The Rooms in Unit 53

The Wheels that go Round and Round

It stands to reason (to Nyel and me, anyway) that with only fourteen rooms ‘available’ in Cardiac Care Unit 53 at Legacy Emanuel Hospital, and with eight (or is it nine?) visits here since last January, that the odds of being in the same room twice are pretty good.  Not so, though.  So far, Nyel’s room assignment has always been different.

He’s been directly across from the Nurse’s Station, in rooms to the left and right and on the same side as the Nurse’s Station, at the room closest to the service elevator at the end of the hall (billed as the ‘quietest’ room, but not so) and several betwixt and between.  It all depends upon room availability when he arrives.  Only once (this time) has he had to wait a few hours until a room was ready.

You’d also think that all rooms would be more-or-less the same but that hasn’t proved to be the case.  Sometimes the bathroom is to the left of the hallway door; sometimes to the right.  Sometimes the sink is in one corner; sometimes in another.  And some rooms (like this one) are smaller than others.  The current room is the smallest in Nyel’s experience and he likes it best.  It’s one away from the service elevator so the rattly-bang of service carts, big equipment, and patients being discharged.

Green – go! Red – stop!

Of course, since this room is the next-to-farthest from the nurse’s station, there isn’t the ongoing hustle-bustle of doctors and nurses and other important personages.  As you might expect, I miss that part.  When we leave the door open here, hours go by before we see signs of life out in the hall.  (Well… that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but… close to true).  As you might guess, I like the room directly across from the Nurse’s Station best.

The size of the room, too, is of more interest to me than to Nyel.  There is plenty of room for all of the necessary equipment – bed, bedside table, IV stand, and various monitors, computers, containers, and dispensers attached to the wall.  Amazingly, there is even space for a recliner chair and an armchair, AND for a rollaway cot for me.

Foldup Rollaway Bed

“Roll” is the operable word here.  Almost every piece of furniture that comes in contact with the floor is on wheels.  In order to make more room for ‘hospital business’ during the day, I re-arrange the furniture morning and night to accommodate that rollaway cot.  Thank goodness for the wheels and brakes that make it possible for me – a 115-pound-weakling — to push and shove and get things organized for whichever needs come next.

Of course, I could ask for assistance… But I am ever-mindful that I am here as a special privilege and I want to make my impact on everyone less not more.  Certainly, I don’t want to be told to “roll on out of here” so I try to keep a low profile.  Mostly.

One Response to “The Rooms in Unit 53”

  1. Blog is the fruit of a writer with time on her hands to observe. Loved what you’ve done with the ordinary. Congratulations.

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