"Pre-holiday scare"

I went to Good Hope hospital's A&E (on advice from 111 service) with pains in my chest and difficulty breathing. I was seen very quickly and had a blood test, ECG and chest X-ray. I was told to wait in the ACU (ambulatory care unit) for the results.

After an hour or so, a doctor saw me about my results. She wasn't sure if I'd got a chest infection or a blood clot on my lung, the results weren't conclusive. She asked me to return the next day for a CT scan. I told the doctor that I was due to go on holiday that day with my partner. She told me that, if I had a blood clot, I couldn't possibly go on holiday because I would need immediate treatment. However, if it was a chest infection then I could go. That evening we packed our bags still hoping to be going on holiday.

We drove to the hospital for 9am without an appointment but knowing that there was a CT scan request for me in the system. We were due to leave for holiday by 1pm at the latest to catch a cruise from Southampton. I went to the X-ray department, explained my predicament to reception and was seen very quickly again. I had my CT scan and went back to ACU for results. Again, within an hour, I had my results. It was good news, no blood clot, just a chest infection! Wow, what a relief! The doctor I saw the previous day had already put me on anti-biotics in case it was a chest infection and thankfully I was already feeling a bit better by Sunday morning. We got the all clear to go on holiday by mid-morning so we were off down the motorway to Southampton. Excellent service from all the staff at GH. Thank you all.