Solitary chicken - need advice

[Guest]

 

We had the misfortune to have to call 999 the other night for my precious Squidger, when he rather quickly developed a bruise-like rash over one of his legs. Suspecting meningitis, we dialled 999 straight away, only to be told by the call-handler that they could not find our street or postcode on their system because it was a new build, even though the street was adopted by the council 2 and a half years ago. They don;t have up to date software on their system, wasting valuable time in an emergency. In fact, the paramedics said that even their sat-navs haven't been given an update for many, many months, meaning they can often get sent down roads that no longer exist, whilst it ignores newer, faster routes.

 

Luckily, after a checkover and some monitoring from the paramedics, Squidger was given the all-clear, but I shudder to think what may have happened, had the rash proved to be something more serious.

[Olly]

what a shock for you finding the rash in the first place, and how awful to then be told that they can't find you! Glad to hear it was all ok. That's a worrying scenario, isn't it.

[Guest]

are you far from a hospital?

 

If you live miles from a hospital or don't drive, I can understand why you'd be very concerned.

[Guest]

We're an hour from the nearest hospital, and that's with a good tail wind and no ice on the road....

 

The most ridiculous thing is, we can see the ambulance station from our front garden, and had I known how long the 999 call would take, I would have just scooped him up and run down with him, and prayed that at least one ambulance was there.

[bokbokbok]

The *systems* that people get your address from annoy my happiness. When we apply for something important like a driving licence or credit card the system tells the operators that our post code is in Village B but we are actually inside the 30mph sign of Village A.

 

Frustrating enough to have all your post saying Village B but then, as the credit card statements have Village B on them - deliveries MUST have the same address on them when paid by that card and when the delivery drivers punch in the Post Code it says there is no such address in Village B and the items go back to the depot. . . and round and round and round we go.

 

If I try to use Village A then that just confuses the important people and then start to think we are trying to defraud them by having items sent to exactly the right name and street and post code but wrong village.

 

SIIIIGHHHH.

[Snowy]

How frustrating! And worrying - glad Squidger is OK Chookie, you don't have time to mess about when littlies are ill do you?

 

We often get deilveries to our house when the goods are for another road in the village, on a new build estate, that has only one letter different in the spelling (which numpty thought that one up i'll never know). Several times the driver has insisted the other address does not exist as it isn't in his sat nav.

[Lesley]

Glad to hear that Squidger was OK Shona - what a worry!

 

We also live in a village.....but are 2 miles from that village....and are right on the edge of the next village........

 

Our deliveries go all over the place as well

 

Some couriers say their SatNav brings them straight here....but others end up 6 miles away

[Mrs Frugal]

Oh my goodness Shona, how terrifying for you. I'm so glad Squidger is OK though. This house is a new build and I know just what you mean as no one could find us for ages after we moved in and we had to give detailed directions for parcel deliveries, repair people, visitors etc because we weren't on any maps for ages. Thank goodness you've got the ambulance station nearby as there would be someone who could help you if you ever had an emergency again. Let's hope you don't though!

[lisa33]

Glad Squidger is OK.

[Jules.]

glad to hear that he's ok.

[Paola]

Glad Squidger is ok also I live in a new build also and we are the first owners To begin with all our post went to one house in the street, along with the rest of the street Thankfully we no longer have problems

[Louise]

Its not just new builds

 

My house is 200 years old and often when I give the address depending on which system they use they can't find it once on the phone a girl told me oh your house does not exist which is really daft since I was standing in it at the time

 

I am glad it all worked out Shona

 

Have you a GP living near you at all If it ever happens again that is another option

[cathybc]

how awful for you. My house has just had its fifth birthday and people can now usually find it. i always give the address as 'x close, off Urban Road' to assist. Luckily that works as we are one new road of a very established one. Obviously this wouldn't work on a bigger estate or in somewhere rural.

[ubereglu]

That sounds annoying, but al least squidger's ok!

 

If you get rashes like that you have to do the glass test on them, where you press and roll the glass over the rash and if it disappears whilst the glass is over it you're likely to be fine, but if it doesn't then it's meningitis.

 

Useful advice I learnt when someone went down with it at school a couple of years ago.

[Geoid]

the glass test only really works if there are pin prick red marks all over, if there are loads of bruises then its a bit hard to tell, it could be Meningococcal septicaemia or something less serious.

 

Anyway, glad he is ok!

[theherd123]

So pleased Squidger is ok Shona!

 

What a terrible shock for you all

 

What did they say was wrong with Squidger anyway?

[chickencam]

Glad that your little one was given the all clear, what a frightening situation

[Nicola H]

I am glad that Squidger is OK Shona, but what a worry if the ambulance can't find your house......

[Egluntyne]

Por little chap.

 

Good to hear that he got the all clear.

[Guest]

It was apparantly a combination of the heat, poor circulation in his legs (a trait he'll share with me then.. ), and a slightly tight nappy wrap around his little thunder thigh.

 

The rash looked just like this:

 

 

albeit on a little chubby baby leg, and we've been assured that dialling 999 was the correct thing to do, despite the fact i can't shake the feeling that we really wasted the paramedics time. That said, if it appears again, I'll dial 999 again.