Ancient Truth | Modern Sound

The diagnosis had been a suspected “deep vein thrombosis”. In layman’s terms that means you have developed a blood clot in the deep vein system of, most typically, the leg. Take a read at this it is kind of depressing. http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/tc/deep-vein-thrombosis-topic-overview

I didn’t need any briefing on DVT however, I have had several people who have worked for me that needed treated for the problem. One of those had such trouble with the clots coming loose and traveling into his lungs that the doctors had to amputate his leg. That was running through my mind as I lay there in the sleeping slowly pulling out of Edinburgh’s Waverly station. I was at peace however, I knew I was at peace with God and ready for whatever was to come next.

The lady who checked me onto the train was Polish, part of the migration from Poland west to the UK that has taken place since the European Union opened up Europe’s borders. As usual she was quick, pleasant and efficient with English better than the average punter from Edinburgh. She showed me to my first class cabin which is exactly the same as a economy class cabin with the notable difference that one of the two beds is folded away leaving the space cramped but manageable instead of cramped and completely ridiculous.

I made my bed and piled the extra blankets and pillows on top of the platform adjacent to the sink. That gave me a place to prop up my leg and hopefully encourage the swelling to go down. I wasn’t ready to sleep though - I just had too much going on in my head. So, mind working through all the things I needed to get done, I walked through the train to the buffet car. There is no “buffet” in the buffet car. There is beer and sandwiches and tea and coffee. Plus, on this occasion, several kilted Scotsman heading for a rugby match in Ireland. They were good natured and fun and were well on their way to drinking the place dry.

When I got back to my cabin I settled in and quickly went to sleep. Every time I have take “the sleeper” I always sleep well . Maybe it is the rocking and rhythm of the rails as you move through the night. Whatever it is, the next thing I knew was my Polish steward (I think that’s what their called) knocking on my door with tea and a bacon sandwich for breakfast. It was a good day, waking up to the breakfast of champions and, looking at my leg, it was definitely better than the night before. The prayers of the faithful had worked for me.

Apart from the craziness of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary the main reason I had decided to get the train was that Karen was also arriving with the children that morning. As I got into the taxi and headed to my apartment in Vauxhall I knew that soon my family would be around me and all would be well. Maybe. By this point I knew that it would be Monday before a doctor could look at me and do some tests on my leg. That meant a weekend resting my leg and thinking about the worst.

Then Karen arrived and the sun came up.