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Earlier in the week, on one of my walks, I failed to lift my foot over a raised section of sidewalk, tripped, then staggered. I felt a bit jarred at the time, nothing serious I thought. The next morning I had a sore knee, it is still sore. It did not surprise me to have a sore knee because of tripping along. However, I was completely unprepared for the upset to my ribs. In fact, I did not make a connection between the chest pains that started the next morning and the tripping episode. The chest pains did not go away. This morning I decided that they could no longer be completely ignored and so called my GP (General Practitioner) on the telephone. He was out but the receptionist assured me that I should take myself immediately to the hospital emergency. I was advised not to drive. My first step was to call Auntie Mame, who just happened to be leaving for work and readily volunteered to give me a lift to the hospital. The next problem was "The Teenager". She does not have a house key; she could arrive home before my return. I hastily wrote a note, taped it to the door, and ran over to the neighbors, B&S, to leave the key with them. Contrary to the advice given on being prepared for hospital visits, I did not think of or care about the condition of my underwear. The emergency intake was not crowded. The gentleman ahead of me had injured his head with a shop vac. I could not make out the details, but filed it as a cautionary tale since I own and use such. Then it was my turn. The questions were routine and thorough. I was obviously in no immediate danger and was told that I would have to wait approximately an hour to receive attention. Luckily I had "A Suitable Boy" along and settled down for a pleasant read. It was no time at all before they took me into an examination room, or whatever those rooms are called where you take off your clothes and lie on table. The nurse introduced herself and explained that they would be doing an ECG. Very soon thereafter a woman with a machine came through the curtain and proceeded to hook me up from stem to stern. It was painless. She took one look at the read out and told me it looked normal to her. I relaxed instantly. Things slowed after that, based on the fact that I was not in any real danger or pain. Eventually my blood pressure was taken and the doctor appeared to discuss the ECG and the chest pains. Apparently, my heart seems in excellent condition, as do my lungs. He felt I must have done something to my ribs. I racked my brain to think of an incident where my ribs might have been hurt. The only explanation I could come up with was my trip on the sidewalk. My hospital visit was relatively pleasant and the results were welcome. On my return, home I realized I had forgotten to eat breakfast. I was ravenous. After a quick snack of creamed peas on toast, I was so exhausted I put myself to bed for a nap. I had been putting dinner together when I decided to run off to the hospital. Luckily all I had to do was throw chicken, broth, and vegetable into the crockpot and turn it on before I left. This evening's supper was a simple matter of adding dumplings to the stew and waiting.
It has been brought to my attention that the recipe for Appleberry Pie could be posted. An excellent idea! Attila was very glad to hear that the chest pains were of benign origin. He is looking very tired this evening and must work tomorrow. His alarm is set for 5:30 a.m. so I must end my efforts for this evening and put us both to bed. |
RECIPES :: Cast Worldly Distractions  Columbine By the Easy Chair A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth A Recipe Appleberry Pie 9 inch Pastry for 9-inch Two-Crust Pie 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. lemon juice dash of salt 5 1/2 cups thinly sliced pared tart apples (about 6 medium) 1/2 cup blackberries 1 tbsp. butter Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pastry. Mix sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice and stir. turn into pastry-lined pie plate; dot with butter. Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 3 -inch strip of aluminum foil; remove foil during the last 15 minutes of baking. Bake until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, 40 to 50 minutes. Note: if using self-rising flour, omit salt. Adapted from Fresh Apple Pie, Betty Crocker's Cookbook |
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