Other than the time of my birth, I had never, until last week, been overnight in a hospital ward. The fact that my admission was wholly unexpected meant it was all sort of sprung on me and that I wasn’t worrying about it in advance, which, on reflection, was a good thing.
To cut a long story short….last week saw me pass a kidney stone, and in doing so, it had caused a bit of collateral damage to the actual organ. I was required to stay in the hospital until such a time as the specialists were confident it wouldn’t escalate or lead to longer-term damage.
The timing was such that it meant the long-awaited trip to Santa Monica, where myself and Rachel were to spend 11 nights as the guests of Jonny the Friendly Lawyer and Goldie the Friendly Therapist, was, at best, delayed.
In the end, I spent two nights in the hospital. I was discharged on the basis that my health was improving, but that the recuperation would require more tests, under the auspices of my GP, a week down the line, which meant that the entire trip was now off.
The good news is that the airline will honour the flights for a further period of time, and we’ve already been looking at possible dates over the coming months.
I really cannot heap enough praise on the NHS staff, from my own GP for her prompt action, to everyone whose path I crossed during the three days/two nights at the hospital. The work rate, dedication and professionalism of every single one of them, was a joy to behold. The fact I was in a relatively new hospital (it opened in April 2015), meant the facilities were first-class, with my own room and living space on the 9th floor giving me relaxing views out over the actual city, and it all made for an experience that was far more bearable than I would have otherwise imagined.
So, it’ll be a few more days before I’ll know if I’m fully out of the woods, but the signs are good. I really want to thank all of you who offered your best wishes via the comments section last week…the hospital had free Wi-Fi, and I was able to read things via my phone (as well as make those last minute alterations to the post on The Adventure Babies).
I’ve a few things to catch up with in terms of guest postings that have come in over the past week and a bit, and the backlog will start to be sorted out over the rest of this week, starting on Wednesday.
In the meantime, these tunes seem appropriate……
mp3 : Wire – Kidney Bongos
mp3 : The Wedding Present – Getting Better
mp3 : The Modern Lovers – Hospital
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Keep on keeping on, glad to hear you are at home again, all the best for a speedy recovery.
rest up JC. Take your time.
All the best
swc.
Have a good recovery.
Ernesto from Valencia ( following the blog for years now!)
Rest up – get well – Take care
Jim
I hope you make a quick and full recovery.
All the best, be well.
Glad to hear you’re out and about and hopefully you’ll be fully recovered soon.
Thanks for Hospital. It’s beyond great (The other two songs are some of my favourites from 1988). I will buy the next reissue of Modern Lovers’ debut album.
Gute Besserung [sk]
Room with a view – it all sounds so quaint. Can these rooms be ordered in advance?
Flimflamfan
Get yourself sorted, mate, your room’s still available.
Great news, and on behalf of all my NHS colleagues across the UK, thank you for your kind words. We try our best, with very little support or appreciation from politicians and so-called authority figures. Hope you’re back to full strength soon mate.
Glad you’re on the mend, yes to the NHS in our experience too and Kidney Bongos- excellent kidney related song choice
Yikes, sorry to hear this – hope you’re back to normal soon!
Bloody hell, JC, I miss a day of The Vinyl Villain to find this! So sorry to hear that you ended up in hospital and the planned reunion is postponed, though I’m relieved to hear that you’re home and on the mend.
Even debilitated, your posts and musical selection are impeccable, it has to said.
Best wishes for a full recovery,
Khayem
all the best for your recovery – dont worry if you have to miss some days
the Happiest and most uneventful birthday wishes to you Jim and to the lovely Rachel – we are now working to elevate your Santa Monica experience to higher pinnacles of great music, food, and coastal beauty. xooxox, GTFL
Your health is what matters – take your time to recover