My Staycation in Anchorage, Part 9, "Hello? Grub Hub."

“Hello?   Grub Hub?”

 

Mounted on the wall near the foot of my hospital bed was a medium-sized dry-erase board.  On it was written the date, name of the nurse on duty, the diet I’m allowed (“full liquid”), and at the bottom is the number of the hospital extension where I could order food.  

I was only mildly concerned about my cup of missing meds that a nurse had given me an hour before, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to be deprived of them for long and I would need something to help with swallowing them.

I dialed the phone number and someone answered.

“Hello,”   I said.   “Is this Providence Grub Hub?”   (Grub Hub is a business that picks up and delivers take-out food.)

A long silence and then a voice full of laughter said, “Why, it sure is.   Would you like to place an order?”

“Yes, I’ll start with a thick rib eye steak, cooked rare…….  No, scratch that.   I’m on a full liquid diet.   I would like chicken broth and some cranberry juice.”

“You got it.   Forty-five minutes.”  I never again ordered food, but two containers of Ensure arrived three times daily.   The dietician, explained the nurse.

When a nurse came in, I mentioned the missing meds.   “We are bound by rules and can only leave them out for so long,” she explained.   “I’ll get you some new ones. “  

That left me pondering what they did with the meds they confiscated.   Do they dispose of them?   What a waste.

I told her I was sorry I’d not taken them but I was trying to get some sleep while it was quiet, indicated my roommate with a slight nod of my head in that direction.   She replied that she understood and was sorry.  

“No, problem,” I whispered.   “She’s pretty frightened and disoriented.”

Later that afternoon, Diane said she was going to get me some broth.   “Get it from the ER,” I said.  “It’s much better than the broth from the cafeteria.”   That morning broth that I'd ordered was barely lukewarm, and the granules weren’t even dissolved.

Obviously, I didn’t have my wits about me because she returned with a large container of won-ton soup, minus the won-tons, from a Chinese restaurant.  She had me up and walking around the ward and past a pleasant seating area in an atrium.

When I was ready for the Chinese broth, I suggested we go to that seating area.   I got my broth and she had her Chinese take-out and we sat in the atrium area for a nice meal.

On the way back to my room and bed, we passed the nurses’ station and I told them we’d been out to dinner.   I am not sure they understood as the nurse had a momentary look of concern on her face.

Getting out of bed was becoming easier and easier. Though still being careful to not tear any internal stitches,  I seldom needed help.  Once in a while, I’d get myself into a position that required too many abdominal muscles to sit up.   That’s when I asked for help.

Hey, if you can't have a bit of fun in a hospital, well....   Fun is where you find it.