So Today I'm Mad

I mean, I'm really mad, and if you're from Texas and remember Eddie Chiles, know I'm going through his whole routine right now (Eddie Chiles was an oil man who was offended by wasteful government spending and bought commercial airtime to talk about it.)

Anyway, over the last several days they have been talking about moving Pete to a regular floor but can't do it because they need to get his heart under control first. I have told them I am not at all in a hurry to do that, the only reason I wanted that to happen is that I think it's very important that Anna get to visit her daddy and vise versa. So, yesterday, his nurse told me that it would be just fine if I brought her up for a short visit and that it would do wonders for both of them. So, this morning, at the 8:00 to 9:00 visiting hour, I took Anna up there. I didn't tell her anything of what we were doing until we were in the parking garage.

We do all the elevator button pushing, get to the floor, use the Purel on our hands and walk thorugh the automatic doors, where I'm accosted by his nurse who says no visitors under 12 are allowed. I told her I made arrangements and was told it would be fine to bring her up there, whereupon she informed me that she is the charge nurse (well la ti dah) and that it needed to be cleared with her first and exactly WHO had I talked to. I told her and she starts telling me about how patients can't be gotten upset and I almost blew right there. How dare someone, who has never met me before and who I've never even SEEN on the floor, suggest I'm going to do anything that would not be good for Pete?

She put us out for a minute because I guess, you know, with all the responsibilities of being a bitchy charge nurse, she forgot there's an 8:00 a.m. visiting hour and she hadn't gotten Pete all arranged in his bed. While we're in the hallway, one of the floor docs walked by, said hi to Anna and, "Are you here to visit Daddy? That will be a good thing!". All of the nurses I've gotten to know over 2 weeks come up and are all excited to be able to meet the Anna of whom they have heard so much.

So they're done, we go in and she says, "Five minutes, you can't tire him out". She got "the look" out of me. So we were there for a few minutes, Anna said, "Daddy boo boo head" a few times, she pulled up her shirt so he could tickle her, but was a little standoffish with him. I think it's a combination of her being angry with him for going away for 2 weeks, being a little off put by Daddy being in bed and I'm sure feeling the stress caused by the nurse. We left, and I was so upset when we left, all of the remaining plans for the morning, including taking a ride on the train to Hermann Park on a morning that is beautiful, 68 degrees and and dry, just went by the wayside and I drove home in tears.

Later, there will be lots of visitors and I can bet there will be trouble. Because after everyone leaves, and I want to sit and needlepoint while Pete sleeps, she's going to try to put me out again. When that happens there may be a clash. And, trust me, I've rehearsed what I will say, including a suggestion that she find a CME course on the subject of sensitivity, patient psychological well being, how to handle families and how to basically not be a complete pain in the ass. Yes, today, I'm cussing and when I go up there later, my eyes will still be puffy.

And maybe she needs to re-read the visiting rules. It’s nobody under 14, not 12.