Wednesday, March 21, 2018

I won’t be going home today after all, so I’m waiting for the nursing staff to find me a portable bariatric commode.

WEDNESDAY, 3:50 P.M., 3/21/2018. You guessed it … I’m not going home today! about an hour ago I found out that I’ll be here three more days because it’ll take 48 hours for my insurance company (the Scott & White Vital Traditions Medicare HMO) to process and approve the PICC-line I.V. and home health aide … and that would mean 48 hours at home with no antibiotics. So I’ll be staying at Baylor Hospital for three additional days and will probably go home on Saturday. Oy!

It’s not such a bad life, really, when you consider that I’ve got all of the following comforts: 1) Turner Classic Movies; 2) my favorite opiods; 3) a high-powered diuretic (Lasix) and a catheter; and 4) really decent food. Sam brings me lunch every day from the hospital cafeteria, and their food is TERRIFIC. Today we had barbecued brisket with macaroni and cheese! Yum, am I right?



While I’m waiting for the nursing staff to find me a portable bariatric commode I may as well put this time to good use and inject another session of Let’s Learn Yiddish!

Geschrei means cry, yell, scream. Gornisht helfn means beyond help. Goy is a gentile or someone not of the Jewish faith. Goyim is the plural of goy. Haimish means homelike, folksy, warm, comfortable. A hocker is a person who gossips or is annoyingly socially ambitious. Kaput means broken. Kibitz means, literally, giving unwanted advice. Can also be used to mean friendly chatter or gossip.

WEDNESDAY, 4:35 P.M. Sam just called from home, where he’s sitting on the patio au naturel, reading, phoning friends and enjoying the perfect spring weather (it’s 75°) and Texas sunshine. Although I can see the weather from my second floor window here at Baylor Hospital, I have no view whatsoever and my window overlooks part of the roof and the air conditioners. (Who cares? There's a Sean Connery movie on TCM right now.)

I think I’ll shut this down for a little while even though my laptop still has 67% power and I could probably keep typing till the cows come home. Moo, baby!



WEDNESDAY, 8:54 P.M. I’m back. It’s nearly 9 p.m. and I’m watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. I haven’t seen this movie in YEARS, and I have the freedom to watch the last half now because Sam went home about 20 minutes ago. Actually, Sam and I had a busy evening here. I finally got out of bed to use the portable commode (woo-hoo!), I did a sponge bath with Sam’s help, I put on a fresh nightgown and we changed the sheets. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! This was a very big hoo-hah for me and I feel amazing. Then my nurse showed up with her bedtime snack cart and I grabbed a package of graham crackers and two sugar-free Jell-O cups. Awesome, right?

Night-night and thank you for reading this!

No comments: