Ahead of my regular kidney checkups, I always need to provide some blood samples. This time my visit to the creepy empty hospital was, well, creepy. It was almost like something out of a disaster movie and I was on the film set.
Normally the waiting room in the above photo is full, with different patients waiting for different clinics, plus there’s always a handful waiting to give blood samples. Instead it was just me, then another patient who wandered in after me. There were some masked staff sauntering around, looking a bit lost and unsure of what they should be doing.
As usual, I pressed the ticket machine’s button and after a couple of minutes I was called. I went into a little room divided into two smaller bays for the purposes of giving some blood. Both members of staff looked like futuristic highway men with face masks, blue gloves and protective everything. Everything was being wiped down before I was allowed to sit down and roll my sleeve up, causing me to wonder if they were going to wipe me down as well!
It was when one spoke that I knew it was a woman, could have been a robot for all I knew. I handed my form and confirmed my details. The blood samples were taken and I said farewell.
As I walked through the near empty corridors to leave the hospital, it was strange, odd and definitely creepy. Everyone was keeping their distance as people moved around on a kind of autopilot, no conversation, everyone and everything seemed silent. Again I felt as if I was in a movie set about some futuristic post apocalyptic society where there were only a few of us who had survived.
Outside the hospital I was brought back down to reality as I started my journey home. I realised many people would be elsewhere in the hospital, many fighting fo their lives. Others losing their fight despite the army of hospital workers fighting for them.
By contrast I passed the smoking shelter and that was such an extraordinary sight. There were a handful of patients, easily recognised by being in their pyjamas and dressing gowns, one was even in a wheel chair with an intravenous drip, each one smoking.
It was the sight of hospital staff in the smoking shelter which was probably even more disturbing; they were outnumbering the patients. Definitely no social distancing being practiced as they puffed away – and I wondered which was worse – smoking or being too close to each other.
It is fair to say I often see the occasional member of hospital staff smoking whenever I pass by. This time I was struck by the sizeable number. I wondered if the stress of their jobs was driving them to do this. Perhaps this could apply but it was, nevertheless, a strange and troubling sight.
I ran home, just over two miles and mostly along the Busway. I felt good and was pleased to be outta there. I was breathing fresh air, I could feel my lungs, heart, legs, feet, everything, all working together well with each stride. My kidneys may not be working very well but with every step I’m helping reduce the likelihood of heart problems, plus many other problems in the future. It felt so good.
Funnily enough, the other day I had a letter from the hospital saying my appointment had changed. It gave detailed of the new time and date, plus confirming where I should go, Zone E and all that.
So I decided to call the hospital and enquired if I really was expected to attend in person, I would be quite happy with a telephone consultation. Straightaway the voice realised the mistake, confirmed my consultation would still go ahead and, thank you, it will be by telephone.