Comments on: Gitmo Medical Center.

By: Quin

Quin — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:38:58 +0000

You are a good man and I’m glad Jana has you! Those pictures are creepy . . . and sadly reminiscent of a scene in “Idiocracy” . . .

By: Jana

Jana — Wed, 07 May 2008 05:16:29 +0000

oh, and BTW Kaimi, they let me keep wearing my own clothes since my injury was on my lower leg which wasn’t hampered in the least by my wearing crops and a tee rather than a flimsy gown.

Perhaps the weirdest part of all that was that there was no working shower for our room so my only option for keeping clean was a daily sponge bath on my bed behind my curtain. Well one day I was “bathing” as there was a group of about 10 ppl on the other side of that curtain having a pretty intense conversation. They were like 2 feet away from my nekkidness and even tho they couldn’t see me, it was awfully hard to bathe under those circumstances…

By: Elaine

Elaine — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:59:42 +0000

I also hate the things one sees and hears in emergency rooms, Jana. But, I’m glad you’re doing better.

What the discharge doctor said when my mother was getting out of the hospital to go to rehab after her hip replacement surgery a few years back sums up hospitals for me. He told me: “I want to get her out of here before she catches something.”

Also, what one of the doctors in the emergency room told me when my mother was there when she had pneumonia a couple of years ago. He told me: “If you don’t have anything now, you will have in a few days after being around here.” And he was right. Just as she was getting discharged a couple of days later, I was coming down with the creeping crud from hell.

By: Rich

Rich — Sun, 04 May 2008 05:46:16 +0000

Bacteria can be really nasty – nearly took my nephew’s life. Very glad Jana’s better!

By: xJane

xJane — Sun, 04 May 2008 03:08:05 +0000

Hospitals are hideous places. I try to avoid them at all costs. Why is it that the place where you’re supposed to get better is so filled with things that’ll make you worse (like Kosher applewood smoked bacon club sandwiches). I’m glad for the whole clan that the ordeal is over & hope that you don’t have the need to go back (because then…well, you’d be back). I don’t recall Germany’s hospitals being much better, I think it’s a universal truth. (Altho, I’d sell my soul to get into Princeton-Plainsboro teaching hospital.)

By: Jana

Jana — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:08:37 +0000

When I was in the ER for abt 4-5 hrs waiting to be admitted to a room, they stationed us on a met right in front of the only bathroom serving 25 ER patients and their caregivers. Ok, so I saw (and heard) all manner of monstrous things going on in that 1-seater bathroom. And you can just guess that I was totally and completely unwilling to use it even though nature was calling.

Fortunately, after abt 3 hours they had to get someone in to clean it up (such a nightmare) and I was the first one in afterwards…

It was obvious that few of the ppl using the bathroom were washing their hands after they went (most were far too ill or already had hands hooked up to IVs and such). Some ppl were in there 6-10 times/hr throwing up or worse. Later, when we were getting admitted to the hospital, John mentioned to the docs how hard it was to be stationed right there and they told us that they’d actually put us in one of the more desirable spots because we had a corner with 3 walls with a curtain for privacy. It was only then that we realized that others didn’t even have that much of a recluse from the madness.

I coped by curling up into fetal position on the bed and just breathing. In and out and in again. I also hummed quietly to drown out some of the screaming and craziness from the other side of that curtain.

By: JoeR

JoeR — Sat, 03 May 2008 12:17:38 +0000

I’m glad everyone is all right.
I’m also glad to see that American torture methods have advanced so far from just the primitive bed-rash-plastic sheets that I was subjected to on my “rack”. I had no option for muppets or UFOs.

By: EmilyCC

EmilyCC — Sat, 03 May 2008 02:25:42 +0000

Thanks for the update, John! I got worried when I checked Jana’s site that casually mentioned a trip to the hospital.

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend to recover

By: Kaimi

Kaimi — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:28:09 +0000

“Jana refused to wear hers, but typically you are given a flimsy gown . . .”

She refused it? Awesome. “Nurse, please send up 5 cc’s of penicillin for the naked patient in Room 107 . . .”

In all seriousness, I’m glad to hear that Jana survived the headhunting UFOs and large weights being dropped on her. And I hope she continues in her recovery; it will put a little crimp in our plans to take over the world, if she gets knocked out of action by annoying little bacteria.

Watch out for infections and stuff. Did you see this CNN article? http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/05/01/ep.avoiding.infection/ . Seriously scary stuff, man.

As a (post)hospital book for her, I recommend Lonesome Dove. It has a leg-infection scene that plays a pivotal role in the plot. Maybe a little too pivotal.