Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Hospitals suck
But 'rest' isn't something that hospitals are good at letting people get. Of all the things that frustrate me about the care my mother is getting, this is the thing that infuriates me most. I mean really, doesn't it make sense that people who are ill need their rest as much as possible? She is always telling us about the constant interruptions, but tonight I really witnessed it. After waiting around for about 36 hours for an MRI, they finally took her right before dinner. Then one of her specialists came in right as her dinner arrived (attached to her daughter). Then she's about 10 minutes into the meal finally and 'transport' barges in to get her for an x-ray she had no idea she was getting. Then the nutrition people come in to take stock of what she'd eaten (even though she hadn't had a chance to even eat yet!). THEN, a nurse came in to give her a shot (which she had to lay back for). Then the nurse had to hook up an IV. And on and on....
Tell me, if you were stuck in a hospital without knowing whether you were going to be there for one day more or 6 weeks more, and you're not feeling well, and people are poking you constantly, and don't let you sleep at night, and barge in every 5 minutes 24 hours a day... I honestly have no idea how my mom has kept it together this long. And if I had been the one in that hospital bed, it would have been a full break-down just based on the hour I witnessed.
But my mom straightened her scarf, looked at me and through her frustration she said, "You know what they say: 'If you can't get out of it, get into it!'", and then she went back to joking with the nurse.
posted by atpanda at 9:33 PM
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About Me
- Name: atpanda
- Location: Mesa, Arizona, United States
I'm Amanda. I'm an engineer in an industry full of men, a professional wedding and family portrait photographer, a firefighter's wife, a traveler, and a dogMa.
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4 Comments:
yeah, hospitals suck. there's just no way of getting around that. it's like their designed to make everybody, patient and visitor alike, as uncomfortable as possible. i dont get it...
Your mom is such an inspiration! What a great attitude. I know you are so proud, as I would be.
And good for you for taking care of the "edible" eats!
Persistence and tenacity run in your family. I'm proud of you A.
Gawd, it sounds like hospitals in the US are just like the ones here in Canada. I haven't worked on the wards in over 15 years, and am very glad that I don't. There is a routine to the shift ie: medication times, but everyone is at the mercy of the other departments, and that can screw up a whole day. They don't seem to care that they can sqeeze a patient in for a test at dinnertime, or the only time of day that a visitor can make it in. It's very frustrating, I know.
Your mom sounds like an amazing trooper. I really hope that she'll be able to get home again soon.
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