Overheard conversations

[Steve Maskery]

I've spent the last few hours in A&E having some bloods taken to identify a problem. Nothing too serious (yet) and so far inconclusive. But this post is not about that.

In the Bloods room there were half a dozen or so of us. One lady, let's call her Dorothy, at least in her 80s and possibly 90s, was in a wheelchair and was quite vocal. Not abusive, but a bit, shall we say, outspoken. The nurses are rushed off their feet, of course, and have to manage her whilst doing their blood jobs as well. She was talking to all of us and got more annoyed if we ignored her. Here are a couple of episodes of the conversation.

1.
Dorothy: When can I go home?
Nurse: We're organising transport for you.
D: I want to go home. Will somebody book me a taxi, I'll pay for it myself.
N: You are going in an ambulance.
N: Dorothy, you have a key safe, don't you?
D: Yes.
N: Do you know the code?
D: Oh no, no idea. Why do you want the key code?
N: The ambulance people need to unlock the door to get you in.
D: No, I don't know the code.
N: OK, we'll ring the carers, they will know.

Nurse goes and makes a few phone calls and Dorothy continues to vent her frustration. Nurse returns.

D: When can I go home, I want a taxi.
N: You are going home in an ambulance and we have the key code so that they can get you in.
D: Why do you need the key code? I have my key in my pocket!

As you can imagine, the whole room erupted.

Dorothy got more and more agitated about not being able to go home immediately, so one of the nurses was tied up trying to keep her seated in her wheelchair as she was trying to stand up and walk, which she couldn't do.

2.
D: This is a bloody shambles. When I was working we would never have been able to get away with this.

A bit harsh under the circumstances.

N: What did you do when you were working, then, Dorothy?
D: I was a supervisor in a factory.
N: What sort of factory?
D: Making them things that fall from the sky.
N: What sort of things?
D: You know, what people hang on to.
N: You mean parachutes?
D: Yes, them parachutes.
N: When was this, Dorothy?
D: During the war.

Well it is possible, I guess.

So this bonkers, ungrateful old woman used to save people's lives by making parachutes. She told about how they used to have groups of young men visiting to see how their parachutes were made.

The whole thing certainly made the waiting more entertaining than it would have been just staring at the walls.

Got to go back tomorrow , but I hope it is as much fun.

 

[Keith 66]

Some years ago I knelt on a sharp copper nail in the bottom of a boat i was working on & got an infected bursitis of the knee. After several bouts of antibiotics that had no effect i found myself in A&E & shortly after was on a ward awaiting an emergency op to open up & wask out my knee. In the next bed was a young asian bloke, He treated the nurses like serfs & was constantly moaning & whinging, demanding, "I need my facebook, why the telly not work, i need a drink, fetch me this, fetch me that" etc.
I was polite & nice to them. And so when it came to pass that only one of us could be operated on that day guess who got wheeled off to the operating theatre first?

 

[fezman]

30 or so years ago, I was playing local league football and went up to challenge for a header. A clash of heads ensued and I ended up in A&E with a suspected fractured skull. They decided to keep me in for the night in a mixed observation ward. They also decided to check on me every 30 mins or so for concussion and the like, waking me up (just a few minutes after I had fallen asleep) to shine lights in my eyes and whatever else. About 4 in the morning, I was awoken again by a dear old lady, (also an inpatient for the night) hitting me with her walking stick telling me to get out of her house - she had zero idea where she was, and thought i'd broken in and gone to bed in her spare room apparently. Oh how the nurses laughed as they put her back into bed and checked whether my ribs & limbs were still intact

 

[Garno]

Some years ago I knelt on a sharp copper nail in the bottom of a boat i was working on & got an infected bursitis of the knee. After several bouts of antibiotics that had no effect i found myself in A&E & shortly after was on a ward awaiting an emergency op to open up & wask out my knee. In the next bed was a young asian bloke, He treated the nurses like serfs & was constantly moaning & whinging, demanding, "I need my facebook, why the telly not work, i need a drink, fetch me this, fetch me that" etc.
I was polite & nice to them. And so when it came to pass that only one of us could be operated on that day guess who got wheeled off to the operating theatre first?

Was it the young Asian bloke?

 

[Beanwood]

Was it the young Asian bloke?

Of course it was - much quieter once he'd gone !

 

[sunnybob]

I was in an A&E cubicle, having an infected finger dug about in and I had a student who was causing me quite a bit of pain as she dug randomly. Her needle scraped my finger bone at one time.
I heard the nurse in charge say to someone;
" oh dear, what have you done?"
I didnt hear the man's responses but the nurse continued
" Oh, thats a nasty gash on your leg, a disc cutter you say?"
" You drove here by yourself?"
"Oh, your boot is filled with blood"
"Nurse!, get some one to mop up that trail of blood in the corridor, quickly now"

I stopped thinking nasty thoughts about the student.

 

[Keith 66]

Was it the young Asian bloke?

Of course it was - much quieter once he'd gone !

Actually they sent me off first, he had to wait until sometime the next day.
I was quite glad as after 5 days of iv antibiotics i was told by the doctor that i came close to losing my leg.
Moral of the story is dont treat doctors & nurses like dirt.