13 Things That I learned in 13 Days in the Neurosciences Unit*
(*AKA: nut house, psych ward, etc.)
1. Nurses do ALL the heavy lifting at the hospital - they deal with the patients their whole shift, they write the reports, do the hourly checks, take the vitals, dole out the meds and deal with all of the needs, comments and complaints of all the patients.
2. Doctors can seem heartless - when I had pain that was an 8 on the 1-10 scale, the BPP (Bitchy Pregnant Psychiatrist) looked at me condescendingly and said "We feel that nothing stronger than Motrin is indicated here." I started wishing I would be in the labor and delivery room with her and could smile at her condescendingly and say, "We think that an epidural is not indicated here."
3. Nurses are saints - when confronted with a situation like above, they will GO TO THE MAT for you with the doctors to get you what you need.
4. Yahtzee is NOT as entrenched in our culture as I had thought - We were a game-playing lot and those of us who were not born in the 1980's had to TEACH these young-uns how to play.
5. Large Snuggly Towels are UNDERRATED - you realize as you step out of your shower to a towel that is not much bigger than a hand towel and slightly less absorbent, that the stack of large, thick towels in your linen closet have never gotten the appreciation they deserve.
6. Seniority has its privileges - as the one who had been there second from the longest, I was able to staunchly assert myself when some "newbie" tried to change the channel from the UF Bowl Game.
7. Food is very important - I would say that food occupies about 25% of the discussions in the Neurosciences unit...talking about your order, complaining about the food (which is crazy, because it's about the best hospital food I've ever seen), complaining about what they forgot on your order, trading food with others (how elementary school we were!), lamenting diet restrictions, etc.
8. Two Women CAN finish a 750 piece jigsaw puzzle in one night - it was me and L. who is about 20 years younger than me on Christmas night. Even though there were about 8 puzzle pieces missing, we felt a HUGE sense of accomplishment!
9. Little Things can make a Big Difference - on Christmas we got to take a little contingent to another unit where they had a piano and talented, brilliant L. played Christmas carols and we sang. Also, A. who had been there one day longer than I, saw me on my laptop and when he realized I had my iTunes library, he started talking about his favorite songs..."Ain't No Justice" by the Temptations being the ultimate favorite. It was a group effort, but between my list, what I got from iTunes, a CD player and headphones donated from Sharis and some blank CD's brought in by my husband, we were able to put together "A.'s ultimate mix CD" which spanned three CD's and made one man VERY happy.
10. Occupational Therapy Rocks!!! - not since my days of obsessive pottery painting have I recognized how healing creative outlets are. While there, I did watercolors, tile work, leather work, and fabric painting.
11. I forgot how much I liked Pudding! - when I saw any kind of pudding on the menu, I was all over it. I think I actually gained weight there.
12. Getting into a Habit is very easy - the first day I was there, I was appalled that breakfast was so early (7:30) and dinner was so early (4:30...ugh, how primitive...I don't think I've eaten before 6 in 16 years)...by the time I left, I was waiting for the food delivery BEFORE 4:30 and this morning I woke on the stroke of 7:30 craving something to eat.
13. We are all Different, We are all the Same - this is my mantra for 2008. If this wasn't true, how could a group come together comprised of people age 20 to 50, both genders, different races, diverse backgrounds, clearly different tastes in music (from Tupac to Otis Redding) and different reasons for being there? It was kind of like our version of The Breakfast Club.
Thanks again for all the words of support and encouragement...it's a great world out here in the blogosphere.
Di
Great Synopsis of our so called Life on the 4th floor. I being the inmate who is 50. Diane is the most intertaining person I've ever met, truly. We jabbered on through meals, treatments, medicines, games and assorted wacko's. Towards the end I felt the staff looking on in wonder, and wishing they could hear what caused so much genuine laughter from us merry band of misfits. One of our cutest arrived two days after me, sporting a very badly injured arm. Without pausing to get his name. I brought the food tray and Diane cut his meat. The next morning when he could managed a little better - I looked wistfully at Diane and said "They grow up so fast", more laughter. Great Blog. Rock on.
Posted by: Patti Jense | January 04, 2008 at 07:10 PM