The man in the center of the waiting room talked non-stop. He did not seem to care that perhaps not everyone wanted to listen to his preaching. One daughter left the area for a brief moment and when she returned, she had taken stock of the situation. Her solution was that if his audience would not be so enthralled, he might actually shut up. We giggled and settled back into the uncomfortable chairs.
We had been given a device to hold while we waited. It looked like one of those gadgets that some restaurants will give out while waiting for a table. When the table is ready, the device vibrates or blinks red lights, or both.
The waiting room was very large and full of people holding similar devices. The guess was everyone was waiting for someone who was there for the same procedure. Some people stared silently into their phones while others just stared silently. The three of us, two daughters and myself, have a very hard time sitting silently. When the talker in the middle of the room gave out one more 'hallelujah", we nearly ended up in a heap on the floor. Even the lady, who sat across from us, trying to mind her own business, ended up giggling to herself. It was good that the girls where there. Although the procedure was expected to be fine, it was comforting to have their support.
They taught me how to play sudoku, which was a riot in itself. Since I have mastered the easy puzzles and moved on to the next level, I think it is a stupid game. We read, we laughed, like idiots and we squirmed in the uncomfortable chairs. When the gadget lit up and vibrated, I jumped up and announced that the pizza was ready. More laughter. Then I stood there, helplessly looking around for the next move.
Hospital and clinic settings are not much fun and the feeling of being herded like cattle came to mind more than once. It is true the health care industry, key word industry, needs a lot of tweaking. Not to mention the mountains of instructions and descriptions that arrives with insurance and billings. Sometimes it feels like there needs to be an interpreter to put it all into laymen terms.
Someone finally shouts out my last name. I respond and they tell me they will open the door so I can go to the post procedure area. I relay to them that the door is already open, they tell me to go ahead. All this technology and we were yelling back and forth across the large full waiting area.
Only two people were allowed back at one time. The nurse thanked us more than once for being there. I mentioned that the instructions prior to this procedure stated someone had to be in the waiting room, the entire time. She thanked me again for taking the time to read the instructions and then told us that many people leave. How sad.
We found him, my husband, their father, in rare form and all was well. I'd like to share with you some of the post procedure hysterics but, I have to live with him.
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