i was actually able to get some sleep saturday night for a few hours. there was the continual entourage of nurses coming in and out, some who spoke english, some who didn't. fortuantely i pretty much knew the drill by then, they check the saline, they would sometimes ask how the pain was (or i would just hope that's what they were asking), i lift up the arm to put the (mercury - you know, the one you shake and that contains a nasty little thing called mercury) thermometer under, sometimes they came back, sometimes they didn't and i would just take it out after awhile. normally this would totally piss me off in the us, however this was greece and i was in the maternity ward and people were popping out babies left and right and i was the random sickie who couldn't speak greek... needless to say, i don't think that the 4 hour thermometer check was a life or death situation.
so.... speaking of mercury thermometers... since it's been so long i can't remember, either saturday sometime or sunday my sister was helping me take my temperature 'cause the nurses hadn't been in in awhile. the unfortunate thing about my sister and mercury thermometers is that i think because she hates them so much, they sense that about her, and all they want to do is flee. (it's really quite amazing to see these thermometers, i haven't even considered that they were still around) so the fear wells up in the sweet innocent mercury thermometer, it cowers and huddles and try to roll as far away from ado's hand as possible (that can somehow be taken as a random breeze just came through the room and pushed it).... but alas, it is to no avail, she will not be quelled, she WILL take your temperature. or so she thinks. dundunDUNNN. but, the thermometer will not give up without a fight, she picks it up - oh no, contact - it squirms, it wiggles, it struggles, it figgles? ----- closer and harder the hand grips it, the fingers curl one by one on top of it..... it takes a deep breath.... it defies ALL forms of logic, gravity, sense, it jumps (oh yes it jumps) out of her hand ----- FREEEEDOMMMM!!!!!!!!! it's flying, it's free, it's floating in the air, no bonds to hold it, no chains to bind it. there are clouds above and below it, oh look it's floating down towards the clouds, closer now, wait, those aren't clouds, wait, that's not soft fluffy white stuff.... oh no, it's hard linoleum floor, oh no, the reality, in a blink, ohhhhhhhhh. the thermometer falls swiftly toward annihilation, self-inflicted suicide, such a tragic end; to shatter to the ends of the earth, to have it's little mercury pellets collecting in cracks and crevices to remain saturating the bare feet of unknowing patients forever (well except that we got someone to come clean it up so hopefully that's not true), all to avoid my sister. so they bring another thermometer and the nurse insists on taking my temperature herself.
by the time the sun was coming up, i was watching it, and feeling a bit better. the remarkable thing about being in a hospital is that since i was on the saline drip i was able to have enough energy to keep going. two weeks earlier when i had the virus and didn't eat for four days, i wasn't doing as well as i was this morning. i had another visit from the lady doctor, of which it might have consisted of 10 words, not very productive - and i still hadn't heard about any results from any of the tests. the unfortunate part of this was also that the pain killers they had given me sat night were so strong that a. they couldn't give me any more without waiting for awhile and b. that they wouldn't give me any more till they got some test(s) results back.
.... while this one was short, hopefully it was sweet, will complete after i've had something to eat....
No comments:
Post a Comment