Thursday Doors – Sandton Clinic

Uncategorized 2 Minutes

Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

This has been a very busy and stressful week. Michael and I were at Sandton Clinic, our local hospital on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday for two covid tests, a series of lung functioning tests, a chest x-ray, and to have his wisdom teeth and two molars removed.

South Africa is in the middle of a third wave of covid infections so it was very stressful going to the hospital which is full of covid patients. The covid tests were the worst because the queue for people have tests for admission purposes and people who think they have covid is one and the same. It is very uncomfortable to be in the proximity of so many potentially infected people. Anyhow, it is all done now and, hopefully, we have come through the experiences unscathed.

The above picture is of the front door of the clinic. The two pictures below are of the covid testing station.

The Hospital

Oh, how I hate the hospital,

what a dreary and austere place,

I hate it more and more each time,

it raises its clinically sterile face.

***

The white noise is just awful,

children, crying through the night,

it’s meant to do the opposite,

but it sucks out all the hope and light.

***

It hurts to see his dear, little face,

on the pillow, clean and white,

the fact their colours match,

makes it a really horrible sight.

***

Oh, how I hate the hospital,

the nurses looking weary and drained,

children with arm drips neatly bandaged,

their faces puffy and tear stained.

***

If I had to describe the hospital,

I would call it a modern version of Hell,

just being in this cesspit of illness,

is enough to make me feel unwell.

I wrote this poem about a previous visit by Michael to the hospital in 2017. It is published in Open a new door, a poetry collection by Kim Blades and myself.

To make my week even more fun, today I took my mom and aunt for their first covid jabs at the Discovery Health building in Sandton. It took 35 minutes to get into the parking and I waited for them for just over 1 hour. I am grateful their vaccination process has finally started, but it is quite exhausting visiting these places and negotiating all the checkpoints and people.

This is the entrance to the parking lot of the Discovery Health building where vaccinations are being given to the over 65s.

If you would like to join in Thursday Doors, you can do so here: https://nofacilities.com/2021/06/10/around-the-quad/

Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

Published

81 thoughts on “Thursday Doors – Sandton Clinic”

    1. Hi Jacqui, my apologies for missing this comment. I suppose I did have an ulterior motive. I was mentally comparing the miserable little building where the covid tests are being done with the palatial building where the vaccines are being given. Having a test is not pleasant and it would be nice to have it done in a nicer place. I also wasn’t very happy with the standards of hygiene at the testing station. Much lower than at the Discovery Building. The double standards annoy me.

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      1. That’s interesting. I skipped the whole testing thing, jumped right into vaccine. It was done at a conference center for one and Disneyland for the other! Odd locations both (though able to accommodate huge numbers) but both professional and clean.

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  2. So sorry to hear about your stressful week. Here in Los Angeles, they are offering $75 gift cards for anyone who will be vaccinated…you walk up, get the shot and go…takes less than 5 minutes…we are over 65% done now and our numbers are plummeting finally…hopefully that will happen for you soon…

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    1. Most people here want to be vaccinated. I’ve said it before, but South Africans are generally compliant and have faith in the guidance of the medical world. It’s quite ironic that in LA people are being tempted to have the vaccination and here, everyone wants one but there are so few available 🌹

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      1. Yes Robbie, I am happy to see that our President has committed to supplying millions of doses to other countries ASAP…while here we have those who are refusing to get it…sad but a reflection of our toxic political climate here right now…

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    1. That is quite a low percentage, Kim. Not enough for herd immunity. The number of people who’ve died following a vaccination is so small compared to deaths from the virus I find it a bit of an odd choice. I think people here are generally keen to have the vaccination.

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  7. Such a heartfelt post, Robbie. I’m glad you made it through your ordeals. It is much easier here. We drove about a mile down the road, didn’t have to wait for more than five minutes in line, waited fifteen minutes after the vaccine, and then left. Easy. I wish we could share our experience with you. 🙂

    According to one website here are AZ numbers as of today, “Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,709,020
    Percentage of population fully vaccinated: 37.22.” California is quite a bit higher with, “Number of people fully vaccinated: 17,903,416 Percentage of population fully vaccinated: 45.31.” The problem here is that many people don’t want the vaccination touting that some have died from the vaccine. Alabama, like your other friend said, is the 50th out of 51 states for lowest numbers of people vaccinated.

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          1. I don’t want to get it either. I had my second vaccine in March. I got one as soon as they came out. I met a couple yesterday who play pickleball. They both got it, but the man spent 30 days on oxygen and is still not quite back up to snuff. My guess is that they were very active with pickleball up until that time. She was the secretary of the club for eight years. That tends to keep people involved. From doors to flu to pickleball. Your door opened and has carried you far! And this is only one conversation on one post! LOL 🙂

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          3. Is Pete any relation to Jerry? Our conversations are mostly, “What’s the score? Am I in the right place? Did you really get a point right there? We were serving and lost it, so you didn’t get the point. Did that ball hit the line? I didn’t see it. Sorry. You don’t have to say ,”Sorry,” every time you miss the ball. Let’s just play, don’t worry about the score. Can I serve that again?”

