"Lack of MRI"

We constantly see stories about acting quickly when you think someone has had a stroke and its scary when your GP says go straight to hospital, don’t wait for an ambulance because it will take too long. So this happened to me when I took my husband to the GP towards the end of one day in October because I kept hoping he would improve, but he didn’t. He had no symptoms that I would associate with a stroke, but everything to do with his current medical condition MS. But we went, of course, I’m not a doctor.

It just so happened that the night we chose to go the main road to Musgrove from Minehead was closed and we had a big diversion making our journey time about an hour. Musgrove phoned to check we were on our way and told us to go straight to the acute ward. So far so good. We checked in and waited, and waited and were not seen until the early hours by a doctor. A scan was ordered, doctor saying it was urgent that it be done straightaway. I began to worry that we had been waiting a long while. But it was sometime around about 2.30 am I think, and my husband transferred to the stroke ward. I am hazy about times as my information comes from a frightened man fearing the worst. But the scan was inconclusive so an MRI was ordered.

It’s now three days later and no scan. Aside from struggling to get his prescribed medicines, always a problem, he is now taking up a bed, and although improving health wise his metal health is deteriorating with the stress of just not knowing. I have a fifty mile round trip to visit each day and cannot predict the right time to be there to help when he sees his consultant. He is quite lost and also quite deaf. He has lovely nursing staff and the physios in particular having been helping him regain his confidence in walking. But I don’t even know if his detailed notes are available from his doctor which might highlight areas of concern that have more to do with his MS than a stroke. I am both disappointed and concerned that my husbands condition might deteriorate due to stress and cannot understand why it has taken so long for him to have an MRI. He is, after all, sat there waiting.

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