Saturday, July 1, 2017

Things To Do In The Hospital




Have you ever sat in a hospital room for a day? How about a week? A month? At some point, we all reach that point of utter boredom.  We have watched all the TV we can stand, we have eaten all the cafeteria food we care to ever eat. So the question is, what do you do then?

Well, for me I had to constantly come up with new stuff to do. One thing I did was create a routine. I know it does not make sense but for me it worked. First I should say Julie and I typically swapped nights at the hospital. If it was the morning after my night, I would shower first thing. This always helped me feel more human again. I would then wait on Julie and then go grab breakfast. After rounds it was lunch time and we always tried to mix that up. On some days, I would walk 20 minutes away to grab lunch. Supper was usually take out from something different. That was a typical day.

I would play games with Weston, which never got old. We would ask the doctors if we could take him outside or at least for a walk. One of my fondest memories is of Weston going outside and smuggling in a worm. I never laughed so hard. Weston was in the CICU at the time.

Some days, it would not be nice enough to get outside. Days when I felt a little down, I would go to the "bridge", which was an area with lots of light between CICU and the step down unit. I was a place for me to go and be almost outside. People would be near but give me space and I could work out my feelings.

Updating everyone would take up some part of the day. Some days, I would post a lot,  some days, I would post nothing. I learned that I needed my space just like everyone else and did not have to post everyday or everything. I also learned I did not have to take every call and everyone understood. This was a great help, it allowed me to talk about Weston when I was ready and had news to share.

Some days, I could read a book, some days I could not. Some days we would just lay around and watch a movie. Going to the playroom was always good times. Weston would find something crazy to get into and it was good to see other kids making the best of their stay.

It was important for me to find variety, find time for myself, post when I wanted to, and enjoy Weston. Everyday was not perfect. Some days I was more snappy than I should have been. Others I was pretty good. The important thing was I was trying to do the best I could. So if you find yourself in the hospital for an extended stay, take it a day at a time and remember it is OK to feel how ever you feel. As always Hang on, Hang In, and Don't Quit.


AK