Getting a good seeing through

At the end of January I’d noticed that one of the bones in my left shoulder was higher than in the right and, given that I’m prone to a bit of arthritis and had been feeling the odd twinge, I visited my local medical centre to see what the doc had to say about it. After being passed through various hands I was eventually given an appointment to have the shoulder X-rayed – in April!

Come the day, the swelling had long since subsided but, given how long I’d had to wait in the first place, I decided to go anyway. I still had a bit of pain in my shoulder, so I naturally supposed that was the one that was to be X-rayed. “Right, me old love, it says here you need the right shoulder done,” said the radiologist. Well, there you go; after three months wait, I’m not going to argue with the man who presses the buttons.

Half-an-hour later I’m sat in front of the specialist and hand over the X-rays, “Right,” he said, looking at my medical notes, “it’s the left shoulder you’re having trouble with, isn’t it?” And he isn’t looking at the X-rays the wrong way around because they are still in their envelope.

“At the moment, yes, but the radiologist seemed to think it was the right shoulder that had to be done.”

“Never mind,” he comes back, “it’s only a bit of swelling, I’ll give you a prescription to take for the next couple of months to ease the pain and bring the swelling down.” He didn’t even examine me, and obviously had X-ray eyes himself and didn’t need a machine because my shirt and sweater stayed firmly in place for the three minutes I was with him. So much for the complex art of radiography. The next time I have a problem with my knee, elbow or thumb, I’ll take the shoulder X-rays because obviously it doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference. And for this I’d waited three months!

If you would like to know more about Spain, visit my web site, www.derekworkman-journalist.com , and Spain Uncovered.