A Visit to the Hospital

     Those of you who are on the Raven Mailing List and therefore get our Newsletter will know that earlier this year I made Graham go to the doctor's when he found a mass in his groin.
     Thank goodness it turned out to be nothing more serious than a hernia. However that has meant that he will be having an operation later this month to repair the hernia, and this in turn has meant that he has had to visit the hospital several times to speak to the consultant, Mr. Sedman, and to be assessed physically and mentally.
     Last week he had to attend an assessment to check his overall fitness, make sure he was who he said he was, and tell him yet more information about the operation.
     One of the last forms we had to fill in and send back asked about his interests (?), not sure why, but anyway as Graham is keen (obsessive) about keeping fit and exercising, we put that down as an interest.
     I waited outside the hospital, in the car - doing Sodoku and nearly falling asleep - while Graham went to fill in another two forms and be assessed. This included taking blood and an E.C.G. with many electrodes, and having swabs taken from various places while he was asked questions such as his date of birth (three times) and his full name (twice). He was also asked his height and weight, 'Five foot nine, when I was last measured and 84.2kg last Monday.' he said.
     'That is rather precise.' the nurse remarked
     'Well, I am interested in statistics.' said Graham
     'I see that you are also interested in exercise.' the nurse went on, reading from her clipboard
     'Oh yes,' said Graham, 'I am looking forward to getting back to my full routine.'
     'I am going to ask you, as a favour to me, not to do any exercise for six weeks after the operation,' said the nurse, 'Because if you cause the hernia to burst through again, of course Mr Sedman will repair it again, but then he will be working on scar tissue, which is more difficult and which will take longer to heal.'
     He was told that he could walk and he could use an exercise bike, but that was all. No weights and nothing which could affect the affected area.
     After confidently expecting to be back to normal in a week (or at the outside two weeks) after the operation, Graham was like a bear with a sore head for two days after the visit.
   A friend remarked, 'I thought you were going to say they had told him it was to be six weeks without sex!'
    I said I thought he would have been happier with that.