Where hope and despair are akin....
Well most of today was taken up by taking dad for his CT scan at the district hospital. It took nearly four hours by the time we got stuck in traffic somewhat inexplicably - I have done the 10 mile journey quicker ar rush hour - then delayed since one of the scanners was broken. Not their fault but it is a bit tough on an 83 year old who had, at that point been fasting for over 30 hours. He wasn't as bad as last time but was still exhausted by the time we got back and grey and feeble and went straight to bed.
The scanner suite at RBH was much more pleasant than X-ray at Christchurch - light, bright relatively comfortable conveniently located just behind the main foyer but it can't hide the fact that if you are there then it is almost certainly a matter of life and death even within the hospital context. Having lost a parent to cancer I was all too aware that the smiley old lady waiting nearby probably didn't have a Judi Dench hairstyle as a fashion statement and as I waited you couldn't but overhear pleas from staff for scans to be fast tracked - "but it's an aorta " - "I have four aneurysms waiting all urgent...". Almost felt guilty that Dad was using an appointment - given that the acute episode of GI bleeding that they were following up was nearly six months ago now and that even if they found colon cancer it isn't likely they would operate - once you are past 80 it isn't such a big deal. At least there were no really young people. I will never forget when I was visiting my Mum when she was having treatment at RSH and I went across to the canteen to get something to eat and there was a young woman about my age then, with a scarf around her head and her husband and a little boy of about three and thinking that if one of us was going to lose our mum in all fairness it should be him not me. You never know how such things turn out and deals with God tend not to work but I so hope his mum is still there for him.
The scanner suite at RBH was much more pleasant than X-ray at Christchurch - light, bright relatively comfortable conveniently located just behind the main foyer but it can't hide the fact that if you are there then it is almost certainly a matter of life and death even within the hospital context. Having lost a parent to cancer I was all too aware that the smiley old lady waiting nearby probably didn't have a Judi Dench hairstyle as a fashion statement and as I waited you couldn't but overhear pleas from staff for scans to be fast tracked - "but it's an aorta " - "I have four aneurysms waiting all urgent...". Almost felt guilty that Dad was using an appointment - given that the acute episode of GI bleeding that they were following up was nearly six months ago now and that even if they found colon cancer it isn't likely they would operate - once you are past 80 it isn't such a big deal. At least there were no really young people. I will never forget when I was visiting my Mum when she was having treatment at RSH and I went across to the canteen to get something to eat and there was a young woman about my age then, with a scarf around her head and her husband and a little boy of about three and thinking that if one of us was going to lose our mum in all fairness it should be him not me. You never know how such things turn out and deals with God tend not to work but I so hope his mum is still there for him.