Take A Number and Wait in Line.
My mom was never really a patient person. She always hated waiting for anything for too long. This has gotten worse since she has gotten sick. I think it is partly the meds that she is taking that makes her anxious and partly because she never liked waiting in the first place. Yesterday she had to go to the eye doctor and my nephew got her coat out of the closet earlier than normal when she goes to the eye doctor and my mom asked him why he was so early that all the doctor was going to do was make her wait anyway. She said she hates sitting there and waiting in the waiting room with thousands of people. I will admit the waiting room does get pretty full and to her it is like a thousand people back up. Which can feel that way to me too sometimes. So, as we waited she complained. This is normal for her, the complaining part about waiting. She made faces and looked around the room several times waiting not so patiently for the doctor or someone to call her name. If she could get around better I am sure that she would have marched up to the receptionist desk and insist that she be called next.
Case and point about a year ago she had to go to the emergency room. She was having bad stomach pains and so the doctor said to bring to the emergency room and so we packed her, her walker and the rest of us in the car and headed that way. Thankfully when we arrived there weren't that many people waiting. I would say about 4-5 and I was so glad that there weren't thousands of people sitting in the waiting room. So, we checked her in and filled out the short form and the security guard who took the form said that it wouldn't' be long. I clenched my teeth when he said that because he didn't know he said that to the wrong person, my mom. If you tell her that she will think that in the next few minutes she will be called which we all know is not the case in the emergency room. I smiled and thanked him and took my mom to an empty seat and sat next to her and we proceeded to watch TV while my nephew went to park the car. My son sat on the other side of me looking around at all the people asking me questions I didn't have the answers to.
After about an hour sitting and waiting and watching the news over and over on the TV, seems that the only channel they cared to watch was the news that night my mom got anxious. I was surprised it took her that long. I tried to explain to her that not long didn't mean not long in hospital terms. But, nonetheless she told me she was ready to go home seen or unseen. I told her she had to be seen and that I would check on how long it would be. The security guard told me that they are waiting for a bed. (I found out is not really a bed but more like a hospital cot the size of a twin bed at that) So, no sooner then I get back to my seat my mom is holding on to the walker pulling herself up from her seat and heading in the direction of the security desk where we checked in. She states her name and says she wants to be seen now. The security guard politely told her that there was not any rooms at the time and that he would go back and check with the nurse and ask how long it would be. She was ok with that answer.
About 40 more minutes later they called her. She almost stood up and cheered, which she probably did in her mind. And ten thousand questions later by the nurse and some IV's for fluid the doctor came and checked her out. She had an infection in her stomach as the doctor put it and she could either stay the night for observation or take the meds and go home and then see her primary doctor in 3 days. My mom opted to go home.
She has another eye appointment in a few days. More waiting. Hopefully the wait won't be too long.
Case and point about a year ago she had to go to the emergency room. She was having bad stomach pains and so the doctor said to bring to the emergency room and so we packed her, her walker and the rest of us in the car and headed that way. Thankfully when we arrived there weren't that many people waiting. I would say about 4-5 and I was so glad that there weren't thousands of people sitting in the waiting room. So, we checked her in and filled out the short form and the security guard who took the form said that it wouldn't' be long. I clenched my teeth when he said that because he didn't know he said that to the wrong person, my mom. If you tell her that she will think that in the next few minutes she will be called which we all know is not the case in the emergency room. I smiled and thanked him and took my mom to an empty seat and sat next to her and we proceeded to watch TV while my nephew went to park the car. My son sat on the other side of me looking around at all the people asking me questions I didn't have the answers to.
After about an hour sitting and waiting and watching the news over and over on the TV, seems that the only channel they cared to watch was the news that night my mom got anxious. I was surprised it took her that long. I tried to explain to her that not long didn't mean not long in hospital terms. But, nonetheless she told me she was ready to go home seen or unseen. I told her she had to be seen and that I would check on how long it would be. The security guard told me that they are waiting for a bed. (I found out is not really a bed but more like a hospital cot the size of a twin bed at that) So, no sooner then I get back to my seat my mom is holding on to the walker pulling herself up from her seat and heading in the direction of the security desk where we checked in. She states her name and says she wants to be seen now. The security guard politely told her that there was not any rooms at the time and that he would go back and check with the nurse and ask how long it would be. She was ok with that answer.
About 40 more minutes later they called her. She almost stood up and cheered, which she probably did in her mind. And ten thousand questions later by the nurse and some IV's for fluid the doctor came and checked her out. She had an infection in her stomach as the doctor put it and she could either stay the night for observation or take the meds and go home and then see her primary doctor in 3 days. My mom opted to go home.
She has another eye appointment in a few days. More waiting. Hopefully the wait won't be too long.
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