A mate of mine is lucky to be alive after getting a mystery infection (not Ebola) but apparently it has a 50% mortality rate.

He has had multiple ops on 1 arm all week to make sure infection didnt spread, but will be in hospital for at least 1 more week.

I’m off to see him tonight, but besides the usual car magzines etc, any ideas of what I can get him to keep him entertained?

His mobile has been banned by family, as have tablets etc because they know he will just start working again (self employed)

Ta

Rubix Cube?

What’s wrong with him working?

It might really help his state of mind. Work isn’t always a stress-out mental drain.

Otherwise – a good novel of course.

Razzle*, a gameboy type thing, portable digital radio, MP3 player?

*Unless it’s his right arm

Fags copy of razzle/Mayfair/feista/penthouse/readers wives etc etc
Oh and some whiskey

Some alcohol gel hand wipe and make sure everyone who touches him uses it.

kin ell that sounds like a nightmare.

Ask your mate if he wants his phone/tablet, I assume he’s adult enough to make his own decision. As @molgrips say perhaps working will make him feel better and think of the future after he’s recovered.

If he had a tablet you could download some movies onto it, perhaps stream some stuff if there is WiFi ?

If you have a tablet/laptop take it in so he can browse the web a bit – can you tether your phone to the laptop to access web ?

Magazines as you say. Holiday brochures so he can think about places for some relaxing rehab ?

How do they know the mortaility rate of a mystery infection! 🙂

When my mate got knocked off his bike and was hospitalized for a good while, we bought him a handheld game thing, plenty of books and magazines etc.

Take him his favourite take away,as hospital food is shocking.

A mate of mine is lucky to be alive after getting a mystery infection (not Ebola) but apparently it has a 50% mortality rate.

How do they know it’s got a 50% mortality rate if they don’t know what it is?

edit – too slow..

Talk him a laptop with lots of films loaded on it.

The mate in question is 42 and single.

All week I have been in touch with his sister, as he has been too ill for all but immediate family to see him.

She rang me last night to say now that he is coming round a bit he is starting to very depressive thoughts about loosing his arm/life whats going to happen in the future etc. His parents are being over protective IMO and not letting him have visitors or his phone. (yes I know hes a grown man)

So I was just trying to go and give him some ‘normality’ as best you can and was trying to think of some thing I could take him to do.

Will go in later, and just ask what I can get him.

How do they know the mortaility rate of a mystery infection!

Fair point. There is a rough idea what infection it was but they are waiting for the Pathology. The other possiblity was Necrotizing fasciitis (google that for some interesting reading…)

Are they allowed beer? If so, beers, takeaway and a film to watch with them whilst you’re there?

bottle of beer and his favorite pizza. job done.

allowed? what be this allowed word?

was in hospital after a fall on my bike in germany and my boss brought me both in and it was ace, perfect gift.

its either that or strippers and coke.

copy of razzle/Mayfair/feista/penthouse/readers wives etc etc

Can you still buy analogue grot? Genuine query…

Having spent 7 weeks bed bound in hospital with a broken back, may I suggest
Hash cakes
Bottle of coke with pre mixed vodka
Other than that I spent most of my time on my iPad, watched the entire catalogue of transformers cartoons and many others on YouTube + mucho pron

Hash cakes

Genius!

I guess you need to be careful with alcohol, depending on what medication he may be on.

When I was a teenager my best mate suffered from ME. I used to go round with films, popcorn, computer games and make an afternoon of it on a Friday or day of it at weekends. That could work but for being stuck in hospital i’d also go with some of the suggestions above.
Takeaway food – one of his favourites.
DVD’s – You should be able to pick up a good few cheap at the supermarket or loan him a heap of yours (day time TV is crap)
Popcorn – try not to throw this at the TV or across the ward, the nurses may get hacked off.
Cake – everyone loves cake.

Personally I’d go in pretty much empty handed today, find out what he needs and sort it all out for tomorrow and visit again. Gives him something to look forward to, stuff that he actually wants rather than a best guess and someone helping him out rather than doing what they think is best for him.

As for smuggling in alcohol for someone on heavy medication to fight infection and having dark thoughts about his future. Hopefully that wasn’t a serious suggestion.

