HOSPITAL-ITY

Growing up hospitals were always scary to me. I’ve always seen them as a building that was dark, dreary, cold, and smelly. You see, I looked at hospitals like a mechanic shop. Your car seems to run smoothly, however when you take it to the mechanic for a simple checkup, the mechanic finds a plethora of other things wrong with the car.

Hospitals give me the creeps

I can remember my grandad falling ill from colon cancer, entering the hospital, and never returning home. I watched him take his last breath in the hospital. My dad had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. My best friend was rushed to the hospital and had to have emergency surgery on her uterus. Another friend fell ill, went to the emergency room to find out that he had pneumonia and only fifteen percent of his heart was working.

I, myself, severed my Achilles tendon at work and had to have an emergency surgery the following day. As you can see, hospitals have always given me the creeps.

In the hospital more than ever

My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After my dad’s diagnosis, I found myself at the one place that terrified me the most: the hospital. As my dad battled prostate cancer, I found myself at the hospital more than I ever had in my entire life.

The hospital became the place that I leaned on the most. It was the place I needed to get my dad to so that he could have the help that he needed. My dad was hospitalized quite often. From blood clots to kidney failure, to a collapsed lung, he was there fighting for his life.

On most occasions, when my dad had to be hospitalized, he would be in the intensive care unit (ICU). The intensive care unit was an area of the hospital where patients who are dangerously ill are to undergo constant observation. Due to my dad’s cancer diagnosis, everything he underwent was serious. Everything was a domino effect from the spreading of his prostate cancer.

People became like family

The ICU became more like a family. I was there so much that my dad’s nurses knew me by name. Many nights I would spend the night at the hospital. Other families that had loved ones in ICU were more than a cordial hello. Even under unfortunate circumstances, it felt good to know that I was not alone.

The intensive care unit was even more scary than the actual hospital, however I felt like my dad was getting the premium care. The best of the best. Nurses came by what seemed to be every five or ten minutes to check vital signs. The doctors were even more present than they were outside of ICU.

With every hour and day that my dad had to be in ICU, the scarier it got. Each visit from a doctor had me on pins and needles. Regardless of my apprehension and fear of hospitals, I knew my dad was in the best place to get the help he needed to get better.

A lifeline

All in all, our perspective toward situations and places can manifest thoughts that can hinder what is transpiring. The hospital is not the enemy. It is a place where the health experts dwell. The place where a camaraderie forms among strangers. That does not mean to stop doing your own research. It simply means they have been trained to oversee most of the things we go through as it pertains to our health.

Hospitals can, in fact, be a lifeline for you and your loved one. They can give you access to resources, questions, and other specialists. Change your perspective lens so that you can have 20/20 vision.