I’m home. Short stay in hospital. Wonderful amazing London Teaching Hospital. NHS at its very best. Made lots of new friends lots of chatter with patients and staff… I’ll write it properly when my opiate head clears.

My worry though is the expectations of patients. They are rude, demanding and arrogant. Not all but quite a few. I tried to think it through. I’m tetchy sometimes.. Like that Horse Thursday ! In my defence I really didn’t feel well that day and I was worried about 10million things going on at home.That’ll apply to most patients. BUT, 

asking for a ‘smoke’ before going to theatre?  REALLY 

using mobile phones ( that old chestnut!) well I mean shouting into the phone and turning the incoming volume up so high everyone else can actually hear both sides of the conversation? REALLY 

Asking for painkillers 5 minutes after the remarkably patient nurses have just done ‘drugs’? 

A niggle to catering though…why can’t we have a piece of fruit AND a yogurt? it’s a small thing. They were so amazingly efficient on this oh so specialised ward. But what about trying healthy eating fresh fruit ?salad ? a carrot? 

Oh mishearing my request ‘bed pan’ became ‘ bead and’ what the …!  What on earth else would I be asking for? bleurgh arghhh. As for trying to  self catheter whilst lying flat and feeling groggy…… Well that’s another tale. 

There must be many more stories.. I’ll think of some more and add. Bet the medics have millions. More of that later.. a quick blog while my foggy brain can concentrate. Following on from badly behaved patients there are badly behaved audiences.  I’ll collect a list of the former and I’ve contributed ideas re the latter as below. 

A few days ago I wrote to Ann Treneman Times journalist in response to an article she wrote about theatre audiences.  Theatre in the thespian sense… as opposed to the above medical one arghhh. 

 
My letter was sent after we saw Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night. Brilliant intense wonderful play -of- the- book. But the audience was dreadful. Mobiles, talking, eating, moving…argh…a
I got a great email back just now….