Hospital Adventures
In my previous entry I said that I would write about my hospital adventures that occurred Monday afternoon. Here are my notes:
1:55pm
- Check in.
- Some really sweet volunteer lady got me a wheelchair. Bless her!
- I don't think that the triage nurse understood English. This could be a problem.
- I'm given the number 58
- they are on number 55
2:00pm
- the nice lady wheels me to the waiting area
- there are about 15 people in the area
- nobody looks contagious
2:15pm
- we are all watching the Olympics ... on an American channel ... ugg
- I ask if I can switch it to CBC ... one old couple says yes
- CBC it is
2:30pm
- Ooooo! Canada vs. Sweden Women's Hockey final!
- a man is sitting with his very young daughter. He tells her to watch the women who are skating:
Dad: Becky, look ... the women are playing hockey ...
Becky: *little kid noises*
Dad: Becky, you should watch ... these girls are really really good ... look they're starting to skate.
Becky: *little kid noises*
Dad: Well no, they aren't as good as the boys ...
- Awww, stupid man. And he was doing so well!
2:35pm
- a nurse calls my name
- I gather up my bag stuffed with books, prop my crutches precariously on the wheelchair and try to wheel myself to the other side of the room while keeping everything balanced just so ... while the nurse watches ... and makes no move to help me. Geee, thanks!
- the old lady sees me struggling and pushes me to the nurse ... how logical
- I get passed off to another nurse, let's call her purple nurse on account of her sweater
- she doesn't come get me either, I have to wheel myself to her
- PN grunts and looks at my chart.
- she asks why I haven't already had an X-Ray ... I explain the hospital closure situation, she's not impressed and grunts some more.
- beds/rooms aren't available so I get put into a corner beside all the dirty bed linens and gowns ... it smells like barf, sweat and diapers ... excellent
3:25pm
- Still waiting. I give up reading 'Good Housekeeping' (such a progressive, equality seeking mag)
- they kick a sister and brother out of the room I'm closest two and stick them in another corner to make way for a guy who is quite bloody.
- my awesome listening skills tell me that a steel beam hit his face at work, this explains all the gashes.
- other than the cuts, he's AOK. Impressive.
- this laundry thing reeks
- PN throws a dirty, bloody rag used on steel beam guy right across my lap into the laundry thing ... how sanitary and polite
- they fix the beam guy up and let the kids have their room back
- this sucks
3:55pm
- PN asks ME to move as she wheels a blood pressure monitor past me ... WTF ... you move!
- First Aid training tells me that I need to elevate my leg ... apparently PN doesn’t know this b/c I'm still stuck in this bloody corner in a wheel chair!
4:00pm
- PN takes my chart from my hands without looking at me or talking to me ... how rude!
- I give her a dirty look when she walks away.
- another nurse, let's call her limpy nurse, catches me and tells me that she feels the same way.
- Heee, oh LN, I like you.
4:30pm
-PN asks me why I'm here ... WTF?! Why do you think I'm here?! My leg is immobilized in a giant black Zimmer brace, I have crutches, I told you what happened and YOU HAVE MY CHART! Jesus!
- throws a gown at me and tells me to change and go into room four when it becomes available.
- great I'll get right on that lady ... WTF?!
- finally the room clears out and I wheel myself in.
4:45pm
- Dr. White walks in and I explain the whole thing again
- she does all of the tests that I've come to hate
- she sends me for X-Rays ... sure, I'll just put this gown on and wheel myself down there lady ... she and PN must love doing this to people
4:50pm
-LN sees me struggling and wheels me down to X-Ray ... bless her
4:55pm
- WOOOOO! I see that Team Canada has won Gold!
- some X-ray person wheels me into the X-ray room
- she asks me to get myself onto the X-ray table ... what is with you people?! ... I'm here because I can barely move!
- I have to lie on my stomach ... thus exposing my bum ... lovely
- X-ray lady puts me into all sorts of fun and painful positions ... no problem lady ... I'll twist like a pretzel and then stay absolutely still while my knee is screaming in pain ... take your time!
5pm
- X-ray lady tells me to get down off the table and then offers to wheel me back to my room ... thank you!
- my room is now occupied so she leaves me in the middle of the ER ... gee thanks, just where I want to be when I'm half naked.
- PN smirks at me
5:15pm
- some other poor guy is being examined in a room across from me for the same thing ... poor bastard.
- I feel like yelling out encouragements, but that might be weird ... yeah, that'd be weird.
5:25pm
- Dr White looks at my X-rays ... nothing broken ... WOOT!
- says that she can't feel a ligament tear but that may be because of the swelling
- says she's also a sports medicine doctor ... wow, now we're talking
- gives me a referral to the YMCA Physio clinic that she is associated with
- I am to do two weeks of Physio and then get reassessed by her
- at least I have a plan!
5:30pm
- PN gives me back my brace and crutches and is really nice all of a sudden ... because I’m leaving her?
- LN wishes me luck and takes the wheelchair from me
- I'm off ... and it only took me 3.5 hours!