… opening your eyes mid-doze and seeing three of your favourite people standing there right in front of you?<\/p>\n
Yes, there was Hans, all the way from Munich, Jackie, all the way from Cologne, and Alison, all the way from Leuven, standing there in front of me as large as life.<\/p>\n
This was the weekend when our little travel group is due to meet up, so of course it’s the weekend when I’m in hospital. I bet that they never dreamed that they’d come all this way to see the sights and all that they would do would be to see me in a hospital nightgown.<\/p>\n
These are people whom I’ve known for years. Hans since we first sat next to each other at Grammar School on our first day there in 1965. Jackie was Secretary when I was President of the North European Students Association of our University, and Alison and I worked together at that crazy American company and found ourselves to be the only sane people there. <\/p>\n
And here they were, as large as life. And how pleased I was to see them after the night that I’d had.<\/p>\n
There won’t be any dictaphone notes because there wasn’t any sleep. The night was spent arguing and arguing properly too, with a couple of nurses who doubtless flew home on their broomsticks at the end of their shift in time to cast a few more spells and incantations and then go to bed before the sun comes up. <\/p>\n
The new nursing team that came on at 06:30 was no more tractable, but at least they were nicer. One of the nurses fetched a specialist from over the road to help her but they couldn’t manage. <\/p>\n
Eventually they fetched a surgeon and shortly despite the stabbing pain for 30 seconds I felt the greatest sense of relief that I have felt for quite some considerable time. If this keeps up, Bibendum will be no more and I’ll be able to climb into bed so much easier.<\/p>\n
Food was as usual its rather depressing self. I missed breakfast with all of this nonsense going on. Lunch was mashed potato and grated carrot, and tea was vegetable soup and grated veg. Don’t be a vegan in a French hospital. You explain what a vegan is, and they then present you with a banana yoghurt made with milk.<\/p>\n
So with no sleep at all last night, the day has been spent dozing off and being awakened by something. But I’ll trade all the sleep in the World for a visit from friends. It really was wonderful to see them.<\/p>\n
The specialist from across the road came over for a chat too. I gave her my usual spiel<\/em> about quality of life being more important to me than desperately clinging on in miserable conditions just for the sake of it but I’m not sure if it made any impression on her.<\/p>\n She raised a few eyebrows though when she said "I hope that we have a good night’s sleep tonight after last night"<\/strong><\/em>
\n"What the …"<\/strong><\/em> exclaimed a nurse
\n"N-n-n-no"<\/strong><\/em> stammered the specialist."Not together!"<\/strong><\/em>
\nAnd there I was, already moving over to one side of the bed.<\/p>\n
