"Chasing the Nurses"

I recently attended the hospital for an angiogram in day surgery and now await heart bypass surgery at another hospital

Having changed into a hospital gown with my dressing gown on top I duly waited in the ward until my turn came

I then had to go on foot to the theatre which was several floors below

I had to follow the nurse along the crowded corridors, through doors and round corners to the lift

I am 80 next birthday and given my condition I cannot move that fast without discomfort

I was also in a fair state of anxiety over the procedure and had no sleep the night before But despite requests no pre-med was given till I was actually on the table-then it was bliss

The nurse (who kept her name card in her pocket and avoided eye-contact) set out at a fair pace and it was all that I could do to keep her in sight as she kept disappearing from view round corners

She never once glanced back

We arrived outside the theatre in plenty of time and could have left the ward earlier if time were of the essence

Some years ago I had a similar experience in A & E when I hurt my back lifting paving stones in the garden and was in a lot of pain

On that occasion it was I think the male doctor (again anonymous) who escorted me to the treatment room

Despite my evident discomfort he was continually urging me on, disappearing round corners and then reappearing with urgent gesticulations to hurry me up

In the event he told me I had slipped a disc and needed to lie flat for a number of days

When I got home I found that I simply could not get my legs down straight so I hobbled down the road to Brabant House a natural healing centre almost next door to where I live

There they said that the diagnosis was wrong They saw the condition regularly It was a sports injury called piriformis syndrome which is common with cyclists and oarsmen The muscles in the buttocks go into spasm and clamp on the sciatic nerve and it doesn't half hurt!

I was given infra red and heat treatment with massage Later I got physiotherapy at Molesey Hospital through the surgery

I would like to emphasise that I am not making a complaint but just describing my experiences -my main feeling is to express gratitude for the opportunity to do so Whoever thought of this is a genius!