Can you still buy analogue grot? Genuine query…

My local newsagent has some seriously bizarre analogue grot, including stuff that has “This gran needs a man!” on the front, trans, emo and a lot of the Razzle type stuff. It’s amazing looking at the covers while I’m in the queue for my paper.

No, not for me. Mainly ladies and stuff. 😀

x-ray specs so he can look look at the nurses underpants

everyone knows that nurses wear lead underwear. 🙄

My local newsagent has some seriously bizarre analogue grot, including stuff that has “This gran needs a man!” on the front, trans, emo and a lot of the Razzle type stuff. It’s amazing looking at the covers while I’m in the queue for my paper.

No, not for me. Mainly ladies and stuff.

Wow. I had no idea. Might buy a load for ‘ironic/retro’ coffee-table literature.

Fruit/Veg and healthy snacks, I found it far to easy to binge on hobnobs, pringles and family bags of sweets in hospital, but all you get as far as healthy food goes is two bits of fruit with meals (if you pick them) and 2 portions of veg. So apples, bannanas, cahsews, caramel peanuts (not healthy, but you can kid yourself for a bit).

And cake. Lots and lots of propper cake, not individualy wrapped portions of supermarket shit, actual baked cake. Because hospital pudding is not only as bad as the main course, it’s also dissapointing as you’ve been looking foreward to it!

And books. I found TV and radio wore me out as the drugs made me woosy and slowed me down so concentrating at a normal pace was tireing. Books make time fly even if I was reading at half the normal speed and having to re-read bits.

As you (and muppetWrangler) suggest, it’s a good idea to just ask him if there’s anything he needs. He might be grateful if you could make some phone calls, for example.

But if you don’t want to go empty-handed, you could take:
Notebook
Ball-point pen (clicky type)
Bag of coins (say £3 total)
Lip salve
Water bottle (to drink lying down)

I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see you!

Drone cam so he can see all that’s going on around him.

@Jambourgie – there’s a news agents behind the debenhams in barrow that has the most eclectic and disturbing selection of ‘special interest publications’ I have ever seen. Truly incredible. And a little old lady that’s permanently behind the counter. Can just imagine the conversations – ‘oh hello again love , bit chilly out isn’t it? we’ve just got your dominatrix amputee grandmother’s fudge hole special in. It’s just above the kola cubes. Eeeh that rain’s something terrible.’

Take him in a big box of condoms so he can have a posh ****, nowt worse than having nowhere to jizz.

Hard boiled eggs and nuts.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mKkei4otIo[/video]

Especially for gout.
It’s traditional.

Rubix Cube?

Genius. Well done that man.

Rubix cube is more like it!

You’re a man, your mate is potentially losing his arm, you have to take the piss, its the rules!

gloves
juggling balls
playstation controller

lap dancers!

Pair of knitting needles and a ball of wool

And he could try for this record…

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp0prUEecJQ[/video]

box set of 24 the series.. if he manages to get through that he got more things to worry about other than boredom.

A music keyboard and headphones. A copy of the local takeaway menus, you might as well enjoy a feast whilst you’re in there.
Hope you mate gets out soon.

A spell in hospital worrying you might die can be quite a life changing event (so long as you don’t die). Some of the most sorted, calmest, focused people I’ve ever known are all people who almost bought the farm and had a spell on their own, in a bed, dwelling on what is and isn’t important. They themselves will say that variously being hit by a bus, blown up in vietnam having a brain tumour were the best things that ever happened to them.

Take him a good book, something that he’s always been meaning to read, and notebook and pen. A long spell in hospital is great for having ideas. I spent 5 day spell in hospital at the start of this year, reading Victor Papanek’s ‘Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change’ between brain and spin scans, and jotted down some ideas that I’ve since managed to turn into about £50k worth of commissions. Quite a fruitful 5 days as it turns out.

no tablet so perhaps a portable dvd player, headphones and a few box sets

and a few box sets

Only when I laugh
Carry on Nurse
Green Wing
Scrubs
MASH
Doogie Houser MD
Angels
Dr Kildare
Dr Finley’s Casebook
all 910 episodes of Casualty
all 717 episodes of Holby City

Just don’t give him House

Buy him a kindle and put stuff on it, there is free stuff on Gutenberg and on Amazon

An Airfix kit and some paints.