King's Lynn woman thanks medical staff for spotting blood clot

A nasty fall that required stitches to a woman from Lynn uncovered a much more serious health condition and left her very thankful for the NHS treatment she received.

Doreen Greenwood was standing on a chair putting up her curtains when she fell through it and the spikes on the bottom ripped her leg open.

Husband James and neighbour Jane, in Sir Lewis Street, tried to stop the bleeding and called Southgates Medical Centre.

The doctor told them to phone A&E at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Mrs Greenwood, 73, went in to shock and spent time on the Windsor Ward at the QEH and had her leg stitched up.

She said: "I can't praise the staff enough, the doctors and nurses on the ward. Thanks to the intensive care and the doctors ... they all do a marvellous job. They made me comfy. I can't praise them enough."

When Mrs Greenwood returned home after a few days she felt she couldn't breathe so her husband called the surgery again.

They advised her that they thought she may have blood clots on her lungs and that turned out to be a correct diagnosis allowing her to get vital medication.

She said: "I wouldn't be here today and I can't thank enough all the people who cared for me. It's a long road as the clot could go on to my heart. People run the hospital down, but it's not a hotel. You go there to get better.

"The staff have a lot of patients who shout and swear at them, it's disgusting.

"They are lovely staff and we shouldn't run them down. If I won a lot of money I'd give it to the QEH.

"I want to thank Southgates and the QEH and the Lynn News."