Let me start by saying, don't hate me...
Several years ago, I found myself in the pre-op room at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, awaiting knee surgery. I’ve already had my "I don't care no more shot," I’m sporting my comfy heated blanket, and I’m feeling so very good. I'm sure a lot of you know exactly what I mean. It's okay, it doesn't mean you're an addict...
Somewhere in the room, a little kid starts crying and he won’t stop. I know the kid is probably scared, in pain, or both, and I feel sorry for him. But he is stepping on my pre-op buzz. Just about then, I was startled when a loud voice rang out. It said “somebody shut that fucking kid up!” Oh my god, who would do that?
It took me about two seconds to realize, that the voice belonged to somebody I knew. It belonged to me! I was mortified with embarrassment. I could see the parents of the little kid shooting daggers at me with their eyes.
A nurse walked by and I told her I was sorry. She said, "don't worry about it, patients who have been given drugs aren't responsible for what they say in either pre-op, or post-op". That made me feel much better, and I was actually able to enjoy the last few minutes in my “cocoon” of warmth and fuzziness.
I know what you’re thinking. I still can’t believe I said that...
Ha Ha! I've heard some amazing things in the Ambulance--and the ER!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes! YOU ARE still responsible...having no control over your facilities due to Narcotics--(God bless them!) is no excuse!
I wanna yell that "NOT" under any influence- sometimes....I could NEVER work Pediatrics all day!! But, I'm sure, I cried many many times as a kid during "inopportune times"!
LOL-- Good Story -Pat!
John
Not one of my finer moments...
ReplyDeleteI think that is great!
ReplyDeleteI'm even going to try to catalog my embarrassments.
ReplyDeleteI yell at selfish kids in the toy aisles all the time. I do it when I see them crossing the road while traffic is coming and I even turned in a kid to grocery store security once because the mom was obliviously talking to a friend and the little rat was running down the hall taking stuff out of my cart and dropping it. He thought it was funny but those were pop tarts and he had just crossed the line. They made an announcement for the embarassed mother to pick up her kid and I watched as she ran to the front to get him. She never knew I turned him in. He cried the whole time he was forced to stay in the cart and I was happy about that. When I taught I had little tolerace for one squeaky wheel messing up my finally honed nazi style organization and discipline. But there was alway one a week that needed more special attention. At that point I go from calm, reasonable, funny Mr Heighton to crazed Feuher. "We have vays of making you suffer." I love getting the parents involved too. Mostly because they are bad parents to produce such an unruly kid and partly to make sure the kid get's punished at home...for once.
ReplyDeleteJerry - I'm not gonna publish all mine either!
ReplyDeleteCal - I'm with you! I can't believe the crap some people let their brats get away with at the store. Of course, my mom had no problems in this area. YOU KNOW, we were well behaved in public. In fact, my mom would make me put my hands in my pockets. When I go into a store with a lot of breakables, I always think about it.
NO, I am thinking that you must have secretly felt good about doing it! haha To be able to say what you really feel to perfect strangers. You never know. You may have done that family some good in some way. I know I have a little cousin that I wish someone would say that to so that her mother can feel embarrassed enough and finally start taking some control of her. :) Sometimes it's just necessary. Hey it takes a village to raise a kid...haha good for you.
ReplyDelete