Express Track

Well.....during the night, the pains in my back increased and I knew that meant yesterday's chainsawing had loosened at least one big kidney stone or a number of small ones had wedged in the pipes. Off to the bathroom at 4am to get prepared, pack a bag for hospital and then wake Angie to ask her to take me to Memmingen hospital A&E.

Left home at 5:30, in A&E at 6:00, immediately seen to by night shift doctor who quickly analysed the situation & my large kidney stone case history at the hospital.  I joked about the chainsaw and the fact I had a long standing appointment in Munich today to access my kidney stones.  She dosed me up with a fairly strong analgesic (75% strength of morphine but with higher sedative effect) and said I'd be on the morning operating list but she couldn't say when until Prof came in at 7am, at shift change, to do his rounds. So I was left to doze/float off on my bed in A&E. 

Sometime around 8am, a junior doctor came in to see me and told me I had to leave the hospital and would not be treated! You What? It went backwards & forwards with a slightly more senior doctor joining the debate. Their reasoning was that as I had an appointment in Munich then Prof said I should go there. 

Of course they had no answer to:
- How I got there (120km, 1½hours minimum) and under sedation.
- The Munich hospital has no A&E department.

Absurd situation, Prof clearly really pi**ed off that I - actually my Urologist - had considered another hospital more competent to carry out the planned keyhole surgery. I phoned Angie at home who had already phoned the Munich hospital to say I wouldn't be coming for the check-in appointment today & probably not the operation on Monday, as the stones had popped out & would be acutely dealt with at Memmingen. So the task now was to find a hospital! Angie phoned the Munich hospital again and luckily got a very understanding person who said I should come in and although they don't have A&E, they would somehow get me sorted.

So Angie drove back to Memmingen, I staggered along the corridors & as I happen to pass the Urology Prof's office, I simply walked in and at that very moment Prof came through a door behind reception and I could give him a piece of my mind, including the expression "beleidigte Uhu" - insulted (eagle) owl.

This insult was adopted from Low German into High German in the 17th century. It may have originated from the Low German schuffut ("eagle owl") because the eagle owl was considered ugly. The term was initially intended for impoverished, down-and-out noblemen, but its use later expanded to include common, down-and-out or malicious people in general.

He just stood there with his mouth wide open blabbering something about me wanting to ho elsewhere.  I'm a bit angry with myself for not reporting him to the appropriate authorities for dereliction of his duty to care for people.

Anyway,  Angie drove me to the train station at the other side of town, the Munich train doors literally shutting in my face. Due to track works along the line, it was then necessary to drive the 50km halfway to Munich where I just managed to jump on a train as doors closed. Angie going back to car, spotted my mobile on the ground, naturally with my digital train ticket, ran back, hammered on the door & luckily the train attendant was standing right there & opened up!

Got to Munich, walked now somewhat more steadily the 10 minutes to the hospital & was very quickly dealt with.  I think I was in the operating room within 1 to 1½ hours.