These Boots

I would like to take a moment inbetween my two hospital weeks to tell you about some of the characters I came across during my stay.

Katie -My first neighbour on the bay.  Katie had been waiting for her operation since before christmas.  She was about the same age as me and had young children, she was a very nice and friendly person who came across as an honest and genuine person.  She cared very much for her children and missed them terribly while she was away from them.  On the day of her operation she was very nervous but she came back surprisingly cheerful and eager to get home to see her little ones.

Linda -Linda took Katie’s place on the ward.  She was a very quiet and mild tempered woman who had come in with stomach pains.  Despite her pain she was friendly from the start and we got on well immediately. A very nice woman who was sent home the same day as me.

Norma -Norma Norma Norma.  Came on to the ward after me and looked a little worse for wear.  She had had a relatively routine operation but because of her age had ended up in the High Dependency Unit.  When she came to us she still had her PCAS (Patient Controlled pin thingy) going in through a central line in her neck.  She was very friendly and started talking to us straight away.  She seemed to suffer terribly from wind which resulted in her making a dreadful sound.  She seemed to get much worse when she was upset or worried, she had a lot of allergies so medicine time (and immediatley afterwards)was quite stressful and she tended to wake up in the middle of the night making her noise.  This did wake many of us and she apologised, we didn’t mind so much because she seemed uncomfortable and we were more concerned for her than bothered.  Poor Norma did have a tendcy to be down on life and became very easily depressed to almost a suicidal point.  Unfortunatley on the last friday that I was in hospital, the staff discovered that her central line had an MRSA infection and she was moved into her own room.

Edith -Then there was Edith.  Edith joined us on Friday 23rd.  I had heard stories about her behaviour but had not attributed it to such a frail looking being as joined us.  I had heard that she had spat in her own daughters face, that she had shouted at and even scratched one of the nurses, I was a little aprehensive.  When she arrived she seemed nice enough, slept a lot of the day.  The first night she woke us all up by shouting for a nurse repeatedly instead of using her buzzer.  This was passed of as her being disorientated after moving rooms.  That turned out to be incorrect.  In fact the whole time she was there she woke us up EVERY NIGHT.  She repeatedly made a fuss and was often very abusive and nasty, particularly to the staff.  Her behaviour was offensive and unacceptable.  I will get to more of Ediths antics in my second week.

Jean - On a much more pleasent note, there was Jean.  She was by far the most positive pleasent woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.  She was in for a relatively procedure and suffered a few complications.  I later found out that she had an inoperable brain tumor.  I had suspected she had had chemotherapy as she had little hair, but having found out is was inoperable I was truly stunned at her positive outlook on life.  She was truly a lovely person, I simply cannot do her justice.  When I left hospital Jean was still there, I truly hope she got home and on the mend.