Nighttime visitor 😱😂

December 2015-March 2016 🇵🇱 GCR Repty

Every time we think or talk about this now, we laugh so hard 😂🙉, especially when my dad does all the impressions. I’m going to try to paint a picture, so you can understand the situation better 👇

When I was a patient of GCR Repty Rehabilitation Centre 🇵🇱 from December 2015 until March 2016, I had my own private room, as mentioned before. There was a little side extension to the main ward that had a bathroom, a room for two patients and my (only) Private room all separated with walls and there was also a small corridor leading to all these rooms. My room was very small, square shaped. As you entered there was a window in front, my bed to the right, a table and chair to the left. That’s all really..just a small wardrobe in front of my bed with a TV just above it. And of course that stupid tv meter machine hanging on the wall 🤦🏻‍♀️🙄, but I never had to worry about this again 😂💥🧨💣🔪🤫🤫🤫 (Why? If you haven’t read my previous posts it’s explained in the one called “Christmas in hospital”).

Every night, before falling asleep my dad would reposition me onto my right side, so I was facing the room and the door. He would always leave them half open, so I could see the main corridor. He would turn the lights off, as he was leaving, because I always slept with lights off (couldn’t otherwise 🤷🏻‍♀️). Just a quick reminder that I was still locked in 🔒😶, so when I needed help (usually to be repositioned) I would wait with my eyes wide opened 👀 👂🏼and listen out for any sound of a nurse walking down the main corridor. The main corridor was separated by that little side room corridor, and the main ward corridor had dimmed light, so I was able to see everything. I remember always looking multiple times which nurse was on the night shift, passing by my room, before I made that sound to alert her 🚨. I wanted to make sure it was the nice nurse, because there was one nurse specifically that I didn’t want near me after what happened one night🙈🙄.

🦋 Tough times don’t last, but tough people do… 🦋

One night I was “calling” for help, I still couldn’t talk or press the call bell👀🤦🏻‍♀️. I was in pain, so needed to be repositioned and also needed help to have my legs straightened . She came in pissed off 😠, because I obviously woke her (from her lovely sleep during her night shift🙄). But anyway, she comes in, switches on the light and shouts at me “what?!”, I look down at my legs, and because my legs had so much tone and spasticity , they needed a specific method to get straightened plus time. She gave it a second trying and then asked me in a very angry tone: “do you not want to straighten them?!”-and then pressed hard on my knees forcing them to straighten😖. Switched off the light and left…the next morning I couldn’t help it but cried my eyes out to my dad😢😭 and spelled what has happened via the letter board. Only when I calmed down I was able to blink my eyes with control, because I sobbed with despair like never before. I’m sure she didn’t think I would communicate this to him the next day, never mind writing about it years later on my blog…🤷🏻‍♀️💁🏻‍♀️ Anyway we reported her and she came and apologised to me. From this day on she was always extremely nice to me🙄. Today I’m sending her 💕, I forgive, but I never forget…

Anyway back to my night time visitor, because that’s a funny story. I’ve drifted off, but at least I’ll end positively again, and give you a laugh. 😜😂 Ready?!

So for the 3-4 months that I was a patient there, nearly every night without a fail I was visited 🙉. I remember opening my eyes 👀 and there would be this old guy, sitting on the chair in my room 🙉🤣😅👨‍🦳. Funny when I look back now, but I was quite freaked out back then. Imagine a young girl laying in bed, unable to talk, unable to press a bell, and I obviously didn’t want to make any sound 👀👀👀🤫. He would just sit there for a very short period of time and leave. What was happening, was that he was actually my neighbour, a patient in that double room beside mine, separated by only a wall. When he was going to the toilet, on the way back he would always get lost and entered my room instead of his. He must have been confused, because sitting on that chair every time he looked as if he was thinking: “why is there someone in my bed?!” 🤔😅😂 I’m pretty sure he had some kind of memory problems. Well he was definitely in his 70s or 80s, like most patients there. I think I was probably the youngest there. I remember there was just one guy a little older than me in the same ward. There was a few more younger patients, but in a different (spinal injury) ward.

🦋 A meaningful life is not being rich, popular, being highly educated, or being perfect. It’s about being real, being humble, being able to share ourselves and touch the lives of others. 🦋