January 7, 2010
Mike has been waiting for months to resolve his vision problems. First he had laser surgery on one eye, then the other, then he had to wait for the official eyeglass fitting. Apparently there was some insurance payment mixup, because the process just kept going on and on and on.
When I got to his room tonight, he had big news. "I finally got in for my fitting," he said. He had told them he’d pay for the glasses himself (though they won’t let him) because he had a stack of books he was waiting to dive into.
"It’s about time," I said. "When do you get the glasses?"
"Four to six weeks," he said. You kind of had to laugh.
There was a different mood in the Bingo room tonight. I don’t know why, and I don’t know where it came from, but it felt
a lot like tension. At one point I actually thought maybe we were about to have an earthquake, and everybody was on edge waiting for the floor to rumble.
Ray told me he is scheduled for surgery to update his aging replacement knee. He was in pain. As I was talking to Mike, I heard someone behind me mutter something about "those assholes," a phrase (and sentiment) I don’t normally hear. A nonregular Bingo guy game in reeking so completely of smoke, it made my eyes itch. Mary barked at me when I went to confirm someone else’s Bingo before hers.
Just little things, but noticeable all in the same room.
And then I walked up to confirm David’s Bingo. You can’t sneak up on David – well, you can, but I mean, you shouldn’t, because it startles him, and he’ll bark. So I approached from his "good" hearing side, tapped him on the shoulder to let him know I was there, and reached for his Bingo card.
I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him yet.
"Well, hel-lo, Sunshine!" he hollered. And all of a sudden, everything in that off-kilter room brightened right up.
Mike has been waiting for months to resolve his vision problems. First he had laser surgery on one eye, then the other, then he had to wait for the official eyeglass fitting. Apparently there was some insurance payment mixup, because the process just kept going on and on and on.
When I got to his room tonight, he had big news. "I finally got in for my fitting," he said. He had told them he’d pay for the glasses himself (though they won’t let him) because he had a stack of books he was waiting to dive into.
"It’s about time," I said. "When do you get the glasses?"
"Four to six weeks," he said. You kind of had to laugh.
There was a different mood in the Bingo room tonight. I don’t know why, and I don’t know where it came from, but it felt
a lot like tension. At one point I actually thought maybe we were about to have an earthquake, and everybody was on edge waiting for the floor to rumble.
Ray told me he is scheduled for surgery to update his aging replacement knee. He was in pain. As I was talking to Mike, I heard someone behind me mutter something about "those assholes," a phrase (and sentiment) I don’t normally hear. A nonregular Bingo guy game in reeking so completely of smoke, it made my eyes itch. Mary barked at me when I went to confirm someone else’s Bingo before hers.
Just little things, but noticeable all in the same room.
And then I walked up to confirm David’s Bingo. You can’t sneak up on David – well, you can, but I mean, you shouldn’t, because it startles him, and he’ll bark. So I approached from his "good" hearing side, tapped him on the shoulder to let him know I was there, and reached for his Bingo card.
I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him yet.
"Well, hel-lo, Sunshine!" he hollered. And all of a sudden, everything in that off-kilter room brightened right up.
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