It Takes So Much Longer Now

Somewhere about 40 years ago I went to the doc for something and he noticed a 'blemish' on my forehead which he regarded with suspicion. He gave my bonce a thorough going over and warned me that the type of skin I had would be very susceptible to UV damage and that I should ALWAYS wear a hat outside even if I was just bringing peat from the stack into the house.  He then sliced a little bit out of my upper forehead and sent it off for analysis. It came back clear. I have worn a hat ever since.

However living in New Zealand and spending much of my life in the sun on the croquet greens has taken its toll, despite me slathering myself with sunblock every day as soon as I had showered and topping it up at lunchtime too. 

A few years ago I got a Squamous carcinoma on my neck. I was referred to a dermatologist and our ENT surgeon removed it. Since then I've had several BCCs off my nose caught when she did my 6 monthly check-ups.

I was in seeing the doc about something last year over 6 months ago. He decided to have a thorough look at my head again. He spotted another BCC. He referred me to the dermatologist. We no longer have one on the Island so I saw a very thorough dermatology nurse who confirmed that it was, indeed, a BCC which needed removing. I was supposed to see the ENT Consultant next week but, Sod's Law, you get one appointment and another two come along the day either side of it. They happen to be in Ayr and are for the overdue-because-of-Covid replacement of my uretic stent so take precedence over a BCC any day.

There was something to be said for the days when the doc looked at you and just wheeked a nasty off/out.

Monday Miscellany

Well last week was, from the point of view of Blogland, a complete write-off.  On Tuesday I was up before 0500. I got the early ferry from Stornoway to Ullapool and at about 0945 set off on the 270 mile drive to Ayr. As I'd come out of quarantine it was a question of go straight there without passing Go and without collecting £200 (I hated Monopoly but still use Monopoly analogies). 

I arrived at the Hospital and was immediately tested for Covid-19. I passed - negative.

Next day I had the kidney stent replaced. Unfortunately the fact that it was around 7 months overdue meant that the surgeon had a rather difficult time extracting a stone from some passage or other and the work proved a little sore for a day or two and it took a few days for the infection I'd had for the last few months to be conquered. Anyway by Saturday all was back to normal and I was released into the big wide world once more. I stayed overnight with a friend because I couldn't get a ferry until the Sunday evening on which, fortuitously, I was already booked. 

So today has been sort out and try and get back to normal day. 

The ferry on the way over was awash with barking dogs. What is it with people who can't control their dog? If you can't control your dog and stop it barking at every passing shadow then don't bring it on public transport (or muzzle it)! It's bad enough having a massive mountain dog 100 yards away at home that barks constantly but at least I can close the windows and go into the other side of the house. I detest barking dogs - in case you hadn't noticed. Rant over.

Social distancing on the ferry is very good and, unless eating or drinking their coffee masks are the order of the day. However a chap walked past me (duly masked) a few metres away and as he did so a massive wave of tobacco smoke from his clothes followed him. Apart from the distinct unpleasantness, it occurred to me that the aerosols that contain the smell are presumably the same ones that can contain the Covid-19 virus. Food for rather unpleasant thought. 

On a lighter note one of the chaps in the hospital had been feeding his neighbour's two dogs for a couple of days. He let them out into the garden (their back gardens were adjacent and could be accessed without going through the house) several times a day and fed them too. He was puzzled after the first night as to why one dog came out and then after eating and doing what it had to do went in and the other one came out. After this ritual had been repeated for the whole weekend he went in to see what was happening in the house. He followed the second dog into the house and it immediately went upstairs (they usually lived downstairs). He followed and found a chap on top of the wardrobe with the dog standing guard. It turned out that the chap was in fact a burglar and when he broke in on the Friday evening the dogs had chased him upstairs and he's been on top of the wardrobe all weekend with one or both of the dogs on guard! Yuk. The chap next door is a police dog handler/trainer.

Early

It's 0500 and I've been woken out of a deep sleep to start my Operation Day. It will be the last occasion for a long time when I'll be able to sleep on my side or curled up. It's been a Good Night. I have to drink two pre-op drinks. Breakfast. 

The first time I spent time in hospital for major surgery was when I was 16. The ward had 30+ patients and was a fairly noisy place even in the middle of the night. This room, with 4 beds and only 3 patients (I assume we are still patients and not customers) has been as silent as the grave. One of us snores lightly and contentedly. Perhaps two do. Maybe I do as well but unless someone mentions it I may never know. I was told once that one of my (few) saving graces was that I didn't snore. Mind you it's hard not to snore if you are lying in your back. 

The English language is strange in many ways. One of the most curious is the singular 'S'. We all know that s is used for plurals. However at some time in the middle of the night when I got up for a comfort break it occurred to me that one person snores but two people snore. Strange. Or perhaps it was just because I was half asleep in the middle of the night. 

The surgeon came yesterday. He has a very good reputation but I'm glad this is his chosen profession because he'd make a lousy salesman. He certainly accentuated all the possible pitfalls of the op and didn't even mention the likely benefits. Mind you unlike my last two major operations it's not a question of "You will die if you don't have this."

And on that note, my drinks having been drunk (ablative absolute I think YP?) I shall see if I can have another few minutes sleep. 

Waiting

Well there's just a night's sleep separating me from the operation to replace my right knee. I'm on at 0900 tomorrow. The disadvantage is that I'd fully intended to write some letters and even read a book. However I'll have at least 5 days to do that after the operation apparently. 

I've discovered that we are allowed our phones or iPads and that there is wifi. So instead of being separated from my phone for 24 hours until tomorrow night  I am able to communicate to my heart's contentment. Mind you writing emails, comments and now a post on the iPhone is an interesting experience. 

So this is me signing off until after the operation and when I'm back in the land of the living.