HENRY G. SHEPPARD - HAEMATEMESIS (2016)

Synopsis/blurb....

This book relates the journey of a medical innocent through the wilds of the hospital system. It is a comic account of life on the business side of the medical looking glass, written to encourage others as they face the uncertainties of life in the hands of modern-day medical practitioners.

Not my usual kind of reading, but flicking through the kindle it popped up and jumped out at me. I vaguely recall the author offering a copy for a review sometime and I was in the mood for something a bit different.

Here the author chronicles his second encounter with leukemia after having previously battled the disease. It's not a subject normally associated with humour, but Sheppard does his best to lighten the mood while documenting his journey.

Bowel movements, nose bleeds, self-medicating, weight loss, invasive fingers, cancelled appointments, officious hospital staff, surly doctors, argumentative nurses and yo-yo-ing blood counts, the painful and at times callous hunt to locate a vein and a flatulent bus ride.

Having seen both good and bad indifference when in hospital, both as a patient and a visitor, I can relate to a lot of the anecdotes Sheppard shares - the Australian medical profession having much in common with the NHS.

A few smiles, one laugh out loud funny moment - almost two, plenty of sharp intakes of breath and wincing and a fond wish that Sheppard retains his stoicism and sunny demeanour in his on-going fight with a cruel disease.

4 from 5

Read - August, 2018
Published - 2016
Page count - 73
Source - review copy from author
Format - kindle

* Having checked back in on the author over on Goodreads, sadly it appears that he lost his fight and passed in March, 2018