The Blackburn Digest

Sometimes, people really puzzle me!!

I spent 2 1/2 hours ‘people watching’ this morning in my cardiologist’s waiting room. This exercise wasn’t planned, of course - it was a combination of my decision to arrive 30 minutes early for my 10 am appointment (because his parking lot is hardly adequate to provide parking for the doctors in the building, let alone staff or patients! Actually, I suspect they all must park elsewhere…..it’s a mystery!) and the good doctor being unavoidably delayed at a nearby hospital.

The behavior of my fellow patients amazed and puzzled me! The staff kept everyone informed of the delay as it progressed, and the reason (one of his already-hospitalized patients was suffering a heart attack.) With each announcement came the advisory that we could wait, if we chose, or reschedule our appointment. Rather than do the former (quietly and with grace), or the latter (ditto), most of the soon-full room opted for bitchy vocalizations (”I’M here - - -HE should be!”, “MY time is worth something, too!”, “He should plan better!”, etc.) Plan??? Plan for a patient being seen on hospital rounds to go into a life-threatening emergency?? Excuse me??!

June 20th, 2006

It has been exactly one month since I found my skinny arse assigned to a room, a bed and an imposing IV pole/flow pump at one of our fine local hospitals. I should, finally, get something written about that sobering (and humbling) nine day experience. Would have written sooner, when I could remember the “funny bits” - - -Oh, wait a minute; there weren’t any! Started a few entries over the past month, but each time felt like it was ‘too soon’ to revisit.

Oddly enough, it still seems to be ‘too soon’! Since writing has always been a cathartic exercise for me, I’m rather puzzled by the apparent inability to vent, joke, grouse or otherwise file a report. My self-administered pep-talks have included the obvious facts: I’m home now and getting stronger. . .I’m no stranger to hospitals, G-d knows. . .nor to surgeries (which this particular adventure thankfully did not include), somewhat “nasty” tests, etc. Soooo?????