Hospital Musings...Waiting Rooms and Such

As I sit here in the waiting room at High Point Memorial Hospital I reflect on my hospital experiences over the years. I have been very fortunate to lead a charmed life as far as health...other than two children, one procedure to prevent having children and one knee surgery...I have not personally had any serious illnesses or traumatic events.

I have, however, spent my fair share of time in the hospital with my family. My mother died from cancer in 1980 and spent the last two weeks of her life at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Winston Salem, NC. My daughter Kelly was hospitalized at Moses Cone in Greensboro for about a month in 1983 when she had a brain aneurysm. There was the time that Matt had kidney stones and we had the whole Pitt Memorial emergency waiting room experience (surreal is the only way I can describe that one) and my husband, Ken, is today having his fourth major back surgery .......and I am on my 8th hour in the waiting room today!

So I am no stranger to the Hospital waiting room. I have to say that my heart goes out to those with tense strained faces showing raw emotions and concern for the loved ones behind the doors in the surgery suite. God also has a special place in heaven for the many hospital volunteers who give so generously of their time, talent and love to those who spend time in the waiting room.

As I sit here someone is in the lobby playing soft piano music which is a nice touch for a public hospital. There is a hospital Chaplin behind me livening up the place with cheerful chatter and loud welcomes to every doctor that enters the waiting room. The young twenty something who shared his table with me has his ipod in and I can hear Coldplay from across the room. He has the newest model Dell laptop and is a dedicated gamer from the moves I see him making.

A middle aged man across the room in his jeans and baseball cap is conducting business regarding the furniture market for all to hear. He is not to be outdone by a large group chatting behind me talking about the history of High Point and some of the " old money" families. Beeson is one name that keeps coming up...something about hardware. Then there is the politically savvy group talking about how Jim Black was an idiot... Another is sharing his experience with paying quarterly taxes and his opinion of the legislature and senate. This group just got the thumbs up from the doctor and all eight of them marched out to visit their loved one.

As you can tell there is no privacy in this waiting room ...or any waiting room for that matter. Which is why I am quietly tapping out my innermost thoughts on my keyboard for the world to read on this blog. Technology and Science at it's best in the Hospital waiting room!

A surgical assistant just shared with me and the rest of my peeps in the waiting room that Ken is still in surgery...now 3 hours.... and that the doctor is now closing.....I'm sure my new waiting room family is just as relieved as I am.....