Page 21 of Mending Hearts at the Cornish Country Hospital (The Cornish Country Hospital #6)

The patient Eden had just called through to the examination room for an assessment was shaking, and her eyes were glassy, as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

‘Come through, Mei, take a seat.’ The smile Eden offered the young woman wasn’t returned. Her records showed she was twenty-three, but she could have been mistaken for someone ten years younger than that. She was small and very slim, without a trace of make-up evident on her face.

‘It says here that you’ve been having strange sensations in your hands and feet, but can you tell me a bit more about what’s been going on?’ Eden’s tone was gentle, but the threatened tears in Mei’s eyes spilled over, nonetheless.

‘I’ve been having these weird sensations and I think it’s—’ The words caught in Mei’s throat and she started to sob.

Rules on physical contact between staff and patients were set out in a list of guidelines, but sometimes there was only one thing to do in these situations, regardless of whether it aligned with protocol.

Getting up, Eden moved towards the young woman, crouching in front of her and taking her hand. ‘It’s okay, Mei, I know this is really scary. Whatever is wrong, we can help. Just take your time and breathe, then you can explain what’s been happening.’

Mei nodded, taking slow shuddery breaths to try and regain control of her emotions. When she finally seemed ready, Eden asked her a question.

‘Do you think you’re okay to try and tell me what’s been going on?’

‘Yes.’ Mei’s voice was so quiet that Eden had to strain to hear it, and she gave her patient what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

‘Okay, take your time, there’s no hurry.’ As Eden moved back to her seat, Mei started to speak. Her voice was still so quiet that if Eden had begun to make notes on the computer, the sound of her tapping on the keyboard would have drowned Mei’s voice out.

‘I’ve had pins and needles and numbness, and it’s getting worse. It started in my hands and I thought it was because of my playing.’

‘Playing?’ Eden gave her a questioning look, all kinds of possibilities racing through her mind.

If Mei was about to tell her that she made her living as an international poker player, it would qualify as one of the biggest surprises Eden had experienced working in A I’d been playing so much and practising whenever I got the opportunity.

I thought if I came home for a few weeks and rested, the pins and needles in my hands would go away, but if anything it’s got worse and it’s in my feet now too.

I looked on Google and there were so many scary things it said it might be.

I’m not registered with a GP down here any more and I didn’t know where else to go. ’

Mei looked close to tears again, and Eden kept her tone deliberately upbeat.

‘You’ve done the right thing coming in, but there are lots of reasons for pins and needles and the vast majority of them aren’t serious.

I’m going to ask a few more questions. Try not to worry too much, although I know that’s hard. ’

‘Okay.’ Mei was biting her lip, clearly still terrified, but Eden needed to get as much information as possible to try and work out whether this was likely to be something as simple as a trapped nerve, or a far more complex condition.

It wasn’t her job to diagnose, but getting as much information as possible during the assessment would help ensure Mei saw the right specialist as soon as possible.

Whatever was wrong wasn’t immediately life threatening, and Eden wanted to give her colleagues as much detail as she possibly could.

‘I need you to push your sleeve up please, Mei, and rest your arm on the desk, with your palm facing up to the ceiling, then close your eyes and tell me when you can feel me touching your arm.’

Mei did as she’d been instructed and Eden had to press harder than she would have expected before Mei responded.

‘I can feel that, but only lightly.’

‘Okay, you can open your eyes now. I just want to see what your balance is like when you’re standing.’

Mei stood up.

‘Great.’ Eden was still conscious of the need to sound upbeat and hopeful.

She didn’t know what this was, but she knew that Mei was scared.

Eden might not be qualified to treat whatever condition her patient was ultimately diagnosed with, but she could do her best to comfort and reassure her in the meantime.

‘Okay, Mei, if you can try just standing on one leg for me.’

‘Oh!’ Mei reached out and grabbed the side of the desk to steady herself, as she lurched to one side. When she sat down again she knotted her hands together, almost as if she was praying.

‘I can see it’s affecting your balance. I’m going to speak to one of the doctors now and let them know what we’ve discussed, so they can work out what other tests you might need to help us get to the bottom of this.’

‘It’s motor neurone disease, isn’t it?’ Before the words were even out of Mei’s mouth she was crying again, tears rolling down her face this time.

‘Oh, sweetheart.’ Eden was ignoring hospital protocols again.

She didn’t care what they said about using terms of endearment.

Sometimes people needed to feel like they were more than just a patient, to believe that the staff looking after them cared on a deeper level.

Using terms like that, with the right patients in the right situations really could help, Eden was certain of it.

‘I know it must be terrifying not being sure what this is, but when you look your symptoms up online it’s always the most serious ones that show up in the search.

This could be so many things and the vast majority of them aren’t anywhere near as serious as motor neurone disease. ’

‘I know, but my paternal grandmother died from it last year.’ Another tear rolled off Mei’s face and plopped onto her trouser leg, leaving a darker stain where it had landed.

‘I’m really sorry to hear that.’ Eden swallowed against the bubble of concern rising in her own throat.

Her first job after qualifying had been on a neurological ward, and she knew there could be a genetic link with MND, but she also knew that was only true for a relatively small number of cases.

Either way, statistics couldn’t comfort Mei, the only thing that would ease her fears right now was certainty, and that was something Eden couldn’t give her.

She wished she could promise Mei that she didn’t have the same disease as her grandmother, but all she could do for now was try to give her hope.

‘MND would be very rare in someone of your age, but I understand why you’re so worried.

I’m going to ask some of my colleagues, who know a lot more about this kind of thing than I do, to come and talk to you and organise whatever tests you might need.

’ Eden reached out and took Mei’s hand again.

The young woman’s face was wet with tears, and she hated the thought of her facing whatever might be to come on her own.

‘Is there someone you can call to come in and be with you? There could be a bit of a wait if you’re going to be sent down for scans and you might feel better if you’ve got someone to talk to. ’

‘I didn’t want to tell my parents I was coming in.

Losing my grandmother hit them both so hard, if they think there’s even a chance…

’ Mei couldn’t finish the sentence, but she didn’t need to.

Eden knew how terrified she’d be if she thought Teddie was facing a life-threatening diagnosis, but there was something else she knew too.

‘If you were my child, I’d want to be there, no matter what.’ She was probably overstepping the mark again, but she couldn’t help it.

Mei nodded slowly. ‘Can I use my mobile phone in here?’

‘Of course you can.’ Eden released her hand. ‘I’m going to speak to one of the doctors, if you want to make the call while I’m gone. Then I’ll be straight back to let you know what’s happening.’

‘Thank you.’ Mei gave her a watery smile. ‘You’ve been so kind.’

‘I won’t be long.’ Eden needed to leave before the words she was so desperate to say came out of her mouth. She wanted to tell Mei it was all going to be okay, but she couldn’t know that for sure and lying to her patient was one protocol she definitely didn’t want to break.

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