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Last Wednesday I got a real laugh from Jimmy Chatham's post about Christmas With Louise, so I thought I'd share an experience I had with my father-in-law a few years back. It started with a phone call from my mother-in-law around noon on a Labor Day holiday. " Dick's fallen off a ladder and hurt himself" she said. "Now he's in some real pain, and says that he can't move his arm". This caused me some concern, since my father-in-law was in his mid 70's, and should have never been on a ladder. I told her that I'd be right over to help in whatever way I could
To appreciate the situation, you have to know that my father-in-law is a World War 2 vet and is going deaf.He tends to be somewhat "crotchety" and his speech is markedly louder than others, as is common among those who're losing their hearing. When I get to their place, I look him over and immediately suspect that he's broken his collar bone. I volunteer to drive him down to Emergengy for medical attention....BIG MISTAKE!!
An Emergency ward on a holiday weekend is a sea of human misery, and after checking in, I knew that we were in for a LONG wait. An hour or so later, he was becoming irritable and impatient, and he began voicing his displeasure to all who might listen.Just about then, a younger man in his early 20's appeared at the registration desk. After filling out the required forms, he was told by the Receptionist/Triage Nurse to wait until a Doctor could see him. He took a seat, and immediately the Receptionist came over and said "No, not there," and she led him to an examining bed, instructed him to sit there, and drew the curtain around that bed.
This set my father-in-law off on another rant. "Look at that, he walks in, healthy as a horse, and they give him a bed to wait on. There's people here in pain, bleeding, and maybe dying, but HE gets the service." I try to calm him down, and I'm just beginning to succeed when a doctor with several medical students in tow appears. He goes to the young guy behind the curtain, asks him a few questions, and then summons the medical students to also go behind this curtain.In spite of my father-in-law's ranting and raving, I manage to overhear the conversation going on behind the curtain. "My girlfriend claims that I gave it to her, but I think I got it from her" he's saying. "It itches and burns , and I'm here to get it fixed up" the young guy is saying. The Doctor is showing his Med students whatever this guy has, then tells him that he's going to prescribe a lotion for Pediculosis, and that the guy's girlfriend should also come in or see a Doctor for treatment as well.
My father-in-law turns and asks me " What's wrong with him anyhow...why does he rate getting such service while we all have to wait?" I lean over so that he can hear, and tell him quietly as I can manage; " I think he might have a case of the crabs." " CRABS...CRABS" he shouts, in a voice heard throughout the entire ward. " Good God, where did he sit??? Those things spread like Wildfire. I was in the Army...I Know!" Now everyone is looking with suspicion at the chair they're occupying, and the Doctor and Med students emerge from behind the curtain with grins a mile wide. Apparently, they too had heard his bellowing. Several minutes later, the young guy also emerged. Red-faced, and with downcast eyes, he walked the gauntlet of patients still waiting to be seen, and disappeared as quickly as he could.
-------------------- Ken Henry Henry & Henry Signs London, Ontario Canada (519) 439-1881 e-mail: kjmlhenry@rogers.com
Why do I get all those on-line offers to sell me Viagara, when the only thing hardening is my arteries ?
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Mikey! We were just talking about that today, family friend told us about a guy at work with him in construction got those things, was told to go home put Blue Ointment on em and stay home.....
Guy did so, but insisted on coming to work.....on a hot day.......bottom (oops!) line? Guy had to go to the hospital....seems that stuff REALLY burns if ya get a good sweat goin'!!!
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Heh,heh. Michael. My father-in-law did mention something about "Blue Ointment" during the course of his ranting. I didn't realize then just what he was referring to.
-------------------- Ken Henry Henry & Henry Signs London, Ontario Canada (519) 439-1881 e-mail: kjmlhenry@rogers.com
Why do I get all those on-line offers to sell me Viagara, when the only thing hardening is my arteries ? Posts: 2689 | From: London,Ontario, Canada | Registered: Feb 1999
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