"A broken wrist, putting me back together!"

I was cycling home from work on Tuesday evening at 5pm and came off my bike landing badly on my left wrist but didn’t realise that initially. I had grazed my knees and the right side of my face but after the initial shock realised my wrist was increasingly painful and deformed. I’m a GP myself so I knew it was broken and not looking good. I was also worrying about my kids, my husband, work and the possibility of surgery. The paramedics got there fairly swiftly and were amazing and started getting on top of my pain relief but also distracting me and asking me about things that mattered to me like my boys and work.

The A&E team at UCLH were great, especially the consultant, calm, talking me through each step and coordinating my care with X-ray, Orthopaedics and the MaxFax surgeons. Everyone introduced themselves, had read my notes were interested in what had happened to me. Everyone except the MaxFax dr who had been stuck elsewhere and whilst did their job well enough, didn’t tell me their name or grade, wasn’t aware I was a fellow colleague and didn’t seem interested in me as a person at all.

The next day I had to return for surgery and all the staff-from the surgical day unit, reception, nurses and porters through to the anaesthetists and hand surgeon were kind and professional. They helped with pain and explanations, the resus nurses realised how much I wanted to see my husband when I awoke from the anaesthetic and did their best to communicate when I would see him and the next steps. Even my husband commented on however busy and stretched they were, they were kind to colleagues and patients.

I really cannot thank all the staff enough, from the paramedics, A&E team (especially the consultant), Mr.Hunter the Orthopaedic Hand Surgeon and numerous nurses, porters, X-RAY technicians and theatre staff who made me feel so well looked after with kindness, interest and compassion. It’s such a scary, emotional experience and I am really grateful you helped me through it. Having my wrist in 15 pieces was not good but you put more than just my wrist back together.