Attention Seekers

Hospitals are funny places.  If you sit in A&E at this time of year it is like being in a sitcom.  If there had been any signal on my mobile I would have posted a suggestion on facebook that this afternoon would have been a good time to visit.  No point leaving it until Christmas Eve for the drunken fight that might need stitches - much better to go while it was quiet.

There was only one couple there but the sign announced waiting time to be 1 hour 45 minutes and the receptionist couldn't look up from her computer for 3 minutes.  My mum and I had followed the ambulance that had brought my dad.  He has been a lifelong attention seeker, having had his first heart attack at 42.  Despite this, he probably does more, with greater enthusiasm than anyone I've ever met. A spot of angina, lasting longer than normal, following running up the path to talk to the postlady and give her a Christmas card needed to be checked out.  The receptionist told us that the computer said he was still in the ambulance bay and we would have to wait 10minutes.  "Will you let us know when?" was answered with a non-committal grunt.  After 20 minutes we thought we should ask again.  This time computer said 'yes'

The same questions were asked by at least 7 different people.  As a Lifelong Attention Seeker he was used to it.  I wanted to shout, "How did you get through 5 years of medical school if you can't read the notes?"
Nurses wandered in to write the numbers from the beepy machine on a chart and stick a thermometer in the ear.  Often they did this without a single word.  Call me old fashioned but I do think it would be polite to at least say hello before you prod something into someone's ear!

I am a little concerned about Christmas this year because Santa was wheeled in to the next door room and he didn't sound good.

As we left a child called my name.  I'm ashamed to say that I didn't look up because I really didn't want to see a child I teach in the waiting room with a saucepan stuck on their head.  I just hope Santa arrived in an ambulance and not through the waiting room.  I wouldn't want the children who had stuck their heads in saucepans to worry.