The hospital waltz

May 25, 2016

Apologies for the lack of posts over the past week – my troublesome leg infection (that kicked off last week) hasn’t improved, and on Monday my GP sent me off to emergency, which then led to surgery and now an extended stint here in hospital

Personally, I’ve never been in hospital for more than a few hours, and I can’t remember ever spending this much time laying in a bed doing very little – especially as I’m used to trying to pack in activity into every waking moment. Actually, with an IV antibiotic drop and a wound pump rolling I’ve probably got a good excuse to do nothing. But it’s still a weird sensation to go from ‘every minute counts’ to ‘every minute and counting’ as I sit here for yet another day in a holding pattern waiting for the infection all clear. Perception readjusting (and a reminder just how easily your health can go awry).

Needless to say I’m not sure when I’ll be back in the reviewing saddle. Damn, I can’t wait for that first drink…

Navel gazing

Andrew Graham was once voted the 23rd most trusted wine critic on the planet. A WCA Journalism Young Gun now old hack with 25yrs as a buyer, judge, journalist, marketer and too much more.

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20 responses to “The hospital waltz”

edward

May 25, 2016 at 11:48 pm

Andrew, Lets hope you have a speedy and uneventful recovery.

Reply
1. Andrew Graham
  
  May 26, 2016 at 4:30 am
  
  Thanks Ed
  
  Reply
Daniel

May 26, 2016 at 8:25 am

Andrew – good luck with the speedy recovery. I was in hospital once for a few days getting out appendix. Try to get your partner to bring in some reading material and some snacks. Hospital food can be a bit tough. Also my partner brought in an ice-cream tub which went down a treat with all the fellow patients (I was in a ward of 6).

Reply
1. Andrew Graham
  
  May 26, 2016 at 8:50 am
  
  Snacks are the only way I’ve survived! Snacks and the Kindle!
  
  Reply
Sandra

May 26, 2016 at 9:11 am

Sounds like a bit of a nightmare saga from a simple wound. Good luck and hope it all improves soon and you can get back to tasting wine.

Reply
1. Andrew Graham
  
  May 26, 2016 at 9:50 am
  
  It was such a nothing low speed bike crash and then just a graze and a bump. It was the bump that got me though – it just didn’t go away and then infection. Bugger.
  
  Reply
Tony T

May 26, 2016 at 10:09 am

Hey Andrew,

I’ve never minded hospital / rehab time. Even when the result of annoying bad luck. If anything, it’s a chance to just stop. Sometimes, really just stopping for an extended period is the most valuable and effective means of making “every minute count”. Meb Keflezighi always preached that stopping completely and doing little relaxing time wasting things is often a key to staying healthy amid his hardest years of marathon training. The future you will be ecstatic you are doing exactly that. You’ll be shocked that whilst some physical capacity will fall a few weeks behind, other recovery and strength capacity will gain years from this. Treat it as the win it can be, if you let yourself.

All the best for recovery.

Reply
1. Andrew Graham
  
  May 26, 2016 at 2:03 pm
  
  Cheers Tony, sage advice.
  
  I’ve just come off the back of a big training block and was due a rest. But I’m still kicking myself that I didn’t take it more seriously a week or so ago, as I could have just had a few quiet days and not a week in hospital.
  
  Heres hoping that this rest could help me finally get close to my 60 minute City2Surf!
  
  Reply
John Coady

May 26, 2016 at 11:50 am

Best wishes for a sober recovery Andrew 😉 If you’re in St George Hospital I could visit as it’s my domain.
Sounds you’ve got infection under and of the wound; something I recall in my 20’s. Like painful ++ Cheers John

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1. Andrew Graham
  
  May 26, 2016 at 2:06 pm
  
  Apparently the killer was just the volume of fluid – half a litre of infected goo came out of my hip. If it wasn’t so big the surgeon said I probably would be out by now.
  
  Infection is scary.
  
  Reply
Colin

May 26, 2016 at 2:40 pm

Andrew,
thats a lot of infected goo!
See you on RPA soon……..in all seriousness get well soon
Perhaps they could have a look at those manky toes you blogged a weeks ago?

Colin R

Reply
1. Andrew Graham
  
  May 26, 2016 at 3:00 pm
  
  Ha. Nothing wrong with my toes 🙂
  
  Reply
Ben

May 27, 2016 at 1:37 am

Wishing you a speedy recovery Andrew,
All the way from China!

Reply
1. Andrew Graham
  
  May 27, 2016 at 1:50 am
  
  Cheers Ben!
  
  Reply
marc russo

May 27, 2016 at 11:07 am

Hey Andrew,

What about reviewing some of the hospital medicinal brandy that Doctors can order to prevent patients getting the DTs?

You could compare it to Angoves XO for us.

marc

Reply
Colin r

May 28, 2016 at 8:40 am

Hello Andrew,
Hope your well down the recovery road today, perhaps even discharged on Friday?
Blogging at 1.50 a.m!!! Is it the snoring in the ward or general insomnia?
Off to Mitchell Harris Wines today to try the 2013 Cabernet……reading some really positive reviews………..I’ll give you something totally useless to read when I get back.

Get well soon.

Colin r

Reply
1. Andrew Graham
  
  May 29, 2016 at 4:49 pm
  
  Out and feeling much better Colin! Verdict on the MH Cab?
  
  Reply
Cathy

May 29, 2016 at 9:45 pm

If you need to find a silver lining, your palate should be refreshed & that first drink will be awesome. Make it a goody. Speedy recovery. Cheers.

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Colin r

May 30, 2016 at 7:48 pm

Hello Andrew,
Good to hear your up & about again.
MH Cabernet 2013 was a really interesting exercise to show how a different region/climate, (Pyrenees …….clearly higher altitude) even though they are geographic neighbors, can be So different from say……..Dalwhinnie Cabernet which is advertised as Moonambel.
Almost medium bodied , mint,blackberry fruit , (the cassis meter didn’t really register too high) with some very well handled & balanced French oak, really solid structure. The length really impressed me , pretty good value at $30 a bottle.
Only drawback is its not available anywhere retail outside of Mitchell Harris Ballarat.
Go easy on the recovery drinking!!

Cheers
Colin r

Reply
1. Andrew Graham
  
  May 31, 2016 at 9:52 am
  
  I’ve got it on the bench Colin and sounds promising!
  
  Reply