29 September 2008

Our Day out at the Queen Mary Hospital for sick actors

What a day indeed. Yesterday morning as I stumbled across the landing to the bathroom I felt a slight twinge in my lower back. Yep you guessed it by lunchtime I was flat on my back in none too good a mood to say the least. After spending the majority of the day on the floor and a rather restless night I called it quits on Monday morning and we set off for hospital. Living on Lantau that is no mean feat either.

As I was lying on the floor I remembered the last time this happened, some fifteen odd years ago and how I had languished in bed for weeks. Anyhow I digress. The three poor ambulance men who turned up probably weighed in at a combined weight of me and had to work hard to get me and the stretcher into the back of the van. One of them looked like he needed the stretcher after picking up the trolley and shoving me into the ambulance. If he is reading this, sorry. After a shiort stop at the local first aid post by the post office, we went by ferry to Hong Kong to discover no ambulance had tuned out to pick us up. I crawled (literally) into the back of a taxi and eventually turned up at the hospital.

To cut a long story short Nuch and I had a great day at the hospital. Nuch had the stndard plastic chair to sit on and I had the bed next to a procession of people who all probably attended the Royal Academy for Performing Arts and graduated with honours in impersonating persons who are on the brink of death but after a quick chat with a doctor and being handed a two day sick note miraculously recover, jump out of bed and skip down the corridor. Actually to be fair there was one fellah who looked quite ill.

Nevertheless, after six hours waiting (no doubt lengthened by my refusal to enter into the spirit of the amateur dramatics) an injection of pain killers in my bum cheek and some antics with a rather bossy nurse on the x-ray table I was told I had "lower back pain" and could either be admitted or go home. As there was no miracle cure on offer........

After two nano seonds of indecision I chose the latter and was swiftly handed three pieces of paper. I wonder how many papers I would have been given if I had decided to stay? The first paper was a list of clinics for physiotherapy, the second to see a specialist on the seventh floor and the third to collect some pills from the first floor.

Nuch andf I shuffled off to the first floor pharmacy where all the actors were hanging around, we then moved on to the seventh floor to make an appointment with the specialist. The nurse there was happy to tell me that I was at the top of the shortest list which meant I could expect to get a letter in the next three weeks telling me when to come back . I asked what it would be like at the bottom of the longest queue and she just laughed.

We went back to the pharmacy to collect the pills and while there we rang the physiotherapy clinic to make an appointment. The kind lady there told me to call back later and put the phone down!.

We went home. I will call the physio clinic tomorrow. Night all

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