Inflexible Health Care? Not always.

Today, Abbe has been through a whole range of kidney examinations. Mag3-scintigraphy, Crome-clearance and esophagogram test. Sigh.

He has done a Mag 3-scint before and you can read more about those here. However, Crom-clearance was new to us. It works like this: A substance is injected in your blood, you wait half an hour and then provide a blood sample. Then you wait another half hour and give another blood sample. And repeat. And again. I think we did it seven or eight times in total. Poor Abbe. But he did have a needle fixed all the time, so it wasn’t a case of keeping inserting the needle. The purpose of this examination is to measure the kidney’s capability to clean the blood.

As you might know by now, it’s not easy to put a needle into Abbe. Although today, it was relatively easy. Abbe was given a sedative (Dormicum) in his bum before they started, so he didn’t move that much when they inserted the needle. I was incredibly impressed. We were meant to come back the following week for an esophagography, but what if he could have done it today. I mean, the needle was already there.

The nurses suggested we ask at the X-Ray unit. Hardly likely to get approval for this, we though … but we went along, just in case.

– Hi. Abbe is to have an X-ray in a week’s time, but we’re here now – and he has a needle inserted already. Any chance you could do it today instead? Then you wouldn’t have to do it next week. It’s not easy with him.

The nurse at the X-Ray reception looked at us as if we were completely bonkers. Then she said “Just a moment” and disappeared for a while.
– You’re in luck, she said.
– Our staff is on a course today, so we have no booked appointments. We only take emergencies. So they could take Abbe after all. Come back after lunch.

Incredible.

Espresso, please.

Abbe is a right little Italian at heart. Prefers espresso, preferably with a piece of Valrhona chocolate.