h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Richenda left a lot out but then she was drugged during part of it.

But to repeat it all would make it sound like the start of "Tale of Two Cities" and and it was better than that and worse than that. Suffice it to say that we were rewarded for our attention to her health and welfare with a US$10.00 pre-paid gasolene card, a lovely thank you note from the head of nursing on that floor and the two heroines whom we praised highly to her as well as the undying enmity of those who may or may not be repremanded but who certainly know they have been reported as requiring remedial training in dealing with humans. (Suffice it to say that this head nurse's face went from "I'm sure this was just a minor misunderstanding" to "When can we expect the Lightning to strike" over the course of our telling her the whole sordid tale along with insisting on crediting those who performed well. Hence the minimal but still significant gift of gratitude.) Oh yes, I also got a free meal pass for the hospital cafeteria -- which may have been an attempt to console me or may have been an attempt at homicide, who can tell -- from another administrator who made the mistake of asking if everything was going well during the stay.

So many anecdotes, so few electrons.

This would probably make a chapter in my 'Great American Novel' to be titled "Catch 23" (I've heard that someone else has used something similar to that so I may need to change it to "Dolly Does Denver" or something like that.) But, I really wanted to write something rather mainstream and believable and this sounds too much like some dream or hallucination. So, I'll save it till I have enough literary cache to get a huge advance and screenplay sales just on presenting the main concept. The movie might work better with a title like "One Flew Over the Catbird Seat" but I'd like to keep the original one, whatever it turns out to be.

So it goes. Tune in next week for he exciting conclusion.

B.

Richenda left a lot out but then she was drugged during part of it.

But to repeat it all would make it sound like the start of "Tale of Two Cities" and and it was better than that and worse than that. Suffice it to say that we were rewarded for our attention to her health and welfare with a US$10.00 pre-paid gasolene card, a lovely thank you note from the head of nursing on that floor and the two heroines whom we praised highly to her as well as the undying enmity of those who may or may not be repremanded but who certainly know they have been reported as requiring remedial training in dealing with humans. (Suffice it to say that this head nurse's face went from "I'm sure this was just a minor misunderstanding" to "When can we expect the Lightning to strike" over the course of our telling her the whole sordid tale along with insisting on crediting those who performed well. Hence the minimal but still significant gift of gratitude.) Oh yes, I also got a free meal pass for the hospital cafeteria -- which may have been an attempt to console me or may have been an attempt at homicide, who can tell -- from another administrator who made the mistake of asking if everything was going well during the stay.

So many anecdotes, so few electrons.

This would probably make a chapter in my 'Great American Novel' to be titled "Catch 23" (I've heard that someone else has used something similar to that so I may need to change it to "Dolly Does Denver" or something like that.) But, I really wanted to write something rather mainstream and believable and this sounds too much like some dream or hallucination. So, I'll save it till I have enough literary cache to get a huge advance and screenplay sales just on presenting the main concept. The movie might work better with a title like "One Flew Over the Catbird Seat" but I'd like to keep the original one, whatever it turns out to be.

So it goes. Tune in next week for he exciting conclusion.

B.

YIPES....what DID I miss when I was drugged???

I had managed avoiding sleep as much as possible...if I let down my guard, no telling what would happen.

In my previous post, I think I did miss two of my favorite incidents.

Saturday, 6am, asked nurse if I could get a can of pop...she checked the floor frig and said they were out and offered either milk or juice...told her I wasn't interested in either...if I had money, she offered to go down to the vending machine and buy me one (didn't realize I had to provide my own beverages )...told her I didn't have any money with me...her answer....
I'LL GUESS YOU'LL BE THIRSTY.

Saturday, 9am, nurse again tries to give me the incorrect meds...I refuse the wrong ones and ask where the cardio meds are...she says none ordered...I say but I had at least one last night and ask her to check with the doctor...her answer...
IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE CARE YOU ARE GETTING, JUST LEAVE!

(she comes back an hour later and says she told the doctor I was leaving AMA and he said go...no mention of checking re: meds...I reminded her I never said anything about leaving...all I wanted her to do was check meds. I was on the phone at the time and my two friends heard the entire conversation....they were floored!)

I AM SO GLAD I GOT OUT OF THERE ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amazing~~~ and NOT in a good way

You are happy & are all of us.

I'm getting really tired of this double posting bug. (as if I needed any help getting my word count up on the stats page.)

Love, of course you missed stuff, whether you remember it or not. You just don't know how to be as long winded as I am and the days were just so full of mistakes and stupidity that you start feeling guilty about writing so long after you've listed the first five or, G-d forbid, ten.

On the other hand, I rather enjoy hearing people groan when they see another monstrous posting by me because *I* know everything I wrote, however long winded and pompous, is useful. Still, I'm thinking of adding summaries at the top of my postings for folks who prefer their information pre-digested and pre-chewed. (There will be a slight charge for this. Please inquire as to fees and terms of service. )

As to things forgotten, you have not mentioned that before they took you in for your angiogram that they gave you a drug which is used to make people forget what is happening while under it's influence.

