Tales of the Unexpected

Like a Siren calling, the hospital has been beckoning John for the last few days. We have tried to ignore her insistence, but today she gathered him up for an overnight stay.

He’s been struggling with having to get up at night-time to go to the loo – and then struggling with the day-time call of nature, too. So much so that last night the poor boy didn’t get any sleep at all. Convinced that maybe a UTI may be at the bottom of it, he phoned the doctor himself and toddled down to the surgery with a sample this morning. The doctor phoned back. No, no infection but, given the situation described, John would be best to present himself at A&E accompanied by a referral letter.

Oh, bither, bother…. we’re on the hospital trail again…..

I did a silly thing when we got to the hospital and swung into the car park. Normally, I’d deliver John straight to the Emergency Entrance but I clearly didn’t think it necessary. By the time the ‘ol man got into the waiting room though, he had to catch his breath. He was leaning against the counter recovering, when a very nice lady came along with a wheelchair. Not only that, but she took charge of us. “Stand there,” she said to me, “so that you don’t loose your place in the queue. And what are you here for?” We explained. I showed her the text message from the GP in which there was the referral letter.

My goodness, but she was good. She whisked the phone from me and disappeared into the depths of A & E before coming back with an instruction for us to go to Ward 5, instead of hanging about where we were.

The walk up to Ward 5 was hilarious. We weren’t allowed to go through the A&E department to get there, but had to go round the outside of the hospital and back in through the front door. Well, you know what hospital wheelchairs are like…… Poor John thought he was on the Waltzers – spinning first this way, then that. And, at a difficult kerb, I made him get out of the wheelchair and walk a few paces, much to the amusement of a few nurses having a fag in the smoking shelter nearby. Hehehehe.

Naturally, I wasn’t allowed to stay. “Any idea how long he’ll be?” I asked the nurse, She shook her head. “Do you think I’ve got time to go into Birmingham?” Oh yes. Plenty of time for that.

I nipped into Birmingham then, to have another look for some material for Dawn’s wedding outfit. Nothing doing at the Rag Market, apart from buying a larger sample of one of the pieces of material we’d thought we liked….(although Dawn’s not so sure, now) and then I drove across to a couple of large fabric outlets to see what they’d got. Nothing much really, but it took me until 3.30 to find that out. By which time, of course, I’d had enough of Birmingham by then.

There was no indication that John would be released just yet, so I decided to go home and have a cuppa. He was hopeful, however, that they’d sort him out and be discharged by tea-time. When he posted pictures of his dinner of Facebook, I suspected that the Siren had wrapped her arms around him for the night. “No,” John said, “I think I’ll be out soon.” By a quarter past eight, I realised that I’d have to nip back and take his overnight bag.

So the unexpected today. I had planned to recount the fabulous day we’d had yesterday, out with Dave and Chris, and George and Sue, and the shenanigans and great fun we’d had with the disability scooter we are borrowing form Pete and Dawn – but that’ll have to wait until tomorrow. G’night, folks. I’m tired and off to bed!

Take care everyone, God bless. Hug your loved ones close. And, if you can, say a little prayer for John. Thank you.

66,183 people tested positive for the virus today but the science pudnits are suggesting from the ONS surveys that the figure is actually double that…..; 314 people died with the virus today; 1,421 people were admitted to hospital.