Dear LPG,

The other day I was visiting a relative, my uncle who has been in hospital for a while and, after only ten minutes of our talking, a doctor or nurse appeared from behind the curtain and told me that I needed to leave for a while so that they could do one of those things that a visitor does not need to see.  

I do try to go at least every other day because I hate the thought of his having no visitors and, while others do visit, I am the family member who can get there most easily.  I hate to think of him without someone to talk to during that time.  

For all that, I think that most people in that position would want to wait until that particular consultation is over, but you never know how long it will take. 

I did what many a youngish pensioner might as I found a seat at the end of the ward and took out my mobile phone, but it was then that I could hear the sound of someone choking back tears.   

The nurses that were there were busy trying to cover all the things that they have to do in spite of the fact there are far too few and I suspect that they hardly had time to hear what I could hear.  It is hard to try to help when you do not know someone for fear of appearing nosey, but I decided to get up and walk the length of the ward just in case and as I passed one of the sets of bed curtains I found the source of the sounds.  

 
I just asked if the lady who’s voice I heard was OK and the tears were apparent.  I sat with her for a while, and she told me a lot without telling me very much at all.  I don’t really know what was wrong although I did learn that she had had a family visit earlier in the day.  It was something to do with an addiction from what she said and so I tried talking about the ultimate addiction which affects so many of us according to the statistics and that is overeating.  

It was not long before a nurse found me and told me that I could return to my uncle, and before I left my new friend she offered me a warm hug.  She was there for a few days after that when I visited, sometimes with her own visitor and sometimes alone, but I think that I was able to help someone else that day.

Visiting anyone in hospital can be hard and finding yourself talking to a complete stranger even harder but, with the help of a bit of discretion, being a bit nosy can be a good thing.

BF, Lee