            It’s actually a riot. 🙂

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  8. I hope all goes well with your COVID tests; that does sound like a very stressfull process.

    But I do like how you were able to turn the experience into your Thursday door post 🙂

    and wonderful poem as well…

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  12. I am sorry to hear about the stressful week you had, Robbie. Waiting for someone in a hospital is its own special kind of torture. Thanks for sharing these doors with us. And thanks for sharing your poem.

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  15. I have a real aversion to hospitals so I feel for you. I hope Michael will be feeling better soon after his oral surgery. Never fun. Pleased to hear the vaccinations are rolling out in South Africa now. They are doing 50-year-olds here in Spain now. There is light at the end of this long, twisty tunnel.

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  16. Treatment for anything is very stressful in these times. I was lucky my doctor did the Covid test in his office before my procedure a few months ago. And the stress involved in getting the vaccine! The US seems to be over the hump with that thank goodness.

    I remember the removal of both daughters’ wisdom teeth. I’m one of the few people I know who never had them removed because they grew in with no problem. I hope this week is calmer! (K)

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  18. I’m sorry it’s been so difficult and that your hospital is hellish. I hope Michael is healing well and pray your country gets all the vaccines people want. Maybe some from the US will get there. Take care!

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    1. Thank you, JoAnna. Less than 500 000 South Africas are currently fully vaccinated, but the roll out is speeding up so there is lots of hope. Being in the hospital is stressful with so much covid about. Michael is high risk which makes me fret for his safety.

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  20. Hi Robbie – what a stressful week. I hope you can all get the vaccine soon. We are finally all vaccinated and feeling good, fast-approaching 70%. I wish it were the same around the world. Going into a hospital and any medical facility during Covid is also stressful. I hope you didn’t mind your test too much. I was lucky enough to avoid having to get a test, but two of my kids had to. Not pleasant. Take care.

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      1. Oh wow, I hope it ramps up soon for you. Here it seemed as if we’d never get the vaccine, but then one Friday, appointments opened up all over and it became easy to get one. Now you don’t even need an appointment.

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  22. Hi Norah, the tests showed that his asthma was brittle or not responding well to the medications. There are reasons for this and he is now on a new treatment plan which the pulmonologist is optimistic will help. He also has problems with acute sinusitis and we are on a new treatment plan for that. He has a huge polyp in his left sinus and a cyst in his right sinus. The ENT and Pulmonologist are working together and hope the combined treatment plans will shrink the polyp. If not, he will need another surgery. On the bright side, his lungs are not damaged and his x-ray was fine.

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  23. I know exactly what you are saying last year and this I have been in and out of hospital alot, I have had a lot of covid tests too!
    Yesterday I had to go and do a covid surge test as where I live the Delta Variant of covid is rampant! I have to say it was quick and the staff were kind and helpful.
    Hubby and I have have had both our jabs as have our two eldest sons, our youngest and his wife have had their first jabs. 💜

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    1. Delta Variant – oh my, I don’t know that one. I’ll have to look it up. We mainly have the South African variant here and a few of the British and Indian variants. I hope the Indian variant doesn’t get a foothold here. I am relieved my mom and aunt have had their first jabs, Willow. As soon as possible, the rest of us will get ours too.

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      1. The Delta veriant is the Indian variant but our P.C. Government have decided we can call it the Indian variant… All be it the still call the others the Kent, South Africa and Brazilian variants….. It’s just pandering to idiots…this latest one is nasty! Hugs stay safe 💜💜💜

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  24. Healing energy for Michael after his oral surgery. ❤ Healing energy for you too, Robbie in these vulnerable times and with the stress of negotiating all this. ❤ Xxx ❤ for you all. ❤

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  25. The most difficult thing about hospitals is that they house sick people. And even before the restrictions of visitors… the security seems rather lax. There really isn’t a good check in system to a) know who is in the building at any given time and b) how sick the visitor may or may not be. It is difficult to have a good hospital experience. But I did have one when my husband had to have surgery. We actually ended up in the children’s section because that’s where the doctor was ‘preforming’ that day. The staff was pleasant and because of a good recovery we didn’t even have to stay overnight. It is good to have doctors you trust. I’ve just recently switched again…

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    1. Michael has very good doctors. I have terrible nightmares about him because of his history of stopping breathing. My sons have had 31 operations between them. Our doctors all know our names when they see us. We are old ‘friends’. I’m glad you’ve had good experiences. Mine haven’t been bad, its just covid is very stressful.

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      1. We have had our share of having to get second opinions. And that can be stressful when a doctor tells you he’ll do things his way and there are no other options. There are always options. Just because one is a medical professional doesn’t mean they have compassion or common sense.

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      1. Agreed! Luckily she lives here at home with her father who is unable to get vaccinated per doctors orders so thankfully she’ll be cautious. We are in a rural area too which we hope stays in our favor 🤞🏻

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