The Magic Curtain

Well, the op did take place and I have not been able to sit for too long at my computer until today so haven't been able to post. After two weeks of walking like Mrs Overall in Acorn Antiques I can now stand up straight and walk a little way without doubling over.
I have now experienced the "magic curtain" you know the one - the curtain that swishes round a hospital bed and suddenly makes everything secure, safe and confidential! This is certainly a strange phenomena from a patient perspective. The curtains of other's hold a fascination for the bedridden yet conscious - what is going on behind the barrier, who are those people who arrive with clipboard in hand and "swish" and then disappear into another world? As new patients arrive the magic curtain is "swished" immediately - to protect them from prying eyes or to keep them from escaping I wonder? Regardless of what professionals might believe about privacy and dignity - the curtains DON'T do it!!
I had occasion to be the victim of much curtain "swishing". The day after my op I was visited by a number of "hello my name's ..." (another thing professionals are taught to do and actually as a patient I couldn't care less - least of all remember!) I was then informed of an 'incident' that happened in the recovery room ( at this point my mind was working overtime - I died? I fell off the table? I was attacked by an axe-wielding madman?) - no- apparently I was given out of date morphine - a minor problem in the grand scheme of things but throughout the rest of the day I lost count of the "swishing" of the magic curtain as doctors, nurses, anaethestists and pharmacists came to visit me to apologise and reassure me that I was not affected by this. All I wanted to do was sleep and stop throwing up!! Anyway all's well that ends well - I'm home, recovering and looking forward to some relaxation before returning to work.

So in a nutshell- What I learned from a patient perspective:
1. Giving names is not necessary - role is more important
2. The curtain around the bed does offer the patient a sense of privacy - but is not Magic
3. Doctors no longer seem to wear white coats - and they seem to be followed by very young, very thin young women carrying clipboards and taking notes
4. The ward is ruled - not by matron - but by infection control - who also appear from nowhere every now'n' again with a clipboard
5. Nurses still feel the need to discuss their private lives across the beds of patients (interesting but not very professional)
6. Everyone is obsessed by elinination of bodily fluids - and it can be catching. I found myself discussing this with my visitors at every opportunity- it's what divided up the days