Olive is back at hospital, not for herself but because her granddaughter Rachel was rushed in. It all began last Thursday when Rachel went to St Alban’s hospital for a relatively straightforward operation to remove her tonsils. Things went well at the hospital. Pre admission a couple of weeks earlier was very quick and everything was explained and understood and they even said that, as she was over 18, there was a possibility there could be some bleeding post op. With younger people there is normally no problems, but older ones (is 18 old??) it was often more complicated. Rachel’s operation was a success and she was discharged within 24 hours. She had a very sore throat and earache, but was at home starting the recovery process. On Monday night disaster! She started bleeding – slowly at first and then really bleeding. The family had been told that if this happened it was best to go straight to Luton and Dunstable Hospital, as they are the Ear Nose and Throat specialists in the area. A quick dash up the M1 at 4am – straight into A&aE, into a bay and then with the specialist who tried to stem the flow. At 11.00am Rachel was taken back to theatre to reseal the bleeds. Olive is at the bedside 24 hours later reading a celebrity magazine (and wondering who all the people were that were in it) when the doctor arrived and said he was contemplating a blood transfusion for Rachel to replace the blood she had lost – don’t panic Olive thought – but then rushed out and phoned everyone! In the end Rachel didn’t need a transfusion and was discharged with painkillers, antibiotics and iron juice (that looked like rust would you believe!). Olive was talking to George later and said “its times like this that you realise just how good our local NHS is – sometimes we forget that and take it all for granted”. George nodded.