Sleep 'til noon ...



"Okay, let's take your blood pressure."
Mom responds, "I might not have one."
Nurse Gail: "Well, if you don't have blood pressure, we might have to send you home."
Nurse Marilyn: "Home? I'm thinking she would need to go to the emergency room." That's what I'm thinking.
"Or," someone else in the room mentions, "the morgue."
Trips with Mom to medical appointments never fail to entertain.
We are preparing for Mom's second cataract surgery. We did the left eye last month and now we feel like pros.
Nurses Gail and Marilyn try to position Mom in the bed. "You need to scoot up." Mom scoots toward the foot of the bed. A discussion ensues on which end is up. Apropos.
More instruction from the nurses. Mom with a twinkle in her eye responds, "You're bossy. " I'm shaking my head.
Mom's not the only one. A nurse asks the patient next to us, "Who do you live with?" In good humor, the patient quips, "She's nosey. " The patient chats a bit longer with Nurse Marilyn--long enough to learn Nurse Marilyn loves her job. Her husband has asked when she wants to retire, but she loves what she does.
The baby waiting to get tubes in his ears is happy with no one. At all. Especially the nurses.
It's game time. They are ready to roll Mom down the hall. I note that she might sleep through the procedure. "Ten o'clock is still early for her. She often sleeps 'til noon." Nurse pushing the bed: "Sleep until noon? That's my goal in life."
Nurses are awesome. They earn every dime they make. I hope once in a while they get to sleep 'til noon!

~ LowTide explorer, Carolyn Fjeran
[LowTide is an eclectic collection of discoveries and reflective writings.]

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