Presumably, this is to prevent anxiety during and after the procedure but it does seem to set a precedent.



For instance, how many of you have been getting shots before some simple procedure or perhaps an office visit. How would you know?

Please understand that since my particular crisis I have been acutely aware of how I can't always trust what I 'know'.

That being the case, I suppose I have set the stage for my confession/introduction to this group and I will be posting that tonight -- if I can find the time.

(Have you noticed that while we do have a rather trite smiley, we don't have one for , , or the ?

How about one for ?
How about assorted weapons of warfare: , , , , , , , , , ? Or for that matter, , , , , , , , ?

How about one for , or ?

I really don't expect to find , , , , or , but there's no reason not to expect or (though you should never actually see that last one.)

We could at least have , , , smilies.

For that matter, where are all those wholesome ?)

For now, I'm signing off with my favorite smiley so far.

Barton

Come to think of it <space> could just as easily be named <spy>.

B.

You forgot the ever popular one for PC.

Thanks, H'venlee, you just got me again!

*wipes projectile tea from monitor*


For the record, B., I rather enjoy your lengthy posts, and they always *say* something as opposed to mine which make my tendency to verbosity abundantly clear. Looking forward to reading your "formal" introduction.

Oh, and I don't think I'll ever be able to get a general anaesthetic again now.

What I had wasn't even consider an anaesthetic. They want you 'alert' (haha) during the procedure but they don't want you to remember what happened.

That stuff is used not uncommonly, although it's not something they'd give you in a regular doctor's office setting, as it's not safe to drive home afterwards. For example, they use it during the type of colonoscopies when they need to make sure the camera goes all the way through both intestines. Given that you're not supposed to drive afterwards (although the medication is not a general anaesthetic, it *is* rather sedating), they always tell you when you're getting this stuff to bring someone with you to drive you home afterwards (when it's an outpatient procedure) -- if that's the case, and you're nervous about what's going on that you might not remember, it's wise to have the person there with you. It's especially a good idea, because the doctor will often give you post-op instructions -- do this, don't do this, take this pill, drink this, and of course you don't remember diddly-squat. Your driver person can also serve as your remember-er person. You would think doctors would be bright enough to put such instructions in writing when they're dealing with patients who've been given such medications, but sadly, such is not always the case.

I don't think I could handle being given anyting that would make me not remember what had happened.. that's when bad things happen. Or maybe I'm just overly paranoid...

Personally, the "not remember what happens" part doesn't actually seem to work on me. At the most, the medication seems to relax me a bit, and make me rather unsteady on my feet -- not unlike having had a few beers. I was still, however, able to read a book during the procedure (which surprised the doctor, apparently that being unusual). Afterwards, my memory was also like my memory would be if I had had a few beers -- I remembered what had happened, where I had been, who had been there, etc., but my memory of exact details was not as sharp as it normally would be -- i.e., I wasn't able to recall the exact dialogue, nor the music that was playing in the background. All in all, not an overly frightening experience -- even for someone like me. The fact that they let me watch the TV screen that shows what the camera is seeing always makes me feel somewhat less "out of control" of the situation, it's like I'm somehow more actively involved.

Which is a good thing, because I have to get these things done pretty regularly.

Actually, there is a very simple technique to defeat the effects of the drug. Just translate every experience as you observe it into some other terms. For instance, if you see a red ball and you say to yourself, "I see a red ball," you will quite likely remember both seeing it and saying it. Whereas, if you had simply depended on remembering having seen it, it might well be gone.

Barton

So glad you survived & are now home & back in the "Real World" of the internet!

Sadly, I was not surprised at your "Never mind your heart meds, go thirsty!" experience. In my case, the nurse even refused to let me have water, though there was a bottle right in front of me, it was on her desk & for nurses only. No, I did not have anything infectious, no, there was no medical reason for me to be denied water. I was "merely" suffering a dry mouth & extreme thirst from a panic attack (not helped by being denied my beta-blockers) & had had no liquid for hours since being shifted at a moments notice to a new ward, thus missing my supper.

I too have been through all the tests, the one I like best is where you have to wear a walkman thing all day & then tell them exactly what happened to make you get a raised heart rate.....hmm, make sure you have arranged no excitement of any sort!

Anyway, as with you, I was told it's all down to stress, nonetheless I am now on beta-blockers for life; they obviously do have an effect, if I miss one, my heart starts racing again & reminds me.

Hope you're feeling better now.

Terri.

Hey PC....my pleasure.

B- I think right now I could use some of that anesthetic. I pinched a nerve yesterday. G had a hard time dealing with me. He hates not knowing what to do.

I hope you are feeling better Richenda. Keep smiling!

Ok...going back to lay down now. I think I have used up my sitting up time for the day.

all around.