“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.”
Two weeks seems such a long time to be away. I’d have thought today, in commemoration of my return, would dawn with sunny bright skies, lots of warmth and blue birds flying around singing and tweeting in their prettiest voices. Well, it didn’t. The sky is light gray and it’s damp and chilly. Nothing outside looks at all inviting. I do need to fill the feeders, but that will be it for the day.
This last recuperation has been amazing. I was up and around almost immediately, and the story would be boring except for Friday, my discharge day. It was decided mid-morning I could leave, but no one was available to pick me up. My sister, who was supposed to, had a problem with her car. I asked if discharge could be delayed a few hours and was told no. The nurse said I had to leave regardless as my bed had already been given away and the paperwork was done. I asked if I could sit in the lobby until such time as I could get a ride. Nope. The social worker said I had to take the bus. The hospital would give me a chit for the cab and money for the bus. Don’t carry anything heavier than a phone book I was told which pretty much excluded my bag, but that made no difference and was ignored. The social worker gave me $16.00, not enough for the bus I told her. As I had not a cent of my own, that would have meant sitting and begging at the station. She told me she’d looked it up, but I had also done the looking and knew the amount. I called her and told her to check again. She said it was on the Greyhound site which it wasn’t. I sent her to the Plymouth and Brockton site where the bus rate was listed as $19.00 to Hyannis. She came back, gave me three dollars and wanted to know what happened to the days when people trusted one another. I was flabbergasted. Well, I was walked to the door and put into a cab, three days days after surgery. I got to the bus terminal and stood at the bottom of what seemed like a million stairs. I felt like an extra in a 30’s movie where heaven is in the clouds at the top of a huge flight of stairs and an angel, usually a guy, waits at a desk for the check-in. It took a while to get up those stairs without a banister for balance but I managed and got my ticket, walked to the gate and just about crawled up the bus stairs where the man in the first seat got up and offered his seat. I took it. During the ride, I slept on and off and don’t remember much. At Sagamore, the man beside me got off and when I stood, the lady behind said, Oh my God, you’re back.”
I made it to Barnstable where my friend Tony picked me up and drove me home. My nephew Michael greeted me with flowers and not long after that my sister arrived. It was close to 7, and I went up stairs to bed. I woke up on Saturday at 4:30 in the afternoon.
The week in between has been wonderful. My sister drove me anywhere I needed and waited on me. It was wonderful to come downstairs and be handed the papers and a cup of coffee. I could live like that.
Well, I am back (almost a pun here) for good. This surgery seemed to have worked. I guess the practice run helped.
Thanks again for hanging around and waiting. I’m just so happy to be writing Coffee again!!
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March 21, 2011 at 11:26 am
What!?!
They said you had to leave the premises and get on a bus instead of letting you wait for your ride?
Holy crap!
There are no words.
I’m glad you’re back and in better shape than before in spite of the adventures. Sorry the weather is not being more jubilant about it. The birds will be happy, though.
March 21, 2011 at 11:28 am
Hi Caryn,
Yup, the bus-no waiting in the lobby. Tote that bag, walk those stairs!
I’m not so sure the weather really matters-I’m home, I feel great and I’m back with all my Coffee friends.
March 21, 2011 at 11:54 am
I’m sure they run tons of TV ads touting their wonderful, caring staff!
March 21, 2011 at 11:14 pm
John,
They do exactly that!They cared I got out of there and on the bus.
March 21, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Kat, Oh. My. God. What ridiculousness! What inhumane behavior! I don’t think I possess the words to string together my feelings on this matter.
Today, D.C.’s early morning brought a thunderstorm followed by clear, blue skies and warm temperatures. When I saw you were back, I thought, a ha! The weather was heralding your arrival!
March 21, 2011 at 11:15 pm
Sprite,
The only consolation was that I could get up those stairs and on the bus. I considered that a triumph.
I’m glad your weather was so lovely today. It must be heading my way!
March 21, 2011 at 2:21 pm
I´m so glad You´re back again 🙂
But that really is a crappy system not letting You sit and wait in the hospital!!! and then send You of to a bus!!!
When I had my surgery a year ago I went home by cab and that´s around 31 miles home from the hospital and that only costed me around 23 US dollars. If I don´t have the money on me or at home they´ll just drive me to the closest bank.
Today has been cloudy and windy but we reached 51F and that felt wonderful 🙂
Have a great day and take care now!
