Thursday, April 29, 3:30 pm

I started a blog before lunch and decided it was a series of complaints. So, instead of publishing that entry, I am going to put the complaints in an e-mail to the supervising nurse on this unit, copying the director of nursing and the hospital CEO. In my mind, the routine nursing care is, at the best, mediocre. I am passionate about PT and OT, Marc and Lana. The young resident, Justin as well as the doc assigned as my medicine man, Doc Landau are sweethearts. The doc in charge, Doc Kreshon, looks like a young plumber and that works fine for me. Nursing, ehhh. My son said there are two phrases to remember as I know things should be different. They are "standards of care"and "informed consent". Scare the heck out of hospital administrators with those phrases.

I remembered this afternoon, that in an earlier life I had been a hospital administrator. I was a deputy director of Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester NY from 1980 through 1985 or so. And I have other hospital admin experience. So, I'm not a novice here.

So, here'a a quote for the day. A nurse coming into my room and bringing me the nursing supervisor's e-mail address:

"The flowers in here are beautiful. And they smell so good. Why they are so pretty they could be artifical".

And here's a quote for yesterday. I was in the bathroom that I share with the room next door. As I am about to leave it there is a call from the room next door (Helen - remember her?):

"Yohoo. Yohoo." (Me - poking my wheelchair bound one leg self into her room) "Hi". Helen: "Honey, can you close my blinds for me, please?"

I have to laugh at this stuff. There are lots of wonderful one line vignettes.

And I seem to have another group of haiku. Can't decide which are worth putting forth and which should be tossed but you can get some idea of some of the goings on from these haiku musings.

10 pm Haiku

Phantom leg to floor
The body swiftly follows
Not good going down

Two steps take two feet
I don't have two feet right now
So head hits hard floor

3 am haiku

Gorgonzola cheese
On lightly toasted french bread
Would taste good right now

this mornings haiku

I stepped out last night
The leg wasn't where I thought
The floor was quite dense

I did try to get up from my wheelchair as if I had two legs. Fortunately, I did a spin and landed far from the residual limb (I need to name that limb). I screamed - just once but loud. Nurses came running. I crawled to side of bed. They lifted me onto it. Nothing hurt but my hard head, and that not enough to even have a goose egg.

A little more about how I spent time today. An hour in occupational therapy. Issues are doing this from chair and/or standing with one let.

Made cookies today
Got to do kitchen duty
I could teach this class

Back to my room this afternoon to cards and gifts (thank you Barbara and Ruth). I have my beautiful Wisconsin gift quilt on my bed here.

I just got a "pass" for Sunday. Don't have to go AWOL. Will do lunch and movies with Julie and kids.

And I have not taken a nap since I arrived on Sunday evening, but I think I will lie on my bed under the gift quilt and read a bit of this Nevada Barr book before dinner. I'm gonna try to stay out of trouble - try not to tell folks how they could do things "different or better".