A man who celebrated Christmas with his mother ended up in the emergency room after she made a simple mistake and he is now sharing his warning with others so they don’t do the same.
Mike Gayle began experiencing severe pain, he said The Guardian it felt like “the heat of a thousand suns concentrated on one inch of skin” after his mother heated the gravy in the microwave for five minutes.
His wife took him to the emergency room at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham as he slumped in the car, hungry and feeling sorry for himself.
But it all happened just two weeks after he was told his daughter had chickenpox.
Since Gayle had still not succumbed to the highly contagious disease at the age of 36, he rushed to the hospital to pick up antiviral medication but was turned away at the appointment.
He was told to quarantine in the run-up to his children’s Christmas Day, and while it was heartbreaking, he did so to ensure he would be healthy on the big day.
But just three days later, the author woke up feeling hot and sore and noticed several spots on his stomach.
Although his wife managed to arrange an emergency GP appointment for him, it was revealed that he had been exposed to the horrific norovirus, better known as the ‘winter vomiting bug’.
Fortunately, by the time Christmas Day arrived, Gayle was over the worst of it, after days of vomiting and full-body convulsions “like something out of the Exorcist.”
Miek Gayle spent Christmas Day in the emergency room in 2006 after his mother microwaved Bisto gravy for five minutes
Then came a shocking incident that would turn Gayle’s Christmas into the ultimate nightmare.
In 2006, while preparing Christmas dinner, his mother microwaved a jug of Bisto gravy for five minutes.
To be helpful, Gayle took the jug of steaming liquid from his mother and within an instant it had spilled onto his left hand.
The boiling gravy remained on his skin as he writhed in pain before making his desperate journey to the emergency room.
But his fears went unrealized by the medical staff as they laughed at his unfortunate accident and waited for the doctor to arrive.
In no time, the doctor came out, wrapped his wound and injected him with industrial painkillers before sending him on his way.
Luckily, Gayle made it home in time to enjoy a Christmas dinner, albeit without any gravy.