Christer.
March 21, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Christer,
I was flabbergasted at their treatment pf me three days after surgery. I live a longer way from the city than you so the taxi fee would have been exorbitant.
It was snowy and freezing all afternoon.
March 21, 2011 at 2:29 pm
“Whatever happened to the days when people trusted each other?”
I say: “Whatever happened to the days that they COULD BE TRUSTED!” 😉
s
March 21, 2011 at 11:17 pm
S,
I wanted to scream that it is people like you who took away trust!
March 21, 2011 at 3:38 pm
I would sue the Bastards! File a small claim for $5000 for putting you at risk. Boy that pisses me off. I really would go after those creeps. You are lucky they put you on the bus instead of under it. Well at least you are home safe and writing again and testing our sense of humor. Stay away from Hospitals!! You got lucky this time.
March 21, 2011 at 11:18 pm
Z&Me,
I am going to talk to my friend Nan the lawyer and see what she has to say.
I was just so glad to be going home on my own two legs that I blithely walked up those steps to the station.
March 21, 2011 at 6:08 pm
Trust: I’m surprised you didn’t fire back at her.
No waiting in the lobby: a. If you’d just walked over to a seat, would they have simply thrown you out the door?
b. If you’d turned down the cab, walked back inside and awaited your sister’s arrival (and kept the giant pile of cash), what would they have done?
c. Next hospital visit, have a Plan B & Plan C for exit.
d. Write an immediate letter to the hospital administration about your experience, naming name(s).
Glad you’re back: I’m sure the birds are, too.
March 21, 2011 at 11:19 pm
RH,
They walked me right out the door and called a cab. I wasn’t about to test anything at that point as I was far to aghast to think straight. I have to go back in two weeks to see my doctor who will hear of this then I’m writing to the administrator. They are lucky nothing happened to me.
The birds, the cats, the dog and I are all thrilled I’m home!
March 21, 2011 at 9:05 pm
Good to see you’re back – you were missed. Hope the recovery is swift. All the best.
March 21, 2011 at 11:20 pm
Michal,
Thank you!
I am feeling as well as I have in months!
March 22, 2011 at 7:05 am
They must have been convinced of having performed a miracle on you. And that may be true, but it doesn’t attest to much humanity. That is what amazes me most.
Here in Holland the weather is as springy as it can get. In sheltered places it even is too warm in the sun. I cleared the garden of its winter debris and all bushes start presenting their leaves.
I hope you can sit in the sun as well pretty soon.
March 22, 2011 at 11:03 pm
Bert,
I was determined to make it home as I found the hospital deplorable after all that had happened.
WE are a long way from the warmth of the sun. The only sign of spring is the clean-uped pile of branches in my backyard which didn’t survive the winter.
The first warm day will have me on the deck soaking up that sunshine!
March 23, 2011 at 6:58 am
It seems so self evident now to write to and fro between continents within the blink of an eye. This contact wouldn’t have been possible without the magic of the internet.
Still, there was a certain poetry in buying airmail paper and write as small as you could to convey your messages.
I do miss actual letters. Nowadays my fysical mail consists mainly of bills and fines for speeding. I get caught every time in the same stretch of highway, even though I tell myself that I can see whether or not “they” are waiting for me. Obviously not. But I’m too stubborn or stupid (synonyms?)to control myself.
March 23, 2011 at 11:38 am
You said, “Still, there was a certain poetry in buying airmail paper and write as small as you could to convey your messages.”
If you were going to do this today, you could simply print your letter in 1-point type with no margins and hope the recipient had a good magnifying glass.
March 23, 2011 at 11:48 am
RH,
You are so right. I filled the inside and both flaps with all that was going on in my day. To me it was just routine but to my family everything was new. My mother saved some of those letters and I can barely read my tiny handwriting.
I loved those aerograms.
March 22, 2011 at 8:18 am
Kat,
Were you at Mass General? I cannot believe how bad that is. They used to be so good there.
Erin
March 22, 2011 at 11:00 pm
Erin,
I was at Tufts Medical.
March 23, 2011 at 11:50 am
Bert,
I remember being in Africa and running to the staff room to check for mail. It was great to find a letter or two from home. My mother was the most faithful. I wrote every week then less so as time went on, and I felt more and more at home. I did send postcards from every country I visited.