ER

HELP ME! I heard someone yell as I was being wheeled in on a hospital bed through the aisles of the emergency ward of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Around me were patients with oxygen masks, some unconscious, some seemed to be in a lot of pain. But the medical staff seemed calm, almost immune to the situation.

This was on Monday evening. I experienced some soreness around my left rib area during the weekend, I thought it might have been due to gym work I did on Friday night. But on Monday it became unbearable, I felt pain in each deep breath I took, and every step when my foot hits the ground. I left work early to visit a clinic, but I guessed I wasn't early enough as most of the clinics were already closed. Li-Ann brought me to the UWA medical centre and the receptionist suggested that we tried the emergency centre at the hospital.

There was quite a queue at the hospital. I expected a long wait before I could see the doctor. But when I described the pain to the front desk, they were worried if it was anything related to my heart. So I was asked to enter immediately! When I went in, I was told to lie on the bed so I can be wheeled to my designated examination room. I felt really embarrassed at all the attention I was getting!

In the examination room, a nurse asked me a lot of questions - where the pain is, how painful, any allergies, family medical history etc. She then performed an ECG and the results were okay. A doctor then came and asked me the same questions. She was concerned if it could be due to Pneumothorax (collapsing of the lung) so she prescribed me to get an X ray, which was done shortly after. Anyway, after all the drama, it turned out that there was nothing wrong with my heart or lung, or even my ribs for that matter - which I was initially most concerned about. I thought I might have cracked a rib!

I probably pulled a muscle or had a muscle knot. I rested the next day and did no training at all. Luckily I have an easy program this week, so I'm not missing out on much. And glad that I was much better the following day and could even do a 50 minute run.

Today, which is the CHOGM public holiday or a replacement Queen's Birthday holiday, her Royal Highness is also in town and there is a lot going on in Perth these few days. The police are busy patrolling the streets and helicopters are flashing bright lights from the sky. Anyway, any public holiday is most welcomed! More time to train, and more importantly, more time to rest. I'm all well and feeling no pain at all. Thank you all for the well wishes!