Hospitals suck.
OK... yes, that was a redundant statement. But this one sucked alot more than most others I've seen.
I spent the night in my mum's hospital room last night and am now yawning buckets in front of this here computer, trying to keep my eyes from rolling up into a comatose but welcome state of sleep. There wasn't a single hour throughout the night that went by without a nurse barging in like an evil spirit to perform tests on mum or clatter about unneccessarily, just because she could.
Changing clothes to leave for work was an adventure by itself. The bathroom is THE most patient-proof one I've come across, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone concusses themselves in it soon. There's barely room to breathe let alone move, and everything's placed way too high or way too low for invalid use. Heck, even I had difficulty getting my act together in there, and banged my head more than once on protuding towelling railings. and shelves. Good luck to mum, who's a good foot wider than I am.
The nurses are a laugh. Either they're over-zealous trainees, or just not interested in patient care at all. In other words, some are rude and crude to the point of making quite a number of enemies, whilst the others are still at the bumbling kindergarten stage of their career. NOT good for one's peace of mind. They pricked mum in the same place when taking blood thrice over, because the junior who took it didn't know how to locate other vein areas. Another two, who were clearly quite fresh to the whole nursing thing, changed her bed sheets in manner similar to a performance of the japanese tea ceremony. Almost one hour was taken to fold those damn sheets like a national flag and ritualistically wipe spirits on the rubber mattress with a forefinger(you need to have seen this to disbelieve it the way I did), whilst mum was made to perch uncomfortably on a nearby stool until they finished. I can only imagine how absurd it's gonna be after her surgery, when she can't move at all.
I know nobody said hospitals are 5-star hotles, and some level of discomfort and inconvenience is to be expected, but this was bordering on ridiculous, considering the name and external image that this particular hospital portrays to the world. We'd have definitely opted to move her to another place, if it were not for the gyneacological theatre being at only this one.
Ah well... que sera sera. Lets hope her surgery and recovery thereafter are less disappointing than her surroundings.
7 comments:
Best wishes for your mum. I'm sure everything will be fine...
sadly, I have also experienced the so called "Hospital-ity". There are so many areas they could improve if only they tried! I think the first would have to be there attitude. Some nurses are so..... darn rude even to patients its really pathetic to witness.
Best Wishes to your MUM. May she have a very speedy recovery.
hope the surgery goes well.
my mum needed some surgery as well and we were advised to get it done at castle street maternity hospital because they feared some complications. i was prepared for the worst because it was a gov hospital but i was very, VERY pleasantly surprised. the staff, from the nurses to the attendants were very professional and efficient and the place was extremely clean and neat.
What you've described is extremely typical of almost every hospital in SL. The worst is the disinfectant smell which pervades every nook and cranny.
Hope everything goes ok with your mum.
I hope your mom does well.
Granted a hospital stay is not in the least a pleasurable experience for anyone. But, it is not usually as mean as you tend to suggest.
In fact in all the government wards that we are practising in, the environment is very pleasant. It may be a little crowded. It may be a little harrowing. It may not be heaven, with spick and span floors, beds and so on. But it's generally quite ok to spend a few days in.
The staff... well they do have to do their work. And some of course may not do it as smartly as others. About drawing blood you could've easily objected and got the blood drawn from a different site, or by a more capable person. It is your right.
The tea ritual a.k.a. the bed making ceremony is something that comes down the generations of nurses as a tradition. So learn to accept the rituals of different communities. Just joking.
Anyway again I hope your mother does well. and has a speedy recovery.
Well, this seems so familiar... I can recount almost all your hospital(ity-less) descriptions from the 8 year experience (more a struggle than experience actually) of it with my brother.
Wherever you might be in the world, hospitals suck. But they suck mostly because of our state of mind and our incapacity of doing anything else than "being there" for our people and witnessing the weird and alienating structure any hospital functions with...
I hope you keep strong and find ways to keep your and your family´s psychology up.
I´m sure you are realising by now how your role will change in the family circle dynamics. Its a hard process but you will gain more than you think from it.
I must confess it is strange for me to write here, as I have been originally following your blog looking for different views on the Sri Lankan reality. Views we cannot get close to here in Europe. I was trying to get prepared as I am coming to your country for small documentary in the Moneragala district.
But this last post of yours made me feel much closer than I thought possible... Looking to understand radical differences in our realities I found myself closer than ever to someone I might never see. I know this sounds as a typical internet thing, but still it made my skin get tense, my eyes get wet...
Thanks and all the best for your mum.
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