Tuesday, March 9, 2010

The worst thing about hospital?

I hadn't eaten or drunk since midnight the night before. I couldn't sit up properly and eat and drink until after 6:30pm. I couldn't be bothered until about 7:30.

At about 9pm or thereabouts I decided to be brave and try to eat the bread roll (just a little dinner roll), that I'd been given - I'd missed meal time. Bread roll. Margarine. Jam. I wasn't allowed to sit up until 9:30pm.

I'm not a margarine person. I'm not a jam person.

The nurse came around to see whether I needed something. She was an angel named Molly. I asked "Is there any chance of getting some butter, I really don't like margarine."

"This is the cardiac ward," was her stern reply.

"But my cholesterol is low..." I retorted.

"But what if it goes up... you never know... better to be safe..." she replied.

"Grrr," was my retort. I figured she was just doing her job. It was a very quiet Grr. She was, after all, looking after me.

A little later she was back with a cup of tea and a bendy straw, my third cup of tea - I couldn't sit up.

"I'm really not a jam person," I began. "Do you think I could get some vegemite?"

"This is the cardiac ward," was the reply, again.

The jam was nice, and we compromised in that I could have another little tub of jam, so I had apricot and strawberry (I hate strawberry jam, it's common), but this jam was nice.

I just remembered that I didn't have breakfast the next morning, either. And I didn't sleep a wink that night.

I shudder to think what I'd have been fed if I was diabetic...

I really don't have any complaints about the treatment or care I received in hospital, though the waiting sux.

PS Regarding vegemite, I have to really feel like it, and usually I only have the smallest scrape of the stuff. It's not like I'd be ODing on salt from it.

9 comments:

Boy on a bike said...

When J was in hospital, I had to visit twice a day with real food, otherwise she would have starved.

There was a McDonalds next door. Most of the doctors and nurses appeared to prefer eating there than partaking of the hospital food.

kae said...

Well, I really can't complain about the food. I didn't have any "meals" per se.

I had chicken sandwich (with just chicken and margarine), and the bread roll, some dry bikkies and several cups of tea. When Molly went back to get me some more sandwiches, they'd all been eaten.

Fortunately the drugs I'm on also suppress your appetite. In this instance, good.

Anonymous said...

I only ever been in hospital once, army, when my leg was broken, yes, not "I broke my leg" and to my eternal shame I have to confess, I was the most insufferable patient. (in hindsight of course )
Too afraid of a painkiller injection administered by gorgeous nurse. Never lived it down.
You have to bear in mind that I was only 18 at the time and I never really grew up till about age 30.

Luckily my wife had wits for the two of us bless her.

Hope you doing OK now kae?

LouMac

kae said...

Hi Lou Mac
Yeah, I think I'm OK. Must just be getting old, get tired really easily. I can't blame hospital, it was 9EB10... a month ago almost.

I think the new job is really taking it out of me, the last three weeks at work have been really hectic, start of semester and the work I do is intense at that time of year.

Learning the new job has got me scared I can't do it... I guess everyone has doubts about a new job, even though I know the work, there's bits that are different in different schools at the uni and how they're processed and who needs to know... I'll get there, it's only Day 2.

Today I shouted a little bar fridge for my office. MY OFFICE. Woohoo.

But the building's got to be the worst acoustic construction in history. In any office the sound resonates. Too bad if you want to have a private discussion.

I'm tired of hearing next door on the phone and yakking about what she's eaten over the last 24 hours.... ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGH.

(I'm not listening, mind you, but it's hard NOT to hear!)

kae said...

Arrgh...

FEB

shouted MYSELF a bar fridge

Grrr.

Anonymous said...

Having jitters in a new situation is normal, only a moron would be calm.
With your experience, I shouldn't worry. You'll pick up the way they do things in no time, and you have the rest pat down anyway.

Getting tired easily, I'm not surprised after your procedure.
Should improve with time.
It's not as simple and benign as they want you to believe, but I know many people who had it and they doing better than OK.

Take care, let the weeds grow as they will.
LouMac
Cheers

word: calionol sounds like hand cream, or something else?

Pedro the Ignorant said...

A bar fridge at work? Outstanding!
What sort of beer do you keep in it? :-)

kae said...

It's for my lunch. The fridge I mean. I looked at the fridges in Aldi, thought I could get away with getting the little wine cooler, but it's not suitable for food as it only cools to 11 degrees.

I hear stout and oysters is good, particularly for the blood, but I'm not fussed on oysters, nor am I interested in stout.

I might have food and a bottle of wine in there.... the wine's for medicinal purposes only, of course!

Minicapt said...

An acoustically bad building, and someone yelling about their bar fridge ...

Cheers