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A little rant...

Yesterday my cannula was taken out. It was good that the nurse did that whilst the kids were visiting as I always tell them that if Mummy doesn't need medicine in her arm then she must be getting better. 

I know that to some kids watching a needle being taken out of your Mums arm wouldn't be their idea of fun and might even cause them to throw up but to Big Girl and Big Fella this was brilliant because they know that it might not be too long before I get to go home. 

After my 2 lovely sleepover buddies went home two old ladies were moved into the bay. The old lady opposite is a proper Londoner, as deaf as a post and shouted me over to help her with her new mobile phone. She thought it was broken but in fact it just needed switching on!

In the bed next to me now is a very old Asian lady with a very large family who are there all day. And night. At one point I counted 15 around the bed before the Sister came in and kicked them out this afternoon. 

I appreciate the sense of family commitment they have and admire how Asian families look after their elders but I just wish they could organise some sort of rota instead of all descending on the bay all at once. 

Last night the last 5 visitors didn't leave until after 9.30pm, one and a half hours after visiting officially had ended (and one person stays with her 24/7 cause she can't speak any English but that's a whole other rant!) Plus 2 more came in at 10.45pm. 10.45pm! TEN FUCKING FORTY FIVE PM!!

Now I'm no visiting hours nazi and hubby has stayed past the hours before but that's just me and him, usually when I have just had surgery or am very seriously ill with the curtains drawn. Not 5 people, 2 of whom were men, wandering around the bay when you're in your pjs, feeling ill and vulnerable. 

It's hot on the ward and I'm in a rather skimpy vest top. I've already had a boob malfunction when I bent down to put something in the fridge in the dayroom (something that Stickhead - who writes the blog Slightly South of Sanity - would be proud of!) I don't want to have to worry that as I'm asleep in my bed, in a female bay that there is a male visitor who may get a glimpse at my fun bags. 

But the two things that really riled me though was the family complaining earlier in the day about the third patient on the bay having her fan on as it was bothering their mother/auntie/nan/cousin (she has a fever of over 39 degrees for goodness sake!) and the fact that at 9pm they wanted the main lights turning off. 

Well let me tell you, we will turn the bloody lights off when it's bedtime. And it's not bedtime until you lot fuck off home!

Rant over. 

NB x




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