by My doctor gave me an abdominal ultrasound last night. All my internal organs looked the right shape, size and colour, but my intestines are all gassed up, and I’ve got kidney stones. Three of them – two in my right kidney and one in my left, and they’re all small – 4 mm or less. He recommended that I just keep taking the painkillers and drink lots of water. Actual bottled water for the time being, not the stuff I get from the well. The procedure was painless and only took a few minutes. I ensured I didn’t eat anything for several hours beforehand. Then I got on the table where he greased my tummy, and images of my organs appeared on the screen, to which he took a virtual tape measure. I can have no complaints at the medical care I’ve had in my five years in Romania. It’s been bloody awesome, honestly.
I’m far better than I was, but I’m still struggling, and I suppose I will be until I pass those stones. That could be painful.
I’m watching the BBC World News channel. Amid rolling reports of the awfully primitive war in Ukraine, they just had a short “this week in history” segment. The event that caught my eye was the ferry disaster that took place in March 1987, killing 193 people, nearly 40% of those on board. A ferry called the Herald of Free Enterprise, operated by Townsend Thoresen, sank as soon as it left Zeebrugge, after someone (who think was asleep) hadn’t closed the bow doors. That August we took one of the company’s sister ships from Felixstowe to Zeebrugge – a six-hour journey – on the way to a very enjoyable ten-day camping holiday in Belgium. Travelling in Europe – well, anywhere – was so much fun then.
