Hospital Corners

Posted under Anxiety, Being RSG, Family by Recovering Straight Girl

I don’t mind hospitals, I’m not one of those people who has a hospital phobia or gets weirded out by seeing people with IV’s or oxygen or heart monitors. I used to be a Doula (professional childbirth assistant,) so I’ve had my share of helping people while they’re in the hospital and everything that goes along with it. Usually when I’m with someone in the hospital I’m compelled to clean up their room, organize their flowers and put extra pillow cases on their pillows. Do you know why I do this? Because those pillows are covered in plastic and the pillow case inevitably slips off, allowing the person’s face to touch the yucky blue plastic pillow. By putting a pillow case on both ends of the pillow, it doesn’t slip off. I think I invented this technique–let’s call it the Kathryn Pillow Technique from now on.

Last week I visited my friend Maggie while she was in the hospital and this past Tuesday I sat with my friend Jamie while her sweet partner was having surgery and yesterday I spent the day and night in the surgical waiting room while my mom had another abdominal surgery. She was having a lot of pain and the doctor thought that maybe when he re-connected her intestines back in June that maybe he didn’t do it right, but after the surgery he told me that his connection looked beautiful. While he was telling me this I couldn’t help imagining that the connection looked something like those plastic joint things that you connect PVC piping with and then caulk with that clear glue stuff. I don’t think that was what he did to my mom’s intestines but in my head that’s what it looked like.

The connection was fine but he found something that wasn’t but he’s not quite sure what it is. He gave me the best and worst case scenario and of course we’re hoping for the best case scenario.

I slept in my mom’s room last night. On a recliner and as you can imagine, I slept very well. I’m lucky to have a amazing wife who is driving down to the hospital (45 minutes from our house,) to bring me my phone charger and some clothes. I’m not leaving the hospital until the doctor comes in and lets us know which of the scenarios it is–and I don’t know how long that will take–I could be here for awhile.

I’m getting a little tired of hospitals so I just want to let everyone know that I would appreciate it if you all could please not get sick or injured anytime in the near future as I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it to straighten up your room.

Thank you.