Lockdown Diary - Tuesday 30th March 2021

Off to the hospital later this morning for my pre-operative check, but before that I have to get a few things sorted and get together all the documents the hospital will expect me to bring.

When you have an appointment to go to, which is for a set time (and the rules about arrival times and being late are much stricter under Covid), time seems to pass really quickly and the final minutes before you are meant to leave seem to just evaporate.  The morning carers have not long left and now I'm off to the hospital.

I've just returned back from the hospital after returning via the scenic route, owing to diabolical traffic in town due to roadworks. On the plus side I managed a slow drive-by of the Banksy art work, which even now is attracting visitors, several weeks in.  The timing was fortuitous as the carers are already here and I need to flush my wife's catheter today.

The hospital pre-op assessment was very thorough from the obvious things like weight and height (so they use enough horse tranquilizer), through to MRSA swabs of nose and groin (the latter apparently due location of surgery), ECG, a barrage of questions, and gallons of blood (slight exaggeration, possibly).  The nurse asked if I had a problem with giving blood and I said no though it's not in my top ten list of fun things to have done to my body.

Apparently when I go and have my Covid swab next week, I've got to give more blood, this time to confirm my blood type.  I did tell her what it was but she said they have to check and confirm it themselves. Apparently because of the type of surgery I'm having they have to have a supply of blood handy in case they have to do a transfusion owing to blood vessels getting ruptured. I am still trying to decide whether that's a reassuring piece of information, or not.

Back to the catheter (makes a great film title!) Once I'm gloved and aproned I can start the process.  I was joking about and asked my wife if I looked fetching in apron and gloves and managed to get a smile of laughter, with that look that says 'you're barking'.  Little things.  Whilst 'barrel' one of the flush was in progress (you have to wait five minutes for each barrel and then check there's outflow) I was talking to the carers about the pre-op.  I mentioned the MRSA swab and the fact that they choose the groin as it's a "sweaty area" (nurse's words) and one of the carers said, "mine isn't", and it took all the will-power I could muster not to make a comment.  My wife wouldn't have been impressed by what came to mind, so it was lucky all round 😉

After the carers left it was time to make lunch, after which I managed to read some more of the book club book as I really want to finish it before my week's leave is over.

Later in the afternoon son #2 and I go for another walk in the sun. You have to take advantage of it while it's there!

Spent some time finishing writing a letter to a friend, got it mostly finished, give or take the closing words which I'll probably finish tomorrow.

Son #3 is still out with a friend in town, but it's time to start dinner, which I do with son #2.

The usual things happen leading to sleep. The end.

Focus / 'Tommy' / 'Moving Waves (Focus II)'

[I heard this track on a compilation album from last year called 'Cafe Exil' whilst driving home from the hospital this morning. Cafe Exil was a restaurant in Kreuzberg, Berlin, that was frequented by David Bowie and Iggy Pop during their time in Berlin.  The compilation is meant to be the 'imaginary soundtrack' to that cafe, featuring 'a new European music that was largely devoid of Anglo-American rock influences', and, is quite an exceptional compilation.  The Focus track is part of a bigger piece called 'Eruption' that takes up the whole of side two of 'Moving Waves'.  It was strange hearing it out of context, but it actually works rather well. This recording is  from the album 'The Best of Focus']

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