Out Patients

Still in the old building Dr Joburg spent a lot of time when I saw him he knew me from the shock treatment already. He was my first doctor at outpatients and the other patients simply had to wait, instead of the other way around. The doctors there said I could have a completely normal life but it would take some time to recover.

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Our grandmother took me for follow ups in the beginning. Thick smoke cloud there was coffee too, made from tractor tires. Everyone rocking and rolling sucking blowing kissing sigh moan and groan shaking knees hands and feet. It isn't like that anymore.

Rocking in her chair nodding blissfully, now and then, “Well isn't that nice!” Her mouth a prune sucking a sweetie. I just thought “No, it is not nice, it is not nice at all”.

In the beginning I had to go very regularly each month and at times even weekly. The sister there Tannie Engela really she was really an angel later said I was like a man fighting a stream, then his head was under then it was up then under again. I was at school with her son.

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The new outpatients was beautiful it was a lot different there it was a brand new building but only now you couldn't smoke and there were vending machines with cooldrinks chips and chocolates. One saw interns, qualified medical doctors studying for psychiatrists.

Mine were 1 minute consultations basically “How are you feeling?  Any problems? None, good”. “Medicine Ok?” still the same take the prescription and off to the pharmacy.

The other patients took very long, easily even up to quarter of an hour. Imagine that, you wait the whole morning to see a doctor and craving for a smoke and every time you wait and wait for hours and then less than one minute and it's done you walk out free. Well I'm not complaining if you know what I mean.

Once as I was called I asked as I was sitting down “How I are you?” Hell that guy was angry about that honestly I didn't mean anything. But what made the one doctor really furious was when he asked me “What medicines are you on?” “It's right there in front of you on my prescription”. Really I meant nothing those doctors don't like wizeguys.

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Brothers in arms, my brother had his turn Gramma gave me a lift to visit he was in a closed ward they were a new kind of security ward and used for acute patients it goes wild in there.

On the way there we bought a cheap mouth organ at Cycle & Toys as we rode in by the gates I said “But he asked for a tin condensed milk also?” On which she said “He can't have everything his heart desires”.