Hello from the Emerald Isle. The Irish know that a day has 24 hours because a case of beer has 24
beers. or is it the other way round? Can's say enough about our tour guide, a sit down comedian whose diction and dialect are wearing off on me, We've seen some of the most amazing castles, monasteries and cathedrals, and we've learned so much. The ancient conquerers often enough abandoned any plans of conquest because there wasn't a tree tall enough to hang a man, a river deep enough to drown a man or any dirt deep enough to bury a man. But still the Celts came and then the Vikings hordes leaving a lasting impression on the Irish psyche.
After a horrible flight experience we were driven around Dublin until our ankles up and our bellies growled. Finally at eventide we were deposited at Dunboyne Castle for a terrific dinner and a luxurious suite.. even bath robes were included. There was a spa but we were so tired any thought beyond going to sleep was impossible. Our tour of Dublin had included a visit to Phoenix Park, Grafton Street and St.Patrick's Cathedral. The day tired us no end but all the suffering was worth it.
Things got better and better on our third day at Clonmacnoise an early Christian site founded by St.Ciaran in the 6th century on the banks of the Shannon River. It was humbling to walk among the graves of people dead for millenia.. Later that day one of anita's bucket list dreams came true when we visited an active sheep farm, Rathbaum Farm, drank tea and visited a thatched cottage. things got better and better as the farm hand sheared a sheep and I fed a lamb. So the thatched cottage item is off the bucket list. Again we were spirited off to see the wondrous Irish scenery only to end up in Galway at the Raddison Blue, which after the Dunboyne Castle was a bit of a step down. The food has been good but at twelve-thirty last night the fire alarm went off, sending me off to a night of frequent bathroom visits. Anita also woke but in true Anita form went back to sleep.
If today is Thursday, which I'm not certain it is,I'll stop for sleep.It stays light until after 11 so we draw the blinds and collapse. Over and out.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Sunday, March 8, 2015
March 8, 2015
Reader. Stay out of hospitals. I had the recent misfortune of spending two night and three days in a hospital. The hospital stay itself was a torture to be endurd, I am become a breathing cadaver. Probed, poked, hooked to IV, strapped to a rhina nose tag.. that is tube inserted down the throat into the stomach, I was left to wait for a hospital room. Yikes here is an observation. From the moment the doctor told the nurse those initials I knew what I was going to experiecne. The doctor said RN and I knew it was going to be a nose tag, I was strapped to a table, how could I escape, there were two cops in the space next to me. I knew that I wouild be cornered and have a tube run down my throat and into my stomach. The sweet young woman who was going to inflict this on me said, "You're not going to like me as much when I do what I have to do to you," . I said it was ok and I understood. So she explained it to me ,measured off the amout of tubing, and began fishing it down my nostril, Not a way to describe it.. not horrific pain, endurable but unpleasant and uncomfortable.
So there I sat, or tried to because my body kept me hopping back and forth to the bathroom. Another endurance test, diarrhea with catheters, diarrhea with a nose tag, an IV bag and another tube to help the stomach pump. I felt like Frankenstein when he was captured.
I couldn't move one way or the next. The ancients captured wild beasts for later spectacle use in this manner. Most peoples have devised this manner of capturing in a net as a safe, efficient way to hunt for a small village. The same holds true for fishing.
But of the stay and its ups and downs...See me getting up to go and then trying to lie down with covers. Or, witness me walking the halls, medical equipment hung on a pole with wheels. Imagine me roaming the hall, thirsty, hungry, dirty in a word: miserable. The surgical gown was too large and I didn't have it tied in back, The pajama bottoms were too long, extra large, in fact. So look at me, beard a mess, hair a greasy mess, clothes rolled up to keep the pajama bottoms from falling down to the floor. Ah yes, the very glass of fashion!
A second long night ticks on, and on, and on never stopping. The thought, the hope, the desire for something to eat or drink. Jello, sherbert, tea, cinammon toast with butter. Anything, a glass of water. But no. MY stomach has to be completely empty before I can put food into it and then light foods for days. I go to the bathroom, find a tube of tooth paste, put the paste on my finger and rubbed my teeth and gums, I rinse my mouth but do not drink. Anything I eat or drink will delay my recovery and discharge, Go Spartan, Lem, be tough.
I held out but didn't sleep; by daylight I was exhausted. The snow which troubled me so the night before was over and clean up well on its way to opening roads, parking lots and such. It is daylight and the great storm was done with a mangeable 6 inches. The storm has looked ferocious, I was sick in the hospital, strapped to several machines and Anita was home alone with a broken smoke detector.
I was worried almost fearful for her safety because I thought this was going to be a monster storm with nearly 2 feet of snow. I was worried I might be in the hospital for days and fearful for Anita. There wasn't much else on my mind. In this distressed state and tired of being strapped to machines, I had the idea of unhooking myself and walking home. I didn't know my clothes were in a closet I could access or I may have done it. But as it was my defective thought process, were checked by the enormity of the deed and the likelihood I might die or be killed. I was going to try to walk home in a snow storm wearing a surgical gown, extra large pj bottoms and no shoes,
How far would I have gotten? Break of crazy thought. Wait.. it's a matter of 12 hours and things will begin to get better and you may even get fed and ot discharged! Yeah...Who told you the Inquisition was over? Spend a night in a hospital undergoing tests to see if surgery is necessary. Walking ten or twelve miles is way beyond me now, Even at my best I never approached that level. Perhaps I'd walk 3-4 miles a day, At times it was a form of meditation, meditation through deep breathing exercises attached to steps or strides, Wonderful to be out there walking, totally locked into walking, breathing but reaching extreme lmits of holding my breath, Long ago.
