Son, Husband and I have spent a lot of time in various doctors’ waiting rooms over the last year or so, waiting and waiting and WAITING.
I can’t stand waiting. If I am meeting someone for lunch or something and they are late, I get cross; if I am heading for traffic lights and they turn from green to orange, I race ahead because red lights make me see red, especially when the red takes a century to turn green; if I ask Son to do a chore and he says, “just give me a minute”, I want to strangle him; if I am on the freeway and I get stuck behind one of those morons drivers who is in the passing lane but doesn’t pass the the driver in the slow lane, grrrrr … well, you get the picture.
So yesterday, while I waited for Son’s operation to be over with and for the hospital to ring me, the waiting nearly killed me. All of the seconds became minutes and all of the minutes became hours and all of the hours became days. I watched two videos in my hotel room (but I can’t remember what they were about); I went for walks around the city with my mobile phone clutched in my shirt pocket against my heart; I came back to the hotel and ate and drank everything from the minibar; I made a million phonecalls to tell people I was still waiting; I had three showers and two naps; I blogged; I read all of the magazines in the hotel room, so now I am an expert in Perth fashion; I rang the hospital five times; I rang Husband five times … well, you get the picture.
Since Son is still in ICU, I am staying in Perth for one more night and good friends are checking on animals for me. I’m sure Godfrey will be waiting too, with great anticipation, for my return. After all, it’s been nearly three days since he’s been able to do his favourite thing which is to bite me. Wait away, Godfrey!
And now I’m off to the hospital again (hotel is only two blocks away) to see Son and wait for his transfer from ICU to a ward. I have been told that this will happen some time after 4pm so I anticipate some more waiting – mmmmmmm!
jmgoyder 
Ah, Goyder. PATIENCE! My pet hate is unnecessary waiting. Like last night when I picked my pizza up it sat on the counter getting cold while the little serving darling had her cigarette. I had better not start.
Pizza rage?
we,re all waiting with you juliexxx see you and him friday…xxx
You’re the best, Julie (even though you don’t like birds)!
Gosh Julie,
I never realised there was someone else who liked ‘instant’ action.
When I was working full time, I often got exasperated with other people’s lack of prompt communication & task follow up.
But it’s amazing how much I’ve changed in retirement.
I wait patiently in queues (although I often need a chair – I cannot stand for too long in one spot).
I wait fairly patiently for services or in medical waiting rooms.
….and I am starting to wait patiently when my computer is on ‘slow motion’ mode.
But I do understand your anxiety over your Son – it IS a big operation and WILL BE a big, long slow haul before the final outcome is apparent. Hope your Son is a good listener of Music and/or reader. Lying still is not necessarily easy for the young (or the Mum).
I watched lots of movies on the ceiling tv screens after my back surgery. The good part about it was that the same movie played at different times of the day. So if you watched the early part of the movie, then had to go to the physio room in the rehabiliatation unit, you could come back and pick up the same movie at a later screening time.
I had a supply of books & Magazines, but found it too tiring to hold the book/magazine in my hands and turn the pages.
Once I could walk confidently, I used to walk (or should I say stroll), up & down the corridor several times (morning, noon & night). It provided a bit of variety to the ‘scenery’ and at the same time the gently movement relieved some of my pain.
Thanks, Vicki
Can’t believe I am blogging and crying at the same time! Your comment was wonderful and useful too!
Julie
You poor thing; it must have been so hard.
I thought it would get better but it’s worse today so hopefully tomorrow will be better – am a bit upset.
I am like you, can’t stand to wait! Years ago I prayed for patience….I kept failing the test so I stopped praying for it. Figured I would try to pass a different test 🙂 How about if I pace back & forth for you so you can take a break!
Yes please – re the pacing!
I am glad to see the updates. I will keep you all in my thoughts. Anxious to see the “tall again” picture once he is out of the hospital.
It’ll be a few more days before he can even stand up but I, too, am curious about the height thing.