I used to like hospitals

I realize that sounds strange. But I come from a family of great physicians, so in scary health times, a hospital used to have a kind of comforting quality. My grandfather and great uncle would go to great lengths to explain medical matters to us. Even as children, we were empowered with information, not left in the dark as though we wouldn’t be able to comprehend what was happening to us or our loved ones.

Ever since those two men passed, hospitals have become scary, discombobulated places that function on a more exaggerated time clock than the phone or cable company. You get light-headed because you don’t want to leave and eat the lousy fast food they serve in the cafeteria. You know that the minute you do, that’s when the person who can answer your questions will show up. If you miss them, you’re screwed.

There have been several (non life-threatening) health problems among those closest to me in the last year, and each time, it felt like there was little or no warning given about the volume of help my loved ones were going to need to recover.

Everyone (at least in my immediate family) is alive and healing. I am thankful. But today was a hard day.

Related Posts:

Say something, would you? (via Facebook or Wordpress):

comments

3 thoughts on “I used to like hospitals”

  1. I’ve spent way too much time in hospitals this year. and this is what I came away with: We have to be advocates for ourselves and we REALLY need to be advocates for our children when it comes to medical care. It’s so hard to take in information and make clear choices while feeling so emotional but it’s so important to be educated and ask questions. I look at it as a team effort. It’s an exhausting roller coaster.
    Hope everyone is doing OK in your world!

  2. Thanks Karen. Great to have you here – I really admire your work.

    Candace – that’s so true. And I’d say that outside of our children, it’s our parents that can especially wind up needing our advocacy.

Leave a Reply to TZT Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *