1/2/13 - Afterthoughts on the roommate from hell

Feb 01, 2013

Yesterday at my meeting with the nurse practitioner I said that I was so appreciative of the care I had, and it almost made up for the roommate from hell. She got a funny look and said "who"? -- I said S. from Rxxxxxx and she said "yeah, you did have the roommate from hell". How funny is that, eh? She couldn't professionally say much more than "It takes all kinds" and we kind of laughed. Hah!

My support group friend Judy sent me this ...

"As to S., there was one point when the nurse was working on you and she had pulled the curtain closed. I had stayed outside of the curtain and chatted with S. He said at one point that he could not believe they had operated on you because you were so old! It took much restraint to not slap him silly. I also did not want to be led out of the Civic in handcuffs! I told S. that I was close to retirement too. i.e. not too much further behind you in age. I didn't mention it to you as I knew you had no choice while you were there and you still had to deal with him.
Did he do other stupid stuff? Now you have me curious!"

And I replied:

S. was ... special. A real crybaby "no, you can't prick that finger, I'm sore" "Yes, I'm taking my medications (2 hours after presentation) ... and "I've walked" (no, you didn't, and I don't count to the bathroom for the world's largest farts) and asking each and every flipping time "what is this pill for, why do I have to take it, didn't I have this at breakfast" and two nurses calling me "a saint" for having put up with him. As well, he was *in* every conversation I had with visitors, including with my minister, Thursday morning!  

I figure he had to have been a real treat when one of the nurses asked another woman from way down the floor to change his IV site -- this replacement nurse just approached him with a totally flat face and manner and just *did* the job...poor N., the nurse that day, just couldn't take him any more!  

And for each of these professionals to break that barrier with me ... they knew what I was going through. He never, ever shut up. I had my headphones on in self defense, even without sound, so much that my ears were sweating.   Anyway, he is one of the world's limited people and I hope he can do all the work necessary to follow through on this.   He did tell me that he had three heart attacks two years ago (and *I* was worried about being accepted!?) and his kidneys were failing, as well as his legs being discoloured and swollen all the way up past his calves from diabetes.  

For the record?  S. was 42ish - I am 63.

It was so blessedly silent to be home :)

5 Comments