You can't draw blood from hand veins. Pt 1

Two doctors learned this today at the A&E (accident and emergency) in a London hospital.

I left my house this morning ready to go on an adventure with my wonderful roommate. I figured my back would start to feel better, it'd been a bit off all morning.

After arriving at Buckingham Palace and realizing once again we were too late to get right up next to the gates to watch the changing of the guards we decided to wander the area. By this point the pain in my back was getting worse and I started to feel a cramping sensation in my lower abdomen (like regular period cramps but only on one side and pretty intense.)

We went around for a bit before I decided I couldn't deal with the pain and sat down while my roommate walked around Hyde Park to take some pictures. It was too much, I needed to go home and lie down. Unfortunately I didn't make it home.

This is the same map I used before, ignore the underlined parts

We were right next to Hyde Park Corner on the Piccadilly line. I couldn't decide if I should take the tube all the way up to Belsize which is a 10 minute walk from our home, or Camden Town Station which has a bus stop near it. The bus stop is closer to the house than the tube station so it'd be less of a walk, but recently we've had to wait close to 20 minutes almost every time we wait for the bus. I ended up taking the tube to Leicester Square where I changed to the Northern line. By then I decided I'd go to Goodge Street because I knew there was a bus stop very close and I could at least sit while waiting for a bus. Unfortunately by the time I got off the tube the pain was immense and I was having trouble walking because of it.

As I was walking towards the bus stop I saw my bus go by (there was no way I could catch it) and I was formulating in my mind what to do once I got home. I could try and sleep it off (even though I wasn't sure I could get up the stairs by that point) or I could ask my homestay family to take me to a nearby hospital (because I was fairly sure I was dying.)

"Excuse me"

I whirled around, there was a man with a big fancy camera asking for my attention. I turned and gave him a half smile attempting not to feel as awful as I did.

"Do you think you could help me out? ...I'm doing something for blah mumble mumble, and I just need somebody to push a few buttons blah mumble blah"

Uh oh.. My stomach had turned and my mouth was watering, there was no mistaking this feeling. I started walking away. from him.

"Is that a no then?"

I waved him off, attempting to apologize but that I was going to be sick. I knelt by the edge of the road, waiting for it to come.

While I was staring into the sewer gate waiting for the inevitable a police car drove by. The women in the car waved at me to get my attention, mouthing the words "Are you okay?" I shook my head and they waved me over. As the tears bubbled forth I explained what I was feeling and told them I had no idea what I was doing. They offered to take me to the hospital right up the road.


View Larger Map

I was right near Goodge Street Station on the map and they drove me over to University College Hospital.