Hospital horrors.

I never liked hospitals.

There was a time in my life when I almost lived in hospitals because my mom had to look after my late eldest sister. The only thing I enjoyed doing there is to visit the nursery and look at the babies. (This crossed my mind just now: maybe it's therapeutic to stare at sleeping babies?) The rest of the time, it was just silence, sickness, and the smell of antiseptic. Oh, and masungit nurses, too.

As far as I can remember I've only been confined in a hospital once, when I was three or four. The doctor had four orderlies hold me down for the IV procedure. *shudder* The rest were just out-patient episodes.

*****

Very early this morning (3 a.m.) I was brought to the Emergency Room in a wheelchair (my first time). After a brief consultation with a doctor from the surgery department, I was advised to have my foot and shin xrayed. In the xray lab, I tearfully snapped at the lab assistant for unnecessarily mocking my predicament. After 15 minutes of grief I was wheeled back to the Emergency Room to wait for the results.

Shortly the doctor informed me of my luck: I didn't see any broken bones but I'm putting a cast on you anyway. Then she sent my mom off to the pharmacy to get some supplies and my painkillers. Then I waited some more.

From one of the curtained cubicles a number of nurses pulled out a bed with a very old woman in it. The other staff quickly attached wires and monitoring devices while the doctors gently administered CPR. Another doctor was pumping air into the old woman's mouth with this balloon-like thing. A kid in her teens looked on.

It seemed for a while that the doctors were able to revive the old woman with CPR, artificial respirators and several vials of meds inserted into her IV. But after a few minutes more, I found the kid sitting on the floor, crying bitterly. I knew then that the old woman was gone. :-(

Not long after that, a couple of guys from a vehicular accident were brought in. One of them was unconscious, but both faces (and various parts of their bodies) were covered in blood. I didn't see what happened next. I was brought outside to a waiting cab after my cast was set.

On the ride home I thought to myself, how lucky I must be, despite the circumstances. Paiyak-iyak pa ako sa sakit, pero wala pa 'yun sa nararamdaman ng ibang tao sa paligid ko. Shame, shame. :-(

*****

I know I can never be a doctor or a nurse, even if I wanted to. I don't think I'm psychologically capable of handling too many incidences of sickness, violence and death.

I've seen enough ER action to last me several years. I hope I never have to go through that again.