Sunday morning in the hospital, dirty, stinky, ready to go, yearning for coffee. Anita arrives mid to late morning. I make an ass of myself by calling my barber for an appointment this next day. She's shocked and I am aware I breached a rule not to call this barber ever but I may be getting out of here today and I need a hair cut tomorrow and I'm sorry to bother you on Sunday but if I wait until Monday morning she will have a full schedule. But I got the appointment and the hair cut. In short I got out of there as soon as possible, But not before food began arriving. Beef broth of sort at noon, potato soup at two, tomato soup at four and at six pork, gravy, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. Now sauerkraut ain't never really good but I eat it on Thanksgiving and that's about it. Years ago when my stomach was younger I put sauerkraut and onions on a hot dog, truly did. Once I could eat corned beef, I sent the supper back untouched and was out of there within an hour. Anybody got insomnia? Spend a night or two in a hospital. When you get back home you'll sleep. Trust me on that.
Tonight is already here. Thanks for reading if you did.
Steve
So there I sat, or tried to because my body kept me hopping back and forth to the bathroom. Another endurance test, diarrhea with catheters, diarrhea with a nose tag, an IV bag and another tube to help the stomach pump. I felt like Frankenstein when he was captured.
I couldn't move one way or the next. The ancients captured wild beasts for later spectacle use in this manner. Most peoples have devised this manner of capturing in a net as a safe, efficient way to hunt for a small village. The same holds true for fishing.
But of the stay and its ups and downs...See me getting up to go and then trying to lie down with covers. Or, witness me walking the halls, medical equipment hung on a pole with wheels. Imagine me roaming the hall, thirsty, hungry, dirty in a word: miserable. The surgical gown was too large and I didn't have it tied in back, The pajama bottoms were too long, extra large, in fact. So look at me, beard a mess, hair a greasy mess, clothes rolled up to keep the pajama bottoms from falling down to the floor. Ah yes, the very glass of fashion!
A second long night ticks on, and on, and on never stopping. The thought, the hope, the desire for something to eat or drink. Jello, sherbert, tea, cinammon toast with butter. Anything, a glass of water. But no. MY stomach has to be completely empty before I can put food into it and then light foods for days. I go to the bathroom, find a tube of tooth paste, put the paste on my finger and rubbed my teeth and gums, I rinse my mouth but do not drink. Anything I eat or drink will delay my recovery and discharge, Go Spartan, Lem, be tough.
I held out but didn't sleep; by daylight I was exhausted. The snow which troubled me so the night before was over and clean up well on its way to opening roads, parking lots and such. It is daylight and the great storm was done with a mangeable 6 inches. The storm has looked ferocious, I was sick in the hospital, strapped to several machines and Anita was home alone with a broken smoke detector.
I was worried almost fearful for her safety because I thought this was going to be a monster storm with nearly 2 feet of snow. I was worried I might be in the hospital for days and fearful for Anita. There wasn't much else on my mind. In this distressed state and tired of being strapped to machines, I had the idea of unhooking myself and walking home. I didn't know my clothes were in a closet I could access or I may have done it. But as it was my defective thought process, were checked by the enormity of the deed and the likelihood I might die or be killed. I was going to try to walk home in a snow storm wearing a surgical gown, extra large pj bottoms and no shoes,
How far would I have gotten? Break of crazy thought. Wait.. it's a matter of 12 hours and things will begin to get better and you may even get fed and ot discharged! Yeah...Who told you the Inquisition was over? Spend a night in a hospital undergoing tests to see if surgery is necessary. Walking ten or twelve miles is way beyond me now, Even at my best I never approached that level. Perhaps I'd walk 3-4 miles a day, At times it was a form of meditation, meditation through deep breathing exercises attached to steps or strides, Wonderful to be out there walking, totally locked into walking, breathing but reaching extreme lmits of holding my breath, Long ago.
Sunday morning in the hospital, dirty, stinky, ready to go, yearning for coffee. Anita arrives mid to late morning. I make an ass of myself by calling my barber for an appointment this next day. She's shocked and I am aware I breached a rule not to call this barber ever but I may be getting out of here today and I need a hair cut tomorrow and I'm sorry to bother you on Sunday but if I wait until Monday morning she will have a full schedule. But I got the appointment and the hair cut. In short I got out of there as soon as possible, But not before food began arriving. Beef broth of sort at noon, potato soup at two, tomato soup at four and at six pork, gravy, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. Now sauerkraut ain't never really good but I eat it on Thanksgiving and that's about it. Years ago when my stomach was younger I put sauerkraut and onions on a hot dog, truly did. Once I could eat corned beef, I sent the supper back untouched and was out of there within an hour. Anybody got insomnia? Spend a night or two in a hospital. When you get back home you'll sleep. Trust me on that.
Tonight is already here. Thanks for reading if you did.
Steve
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