informed me I'd need to make my way to the minor injuries unit, which was a five minute walk or so through a few corridors. I politely asked if there was a wheelchair available, "no, sorry we're short of those today" she replied, so I picked up my bag & began to hop whilst holding on to whatever secure props along the way i could reach. Luckily, a rather nice chap saw the size of my now rather colourful & odd shaped foot & offered me his arm. On arrival in the MIU, he also found me a wheel chair & sat me down, passing the paperwork I'd been given to the reception desk, by now it was around 3 1/2 hrs since I'd done the deed.
After about another hour or so, I was feeling pretty sick with the pain, a Dutch woman (who was there with her daughter who'd fallen from her horse & had suspected concussion) noticed my discomfort & highlighted this to the medical staff. Along came a young doctor who after enquiring about allergies etc, gave me a couple of co codamol, all the while still no one had looked at or examined said foot !
Eventually after a takeaway from Wagamamas (also kindly provided by the Dutch lady) I was taken through for assessment, by now it was almost 10pm, 4 hrs after I'd arrived ! After X-ray lovely young doc, confirmed I'd broken a metatarsal & prescribed a back slab plaster, some co codamol & an outpatients appt at the fracture clinic in 4 days time.
Shortly after this, I was greeted by the lovely smiling face of a chap from the Phillipines, "Hi I'm Johnathan & I'm your plasterer" was his opening line, I resisted the urge to respond with a quip about his screeding skills. After a brief discussion about the size of the cast, I explained that the sailing trousers I was wearing were new & I was reluctant to lose them due to them not being able to be removed, Johnathan scratched his head for a while & looked a little embarrassed. A flash of inspiration then led me to explain to the lovely Johnathan that I had my very baggy foulie trousers (heavy duty sailing waterproofs) in my bag & suggested that if I removed the ones I was wearing until he had finished his 'plastering' I could then put these foulie's on to go home in !
Johnathan left me in the cubicle, I proceeded to squirm around on the hospital bed, whilst trying to wriggle my trousers down until they fell off of my feet. I then grabbed the hospital gown that had been left to spare my blushes, wrapped it around my waist & waited........
When Johnathan reappeared he looked a little embarrassed & explained that he needed me to lie face down on the bed, with the offending foot hanging over the end. Again I squirmed myself into position & found myself face down, with the hospital gown covering my bum & thighs & one leg bent up at the knee with Johnathan now sitting at the end of the bed with his bucket of water & plaster of Paris at the ready to begin his sculpture. Up to now, my foot had been permanently in a pointed toe position that would make most ballet dancers proud, Johnathan did his best to bend it back into a normal angle/alignment with my ankle & proceeded to slab the plaster around the back & heel to hold it in place. I grimaced & gulped, blushing red with embarrassment, becoming tearful & emotional with the pain in front of everyone was not an option, I'd already decided.
Plastering finished, I then pulled my foulies out of the bag, bright red dungarees with the grey all weather bum & knee patches, normal for sailing but obviously not really Tunbridge Wells fashion, there was no choice I concluded as I pulled them on, again squirming, a few grunts escaped as I managed to wriggle into them & sat upright. Armed with crutches I then wobbled precariously out of the cubicle, fully appreciating every pound of the 9 3/4 stones I weighed. How on earth am I supposed to be able to support myself & be mobile I wondered to myself as my biceps throbbed & shook in protest !
Dutch lady had become quite concerned about me & so kindly offered to take me home once my cast had set. Home is a maisonette contained within a three floor converted Victorian building, requiring a steep flight of stairs to get to the front door & then further conquering of another staircase to get to the loo...........
After getting me inside, Dutch lady left me with her contact details, along with a bar of Galaxy chocolate (emergency provisions) & departed. I was indeed deeply grateful for the kindness this lady who had in fact been a total stranger up until a few hours earlier, had shown me. Thank god for the good Samaritans on this planet !