Opinion

Columnist and author October 25, 2026 — 5:00am

October 25, 2026 — 5:00am

Recently, I developed a pain in my arm, which turned out to be caused by two compressed nerves. I tried pain relief and injections, but neither worked, and eventually I had little choice but to have spinal surgery.

The operation took three hours, and I spent 24 hours afterwards in the ICU. The nurses were magnificent, as was my surgeon, his registrar, even the porters. And while the bed was as narrow as an ironing board, I was far too sleepy to care.

I had spinal surgery, but my snoring roommate was an even bigger pain the neck. Getty Images

The only problem was with the other patients. Well, one patient in particular.

For the first eight hours of my stay, I drifted in and out of consciousness. I woke up late in the evening, jerked into life by a horrific noise. It was an anguished choking – a guttural inhale followed by a deep, groaning exhale.

It took me a moment to figure out where I was.…