It has been four weeks and three days since I broke my leg and four weeks and one day since it was operated. In some ways it feels like the time has flown by (four weeks have passed already?) but mainly it feels like I have been here forever and the life I lived before is a distant dim memory. Right now I want to be home with my little family so much it hurts! However, I will be spending all day with them tomorrow and all night with them on Monday night, so I am much less entitled to complain than most of my co-patients, many of whom have lost limbs, been in here for longer than me and are not likely to leave as soon.
One of the hardest aspects of staying in a hospital is that there is absolutely no alone time at all. From the moment I wake up until I close my eyes at night, I am in the company of nurses, patients, physios, therapists, people. The nurses constantly check on you. This is good – it’s their job, they’re supposed to make sure you’re okay and still breathing and your pain is manageable, but I have never spent so much time talking about moving my bowels. The last few days I have started escaping to the toilet just for the silence, although I only get 15 minutes silence before a nurse knocks on the door asking if I’m okay! I’m lucky that I have lovely women in my room and the nurses are friendly and competent, so at least the interruptions are well meaning and kind and my antisocial tendencies are accommodated as much as possible. I am basically just a big whiny sook J
To break up the tedium and take my attention away from my self-indulgent complaints, I am instituting a new tradition called Friday Firthday, where I watch something containing the delectable Colin Firth. Last Friday I watched The King’s Speech. Although (taking into account all the interruptions from staff and fellow patients) it took me four hours to watch it from beginning to end, I enjoyed it immensely. Today I’m watching A Single Man. Checking out IMDB I actually own a few of his movies (The English Patient, Pride and Prejudice, Love Actually). I was surprised to see he’s been a few crap movies (What a Girl Wants, anyone?). I’m leaning towards something light for the next one (A Christmas Carol or The Importance of Being Earnest), although Pride and Prejudice is a classic than can never be watched too many times... Does anyone have any recommendations?
ETA: I really enjoyed A Single Man. I thought it was visually spectacular and very reminiscent of Mad Men, which I love. Colin Firth's performance was fantastic and I was interested to see a grown-up Marcus from About a Boy. However, I think it's important to tell anyone before they watch this that the film opens with a dead dog. I wish someone had warned me!
