Suggestions Please

[zylaphone]

I have an appointment at my hospital for eye pressure tests every two hours from 8:45 am until 6:00 pm. Test takes about 10 minutes, too far to drive home.

Obviously can’t stay in the hospital.

Looking for innovative ideas please!!

[calmck]

Where is the hospital

[Tilly2]

Go in a taxi, or get someone to drop you off, then get a taxi back. Not very innovative but it makes sense to me.

[Cloverjo]

But he’s got tests every two hours during that day.

[Prudie]

Do you mean all the time between tests? Will you still be able to read? If so find a bench and read a book you've always meant to, either in hard copy or downloaded onto a phone. Or listen to some music you've always meant to - all the Beethoven symphonies are worth hearing, if only once. Oh and take some sweets.

[ubasses]

What is there in the surrounding area?

[zylaphone]

I can drive but it’s 30minutes each way.

PS I’m a ‘she’!!

[Mamyalynne]

I did the full day one, took a load of quizzes and puzzles to do - others took books /ipads etc and got the password from reception.

We also went out on the grass every hour or so for a stroll.

[Buenchico]

The (rather good) restaurant at my local big hospital has now re-opened to the general public (having only been open to staff or for takeaway food for many weeks). If there's a similar situation at the hospital that you'll be attending, a leisurely lunch could fill one of the gaps quite well.

Otherwise you'll need to consider what's nearby and how you can get there. When I had a gap to fill between being injected with a radioactive substance and the subsequent scan to find out where it had got to, I paid for a day's full parking at the hospital and hopped on a bus into town to do some shopping. As the hospital is only 11 miles from the coast, I'd also considered driving to the seaside to fill in some time.

Without knowing what's around the hospital that you'll be attending though, it's hard to be more specific with any suggestions.

[Mamyalynne]

They gave my group lunch and a snack and cakes in the afternoon.

[Tilly2]

I'm sorry, I misunderstood Zylaphone.

[zylaphone]

Thanks all.

Forecast is 27-29, too hot to sit in the car so will take a chair and write my Christmas cards, won’t put stamps on for obvious reasons!!

[Mamyalynne]

Good to get it done with.x

[zylaphone]

Not moaning as many people are worse off.

Not good at waiting!

[Maydup]

That's a good idea, the time will pass better than you think, by the time you have had a coffee and read a newspaper, written some cards, eaten a bit of lunch, had a stroll and surfed the net, the tests will be over.

You can always log in here for a chat, the hospital will have free wifi.

[ummmm]

Do hospitals have free wifi?

[Mamyalynne]

I only know that ours allowed those there for almost 12 hours to use the wifi log in the day I went.

[Buenchico]

>>> Do hospitals have free wifi?

Ipswich Hospital certainly does and I believe that most others do too. However, in Ipswich at least, access to video-streaming sites, such as Youtube and BBC iPlayer, is blocked in order to retain sufficient bandwidth for everyone to use.

[Maydup]

NHS Free wifi is available across most establishments as far as I know.

[diddlydo]

Free wifi - you must be joking! When my husband was in A&E recently, there was zero phone reception so we couldn't even communicate with each other (obviously I couldn't be there because of Covid)

[Maydup]

He'd have been better off connecting to the free wifi then Diddly

Hope he's OK now

https://digital.nhs.uk/services/nhs-wifi