OUT OF THE FRYING PAN

 

News from the Croziers has been a bit thin on the ground of late. While we were all locked down for all those months of the Spring, there was precious little to say about life at home – getting minimal exercise, shopping once per week, taking every step to protect ourselves from infection. Watching gargantuan amounts of telly. Singing with Gareth Malone. Now, although we know that the Greek economy depends so much on tourism, we have not felt overwhelmingly keen to bid welcome to holidaymakers who had the potential to start new spikes of infection in Greece and on small, hitherto safe little islands which had eluded problems so far. Sorry, we know you have probably been just as restricted and responsible as us, but please keep your distance!

Sadly, Pa Crozier went downhill during the lockdown. His appetite slumped, he missed his little sorties out and about and his mobility slowed down badly. Medical checks have brought the doubly unwelcome news that the prostate cancer has come out of hiding and that he also has Parkinson's Disease. In the UK, we would have a fair chance of a GP being able to direct us in the right specialists in the right order, but here in Greece where we consult all the specialisms separately, I began to wonder whether if the very expensive drug prescribed by the Urologist to reduce levels of PSA was reacting badly with all the other medication Mr C was taking already for other problems. I queried this with the Urologist who directed us to a Neurologist and we gamely set off to the dreaded hospital in Heraklion (which traumatised me in the past) for this scan with face masks, hand gel and certain level of trepidation. We are currently embroiled in a battle between competing “Ologists”.

Zoom Church

Our appointment was for 8.30 am, so we had to stay in a hotel overnight and get a taxi from there early the next morning. It took Mr C about 25 minutes to walk down a straight corridor to meet the other 20 people who all had an appointment at 8.30 am. There were 6 chairs. There was no Secretary on duty until 10.00 am. So we all stood there with pieces of paper in our hands looking at each other and wondering what the hell was going on! However this is so normal in Greek offices and hospitals that we stood and stood accepting the inevitable. Eventually somebody appeared and gathered sheets of paper. It seemed that everybody had to have an injection and wait for 3 hours before the scan could take place. They directed us to a small waiting room with chairs all round the edges and no windows. We took one look, thought 'No way', and found a door to the gravelly yard on the other side of the corridor where we found a rickety seat for two out in the fresh air. Instead of explaining to each of the patients that the procedure took about 25-35 minutes at the outset, they told each patient as they were called into the scanner room that they might need the loo prior to kick off, so each patient – mostly elderly – stumped off down a long corridor while all the medical staff stood waiting for them to return before beginning the scan. It was enough to drive me absolutely crazy! Enough moaning. I did manage to borrow a wheelchair for the return journey to the front door and resolved to get one of our own for any future hospital visits. At least one of us will have a seat.

The next week the Urologist wanted more PSA results so we disappeared to the lab for a blood test. The level turned out to be very high, so we were commanded to get another one done at a different lab miles away in Rethymno … and we would need to get bone scans done and MRI again and and and …

So the signs aren't good. It would be helpful if someone could actually give us enough information to feel as if we could find some sort of back up, support, professional advice. There was one day when I was in absolute bits, and had a lot of trouble explaining to a Secretary that it was just not possible to get a disabled person to all these tests at places an hour's journey away by 8.30 in the morning. Have a heart!

The Choir

On the plus side, local friends have been extremely kind to us. The weather has been settled and not too hot for July and August … almost bearable. And my pepper seeds planted during lockdown have turned into big sturdy plants! Watch this space.

Also Decca records released the record compiled by the Great British Home Chorus which sounded brilliant. What a technical achievement to put together video recordings from 11,000 people!

I'm not sure what the future holds in the next few months but keep us in your prayers as we cope with horrible hospital tests and checks.

Wish us luck and enjoy the Sunshine.