Wednesday, June 19, 2013

MORE FREEDOM, PLEASE!

When you are in the hospital so much, it can seem like a fight to hold onto your own identity. Every hour of every day there is someone telling you what to do – an army of people dictating your every move, from what you can eat to how much you are able to bend your arm (if you are lucky enough to have an IV directly where it bends, that is!). I found that as I have aged, I have become more internally annoyed with complying to all of these things whenever I am hospital bound. It seems that just when you are about to fall asleep, finally (after hours of mainly strangers poking and prodding you), a nursing assistant comes in for vitals. That nursing assistant then wants to know how much you have gone to the bathroom, if you can sit up so they can listen to your lungs, what you are doing with your life outside of the hospital, and so forth.

Forgive me if I sound incredibly arrogant and unappreciative in the above paragraph as it is not my intention in the slightest. Those staff workers are the ones playing a vital role in chronicling my health's progress, and are merely doing their job. For all I know they too were unable to sleep prior to going to work and are just doing their best to make it through their work shift. I always try to be mindful of that with every hospital staffer I meet! Also, I never take my personal frustrations out on any nurse, doctor, etc. Inside I may be really annoyed at the simplest of things, but I do my best to keep it together. Ultimately, they are all there to help and assist, and for that I am grateful.

Sometimes, though, I just want to tug off my allergy bracelet and rip out my IV and go running outside! I want to be like a normal kid in their twenties, and not be bound by all of the rules in which I have to so meticulously follow while in house. Yet, the rules are that way for a reason, and each little rule adds up to a bigger picture. Therefore, I know it is vital to comply. Still, coming home is like a breathe of fresh air! Although there are still rules to comply with, I can stay up until 2 in the morning without someone documenting it in the computer or checking in with me every half hour.


Do any of you ever feel the same? - A  

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