So, I’m laid up in bed* after having a straightforward and not-so-unusual operation on Friday. I thought I might use some of my recuperation time to share my experience of the Italian National Health Service. Spoiler alert! It’s excellent.

*This article was written 2 weeks ago. I’m back on my feet now.

Late last Summer, I was visiting a house for sale - ref. 012 - planning to meet one of the female agents I work with to introduce her to the owner and get her opinion. Unusually, she was running late. The owner is a doctor, a neurosurgeon and a lovely man. I’d recently had a large lump come up on my body, around my pelvis. I would hate to have been a doctor as what came next they must get continually; I asked him for an opinion. We were on the beautiful terrace of this incredible home sipping coffee and his response to my question was what any kind doctor would have said - take your trousers down!

I’m in his garden, trousers at my ankles and he has his hand down my underpants and I’m thinking, ‘Oh God, I hope the agent is really lost because if she comes along now she might draw a wrong conclusion!’ She didn’t, she was really lost, and he said ‘no worries, it’s a hernia’. I realised it came after we bought a new clothes dryer that I lifted alone to on top of the washing machine..

Like any man, I did the right thing and left it.. Eventually, I got to my doctor and she referred me to a hospital outside of Torino, up in the hills. On the first visit, I was kicked out as my haemoglobin was too high. I’ll come back to that but on Friday I went in for the op. I was there at 7 am, there were 5 other terrified men waiting for the same. I was given a room and fussed by lovely nurses, each one of them caring and patient with me. Most were Romanian. I hope Italy never makes the same stupid mistake the UK has made and makes it nearly impossible for these great people to stay. By 11.30 I was in the theatre. This was the first time I was in a hospital for me apart from when I was born. I was wheeled into the operating room where a serious but diligent nurse, a Romanian, took great care of me. I asked where she was from, how long she’d been here, etc. Her seriousness gave way to smiles. Never underestimate the importance of sincere, personal interest. We do it because we care but we always get paid back. It’s an unbreakable rule. She made the experience so much easier. The surgeon was great and apart from the injections in my spine, they were horrible. After 3 days the worst of the pain had passed.

A week later I went back in for the stitches to be removed. I had 12 ‘punti’ or staples. The doctor was African so we spoke a little in West African Pidgin. He was from Cameroon. As he was about to take them out he asked ‘Do you remember 1990, the World Cup, Cameroon played England?’ I have no interest in football but I do remember this, I even remember that England won and who scored the goals! ‘Yes, we lost’ he said.. then he pulled the staples out and I yelped 12 times. He still was taking it badly 35 years later! But he was very nice and did a great job.

I have a high opinion of the health service here in Italy. I’m from the UK so of course it’s better, let’s face it, it couldn’t possibly be worse.

After being told I had high haemoglobin a lovely doctor in Asti Hospital had prescribed I have bloodletting. No problem! But when I went they wouldn’t do it as another doctor told me to take drugs. This was a disaster. I was depressed, and anxious and had even worse feelings. I stopped taking them and found natural cures. For another ‘old man’ issue I was prescribed another strong drug. After research, I threw them away before taking even one. They also can cause the same issues I just mentioned and it seems I would be hooked on them for the rest of my life. Again, there were simple cures - in this case, simple exercises and drinking more water. I did need their diagnosis but not their cures. This is sadly normal everywhere, the drug companies rule. There are reasons but you have to do your research before saying yes to anything.

So, apart from the ‘what should be obvious’, the Italian Health Service is excellent. The care was genuine, friendly and professional. I need 2-3 weeks to repair and can’t wait to get back to looking at houses, filming and talking! Oh, and it was all free.

Update: It’s now the 18th June and I’m back working. Looking forward to meeting you!