When I booked my surgery, I had an option of staying in a ward (with 4 roommates), a semi-private room (with 2 roomies), or a private room. Well, I'm poor spinster, schoolteacher-cat lady (yes, I couldn't be more of a stereotype if I tried) so I needed to go with the cheapest option...staying in the ward. The word "ward" brings up an image of World War II battlefield hospitals (in my mind anyway) and since I had never stayed overnight in a hospital before, was anxiety-inducing in my little introverted self.
I was lucky and was bed #3...that meant I got both the window and an AC unit. Since it's the middle of summer and my thyroid problems make me a little hot, I was happy I got to be close to the AC unit. Each bed has a mini-fridge, a small storage locker, and a guest bed/cot. It was also better than #2, because #2 was in the middle and had slightly less space than the other 4 beds.
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Ok, and not to be a weirdo, but I kinda want a hospital bed for my house now...lol...like double-sized and with a nice mattress. I really liked that you can adjust it to sit up or put your feet up, but mostly because this one has a built-in tray that sits at just the right height for eating or studying, and then folds down perfectly into the foot of the bed...ok maybe a little weird.
Not going to lie, I also like that someone brought me 3 square meals a day to my bed.
When I admitted on Sunday, #1, #4, and #5 were taken. I never see #1 or #5 the entire time, but #4 is a little old lady. She has lots of visitors and friends....and she snores like a lumberjack. But she's sweet. On Monday she checked out, but before she left she asked if I was ok (I think she thought I might be a little cold next to the AC and maybe a little worried I had no visitors) and wished me good luck with my surgery.
I go into surgery and by the time I come back, there is a new girl in #4 and now someone in #2.
Number 2 is a drama queen! The nurse came by to take blood and she carried on and cried like the poor nurse was trying to kill her. In fact, any time someone came by or she had to move she would moan and whine. I snuck a peak at her, thinking as pitiful as she was acting, she must be either really old or really young. No, she was maybe a little older than me, and more than old enough to act like an adult in public. But, I have noticed, a lot of my students and co-workers don't have much tolerance for even minimal pain or slight discomfort, but I think it may actually stem from how easy it is to access health care...you can basically go to the hospital for a headache here. Any, at one point her theatrics must have exhausted her, because she stopped for a while, but then her phone rang and she answered in the most pathetic "I'm dying, you can tell by my voice" sounding voice. It took a lot os self control to not burst out laughing. Her poor husband/boyfriend staying with her is a saint of a man!
The new #4 is also around my age and she seems nice enough. She has her parents and husband (maybe?) as visitors...her mom offered me some grapes...even though I'm not a big fan of the Korean grapes (they have really thick, tough skins you are supposed to spit out) it was a really kind gesture.
I keep mostly to myself and mostly to my bed during my stay. Mostly because post-surgery, I didn't feel like going far and was still tied to an IV, so going out of the ward was a pain. I only have one visitor....Rez came by Monday evening to check on me and brought a nice goody-bag of snacks to help me though my recovery. It was super-nice of her, especially because she worked all day and the hospital is quite out of her way...and I think the nurses felt a little sorry for me because they let her stay well past visiting hours.
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