Hospital Life

[yorkiegal73]

That's so true about giving cigarettes away! There's always one patient on the ward who constantly cadges fags off the newbies, and there's always someone like me who, after a few days, starts acting like a staff member and tells them off. I'm terrible at minding my own business when I'm poorly.

To the poster who asked what activities we'd like to see on a weekend? More compassion shown to those who don't have visitors, i.e at least one room they can be in where visitors aren't allowed. Nurses who engage with the patients rather than spending the day making bacon butties and reading the newspaper. Ok there are fewer staff at the weekend but there are generally much fewer patients there too, as most go on home leave. It doesn't take much to just spend ten minutes chatting to a patient or watching a tv program with them and it can make all the difference to their day. I was always very wound up by sunday evening after spending two days hiding in the smoke room to avoid other peoples visitors.

[delicate]

Where I am, You keep all your cigs unless you want to give them away. There isn't any buying or selling of them because it doesn't get you anywhere as far as purchasing anything else, you know what I mean?

The staff treats everyone the same and all are very kind. I've been there three times, and all were as comfortable as could be expected.

I'm Amy by the way, hello.

[Jakus]

Hey when i was in hospital it weren't too bad; food was good, staff were friendly. Although i had to be escorted outside and if anyone wanted to do art or music or anything you needed at leats two people wanting to do it and one nurse to watch the two of you so we basically watched tv all day.

[InterruptedHappiness]

When I was in hospital the occupational therapists came looked at us lot n left. All we did was stare into space. sometimes the staff would put little quizs on the white board for us to play but most of usually didn't. There was a tv but the older patients dispised it so turned it off everytime you tried to watch it.The food was good though and some of the staff were nicer thasn others you just knew who to turn to. x

[rebeccaborderline]

the food was (and apparently remains) dreadful in my local psych wards. They seem to think "mentally ill" equals inability to chew food, as everything is mush; tasteless, sloppy mush.

I was also told by one of the nurses that the budget for food, per patient, was lower for the psych wards than anywhere else in the large hospital. Shows how much they value us eh?

rebeccaborderline

[nobody]

I have just been discharged from a section 3 detention, and have been in and out of hospital since September last year...after a month in there, it only took less than 3 weeks on the outside for the flashbacks and horrific memories to drag me back in there again, out of sheer horror that they pinned me down injected me in the arse, just because i wanted to walk past the great miracle doors of the ward for some fresh air (which i wasn't allowed, along with my inhalor as i'm asthmatic).

I have never fealt such complete dispair in all my life as i did on the mental health wards.....bored, frustrated, waiting and praying for death to take me away from the menotiny of daily existence (well it sure wasn't living) in the mental health wards. I tried eating myself happy....ended up being sick a lot, and now weigh more than i've ever done in my life, eating that mushy, high calorie, high carb stodge.

I'm also surprised that no-one has mentioned the infuriating nightly hourly checks they do, banging the doors, switching on the lights every hour (or more frequently) throughout the night, just to check that every-one in the dorm is still alive!!! Yes by the end every fibre in my body was very angry and very much alive after becoming hyper-sensitive to being woken up so often that i couldn't even sleep through the night using PRN and home leave together....i used to love my bed, i didn't go in with a sleep problem, but only marginally scraped coming out with one (or a Temazepan addiction!). I lost it in my final days and ended up storming, swearing and crying at 7am after having less than 5 hrs sleep in 3 days!!!

Yay, i am now free....i really would rather go to prison than be in there ever again.

[carolina]

I loved occupational therapy. I was in the bethlem and we had a kick arse pottery and art department.

I can't say I missed the food, even after 6 months I still detested it. Apart from the quiche, I love hospital quiche.

I also like their blankets and towels, I've stolen loads. I also took a cool lamp and an ashtray.

I've been in other hospitals where its been fucking awful, but I was just really unwell and even if they served cheesecake everyday and gave us Wii's to play with i'd still hate it. At least last time round I was more or less functioning and able to participate in OT stuff.