Thursday 30 December 2010

Hernia and Ushaw

Yesterday I entered the Day Surgery Unit of Darlington Memorial Hospital for a hernia operation.  The op. was a success, but the wound is of course still painful.  On the other hand I feel a lot better now (24 hours after the op.) than I did eight years ago when I had a similar operation by the same surgeon.  Maybe in the intervening years the mix of gases in the anaesthesia has improved or the surgeon with 8 years extra practice has become even better or the knives are sharper!
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I have been told on good authority that there are some concerned Catholics who do not want to sign the online petition about Ushaw College for fear that if the College continues to stay open it will be on the terms that it has existed for the past twenty/thirty years.  This is certainly not the intention of the petition; indeed the petition, and the proposals which I have heard about. all envisage the present teaching structure of the College being swept away and a new and more traditional regime installed.  I would ask everyone who is concerned about the possible closure of Ushaw College to sign the petition at the address below.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ushaw/

And - Oh! - the closure of the Conference Centre business may be more apparent than real!

3 comments:

  1. I have always believed in sharp knives for the NHS. Glad to hear you are feeling okay Father.

    John and Moira.

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  2. Father,

    Do you think, like me, that the announced closure of the Conference Centre was something of a ploy to "sabotage" (?) the proposed traditionalist seminary business plan?

    I may be very wrong, but I am suspicious.

    Terry Middleton

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  3. Day surgery for a hernia, eh? The wonders of modern medicine. I hope you are soon back to rude good health and fit for the fray in 2011.
    Believe it or not I was in South Moor hospital in 1964 for an operation to remove an ingrowing toe nail from my right big toe and I was in for TWO WEEKS. In order to keep my leg and foot immobile so as not to place a strain on the stitches on my toe my leg was encased in women's magazines and wrapped around with an elastic stocking. I was not allowed to walk for five days and then had to walk on my heel. How times have changed. It was not a success and the nail appeared again as two horns from each side of my big toe. Another operation entailed another week in hospital a few months later. This, also, was not a success but now I have a nail growing out of only one side of my big toe. I decided to call it a day and live with it. Perhaps the knives were not as sharp in 1964?
    I apologise, Father, if this is a diversion from the Ushaw petition but you started it with your medical reminiscences. Look out for more 'Tales for the NHS'.

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