- Toe Antenna
It’s not every night that I get to sleep with a man who has an antenna sticking out of his toe. But, sure enough, yesterday after his toe surgery, Nyel was sporting a wire pin that came out of the end of his toe, turned skyward, and was topped by a little white ball. If he could only get the settings right, we think he could tune into KMUN!
Since his surgeon is an Astoria man, Nyel’s hospital experience was at Columbia Memorial this time. It has been only eight months since his knee replacement at Ocean Beach Hospital in Ilwaco so, of course, we couldn’t help but compare the two facilities. Ocean Beach wins!
It may be one of those “bigger is not necessarily better” things. There was a lot of hurry-up-and-wait, probably not unexpected in any hospital, but in point of fact yesterday we waited in a tiny room for an hour beyond the time for his scheduled surgery. Without explanation. It wasn’t like that in Ilwaco. And, while the nurses were pleasant and efficient, they were not particularly hospitable.
In the six hours I was there, I was never offered so much as a cup of coffee. After the surgery, while Nyel was waiting to be released, they did ask him if he’d like a turkey sandwich (no choice) and some juice. They did not ask me. That was SO not the way we were treated at Ocean Beach. Plus, the sandwich (which Nyel surreptitiously shared) was icy cold and I’m sure had come out of a sandwich machine. No Basement Bistro there with delicious made-to-order sandwiches and wraps.
There are things to be said for small. I’ve always known that. When I was in high school and ran for a student body office, my slogan was “Good Things Come in Little Packages.” (Well, in addition to being small, my last name was Little…) We know that Ocean Beach Hospital probably has its limitations. Who doesn’t? But, the staff is welcoming, and visitors, as well as patients, are treated with concern. And the food is plentiful and delicious. That goes a long way to make even a short hospital stay a positive one.
Now, if we could only get a signal from that toe antenna…
Hi Sydney,
I am the Speech Pathologist at Ocean Beach Hospital. I genuinely appreciate your honest review of our hospital. When I lived in California I worked at several large hospitals. I must say, for kind, compassionate care in an expedient but comprehensive manner, OBH beats those large hospitals hands down! Our kitchen staff is also one of the best and is always making adjustments to improve food service. Maybe it is because there is continuity of staff, or because the people we treat are our neighbors, friends or “company” from other places. Whatever the reason, it does work! In these days of depressed economy where everyone seems to complain it is very nice to receive a compliment. May I print and share your story with Joe D., our CEO at OBH? Thanks, Jane
Jane, thanks so much for your comment. Yes, by all means share my comments with anyone you like at Ocean Beach Hospital!
Even if you were able to pick up a broadcast from Nyel’s toe, you wouldn’t comprehend unless you speak tarsal-tongue.
I could not agree more, I just had my foot/ankle surgery at OBH last month and was impressed beyond belief in the quality of care and attention I received! I had been a staunch believer in the “unless you think you’ll die before you get there, go somewhere else” theory based on an experience about 15 years ago. That hospital is so different these days! Heck the March of Dimes even one of gave it’s “Nurse of the Year” awards to one of the nurses there (oncology nurse Jami Greenfield, woot woot!)
Yikes, that picture is something, I am glad my 2 plates and 12 screws are tucked away where I can’t see them!
I promise I am not saying this because my sister and daughter work there either, lol 🙂
I will admit that my mother thinks the food at OBH is wonderful and not meaning to be Scrooge here, but we’ve had a mix of experience at OBH, not all of them good. It’s like a roulette wheel in the emergency room where I’ve had to defy a doctor who claimed that a cousin, who was in obvious agony, was NOT crazy, only to be proved correct when he finally ordered an MRI and discovered an inflammed bowl. To get my aunt admitted my cousin has had to abandon her mother at the hospital. She did eventually get an apology from the ER physician, but what an ordeal for mother and daughter! Prescription medication has mysteriously disappeared from my cousin’s purse in the ER. My husband has had to literally pound his fist on a desk to get an IV for my mother so I didn’t have to stay ’round the clock trying to get liquid into an obviously dehydrated eight-five year old. I’m sorry, but our experiences with the medical community on the Peninsula has become a great concern to us when deciding if it is where we want to spend our dotage. And now you tell me that Columbia Memorial is worse!
To clarify — CMH was wonderful as far as the patient was concerned. It was just me who was ‘invisible’ with regard to being offered any kind of sustenance after many hours of waiting and worrying. And, I thought it distinctly odd that there was no coffee (or anything else) available in the waiting room as has been my experience in other hospitals. As for Ocean Beach Hospital (also with my then 90+ year old mom) — I, too, have had unfortunate experiences with the ER there, but that was a number of years ago and, I think, related mostly to one particular doctor. In recent years, our experiences have been super, even in the ER.
By the way, WHY does Nyel have an antenna??
He had surgery on a toe that involved breaking the toe, straightening it, and holding it in place with two pins, both of which will be removed in three weeks. Meanwhile, one pin sticks out at the end of the toe and has a ball at the end (the antenna), and the other one sticks up somewhere else — maybe in the middle of the toe? We can’t see that one as he is swathed in bandages. He also had some work done on the bottom of his foot on the metatarsal joint.