Keegan Lineage

 Mary Ann Keegan was my father's mother. My grandmother.

On and Off

   During the hospital procedure, 3 Medi-Trace pads were applied for cardio tracking. When I got home, they were still applied. I guess there was a person responsible for applying but not removing. I hope there was a person responsible for attaching them. Oh, well.

Table Talk---Dream Alert

     Joe T. had built a table in his workshop. There was new wood all over the place, the light-colored kind. The table stood alongside the wall, quite an impressive piece. It was about 6 feet long and 3 feet wide and had an elaborate system of crosspieces and I guess support beams. I offered to hold the last piece while he drilled holes somewhere on the side to hold the pieces in place. The piece I held was near the very bottom and I had to extend my arms wide to hold the final board. My arms got tired and achy and I let go of the board; that caused  the other pieces to slide down to the bottom of the piece. Well, I had tried.

     I was asked once again to rate some examination papers in Albany. I saw Barbara in the post office. She said she was going to do do also. I asked her if she wanted to go with me. She said no, without offering any reason. I felt aggrieved, especially since I was the one who had convinced her she could do this work in the first place.

    I was sitting in the conference room waiting for our Herkimer BOCES session to begin. After many years of her commuting there with me, Fran had begun riding with another employee who lived closer to her.  I had my paperwork on the table. Fran arrived late and strewed her paperwork on top of mine, scattering my carefully organized materials.  I thought it rude, but all attention was on Fran, who was playing the poor little me card for one reason or another.

  I was with my grandkids in Mass. I was trying to help the youngest with her shoes and socks, but only her mother could help her. (This actually happened about 4 or so years ago.

 There were several more event in this long night of dreams. The details are slipping away, but every one of them were tales of failure or rejection, or both. Maybe it was the after-effects of anesthesia. Or just reality.

It's the results that matter.

  The surgeon's final word to me:  "It was a lot of work."  

Successful procedure and outcome, complete report given to me. 

I think that is the gist of hospital procedures. I expect the future will be even more concentrated on the physical processes and will further eliminate the frills of the  antiquated customary deliveries of healthcare.

#3 Heck, why stop now...

    Arrival time was 10:45 for 12:00 procedure. There was a delay, so at about 12:30 with no nurse evidently assigned to my cubby hole, I rang the buzzer. A nurse appeared, and I asked to go to the bathroom. The nurse asked if I was in recovery. I told her no, waiting for the procedure.  She lowered the bed rail and asked if I could walk.  I said yes, and she said to go left out of the room, then down the hall past the nurses' station and the bathroom would be on the right. So I did.  That was it. I did not see that nurse again.  (I had the IV attached to the pole, but I managed.

Incident #2

   No ax to grind, just writing down because no one to talk to:

  The nurse who led me from the waiting room to the pre-surgery room was trying to insert the line for the IV. She was having difficulty because her light was broken. Huh? She said there is a light that helps in finding veins. But hers was broken. I asked if there was only 1 on the floor, but she didn't answer. Also in the room now was Christian, who had the computer and was asking me questions and entering responses  on that.  He looked over and saw Nurse A was having difficulty inserting the IV. He spoke to her in the front of the room. I couldn't hear.  Nurse A finally got the needle in arm. Christian said something; again they spoke. She came back and took the needle out, saying it wouldn't work. She came back, took another look, then stood up and saying, "I'll defer to Christian, " she left the room, never to return.  So Christian, he of the computer intake, came over to the other side and succeeded in inserting the IV line. 

     I think those 2 may have had previous disagreements.

Hospital Anecdote#1

   The chief anesthesiologist showed up briefly. He  named the type of drugs and said, regarding the experience, "You won't know and you won't care."  He  was in charge of  identifying the meds, would not be at the procedure, I'm sure.

    Some time later, a man entered, said he was the Assistant or maybe Assisting Anesthesiologist.  He began talking. Suddenly he stopped and said, "It was nice talking to you even though our meeting was so short."   Motioning to a woman who had just entered, he said, "Laurie will be there now." I asked if she was his equivalent. He said yes. I asked where he was going. He said to lunch. 

    Laurie had nothing much to say; she left shortly. I guess she was in the surgery room.