Monday, February 21, 2011

If I Got Paid to Sit Around and Talk About Travelling...

My poor girls are sick.  Leigh caught a cold (apparently) last week, Friday I think it was.  She started with a runny nose and goopy eyes, both the yellow-green that signals infection.  After a few nights she started to get congested and cough.  And then, Sunday afternoon, Abby's left eye started to goop and swole up, almost instantaneously.  I had wondered if Leigh's eyes gooping meant pink eye, but her eyes weren't even the tiniest bit pink.  But Abby's was.  And it swole up HUGE, so she could barely see out of it. 

So I decided to take her in to emerg since if I waited to call the doctor on Monday we probably wouldn't get in for a couple days so it would be worth the wait in the hospital if we could get help right away.  I decided not to take Leigh because she is even more active than Abby, at least Abby can sit still if I occupy her, and she was mostly on the mend it seemed.  And there was actually only two other paitents in emerg, and the one guy (and his group of friends) were on their way out soon after we got there.

We got checked in fairly fast, and we were waiting on bed B (just in case you were wondering) to be seen by the doctor.  I could see the doctor, sitting at the nurse's station.  It was a doctor that I don't really care for, but beggars can't be choosers right?  I was kicking myself, because we got there just before 7, and that's when the doctors switch shifts, and the doctor who was on the shift that just got off was my maternity doctor.  I loved him when I had him.  I was sad that we missed him.  But anyways, that is nothing.  I could see this other doctor, and he was sitting at the station, chatting with a nurse who was going off duty, about travel. 

They discussed ferry fees for when you go across to Vancouver Island; they discussed the fact that this certain doctor hadn't been to a city an hour away from here.  They discussed the pros and cons of being a ship's doctor on a cruise line.  They talked about buying houses.  They talked about American hospitals.  All while I sat on the bed watching them.

And that wasn't all.  Oh no.  Throughout this very interesting conversation (not really) they would sprinkle some choice swear words.  Not just a little d**n, but big ones like the F-word or even s**t.   Yes, while I was sitting on a hospital bed in emergency with my 3 1/2 year old daughter, a doctor and a nurse talked about travelling and used unprofessional language, pretty much right in front of me.

I am used to having to wait for doctor's in emerg when they are finishing up paperwork from a previous paitent.  But was this really necessary?  Is this just because we're in a small town?  Where I used to live it wasn't like this that I can recall, and it's not a huge city either.  It was bigger than here though.  Maybe it's a "I-don't-care-because-it's-such-a-small-community-they-have-to-have-me-so-whatever?"  Okay, I'm rambling and losing focus.

Anyways, I think that I might look into writing a comment card or something.  Maybe talk to someone in the office at the hospital.  I can get over the waiting for the doctor.  Maybe he is a multi-takser and was secretly filling out paperwork when I wasn't looking.  But using such language in front of my girl.  That is just wrong in such a professional setting.

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