A & E

Those Accident and Emergency (A & E) shows on television always make a visit there look so glamorous and exciting. The staff are telegenic and they always know the answers to a problem in the end. Even the loonier patients seem thrilling.

Well, I spent hours in one of those departments last night when my mother was rushed to hospital and more hours again today waiting for her to be moved to a bed on the wards for follow up treatment. I didn't find the environment in the least glamorous nor did I fall in lust with any of the hard working, put-upon staff. One male nurse stirred my loins slightly and an Irish doctor might have done it for me too if only I'd understood his thick Irish brogue better.

However I can't fault the efforts of the staff who gave their all in trying conditions.

My mother has advanced dementia and lives in a nursing home and after falling ill was found at the hospital to have a cocktail of conditions which I imagined would leave most people at death's door. But my mother has always shown astonishing recuperative powers and is responding well to the medication she has been given.

I don't know yet how much longer she will remain in hospital but further visits will give me time to locate a George Clooney like gem amongst the staff.

(PS - it pisses me off how blogster fails to format posts the way I want from time time. Why do the editing and save function play up like that?)