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Memory #6

From 1972

I remember… As a child, I had an operation at a NW Hospital (1972). I remember waking up on the ward and being incredibly thirsty and alone. I reached over to get a drink from my bedside and covered myself in undiluted Ribena. I lay there, still thirsty, sick and sticky. … I was unattended for long periods of time.

Other similar cards…

Memory #64

From 1962/63

I remember… Training in Radiography in what had been the mortuary of the hospital. Its vast ceiling meant that the office was on a type of gallery in the middle. It was quite daunting.

Memory #62

From 1967

I remember… When I was a child I had my appendix out. You were wheeled outside in the rain to your operation!

Memory #55

From 1970s/80s

I remember… When I trained in the 1970s/80s we had protected lunch and coffee breaks – now people have to have quick breaks on wards. There is less time to decompress and talk to colleagues.

Memory #42

I remember… Coming around after an operation and general anaesthetic. I had never experienced an operation before so this was a very unusual feeling. I remember the nurse getting tapping my shoulder and her saying “you are ok, it is safe to open your eyes”. I was still very groggy, but I knew I was safe & secure, even though I had not fully come out of the ‘FOG’ of anaesthetic.

Memory #49

From 1960s & 1990s

I remember… I was a nurse in London in the 1960s … My immediate memory is of calm, the peace & quiet at 3am on night duty. Contrast with how noisy a different hospital was in 1996 when I took my mother in. Chaos! The shops & the people & the noise now in the main entrance. So busy – like a shopping centre. I needed calm and efficiency.