Love Letter 6 – Patients

Love Letter 6 – Patients

The inside calm is a welcome change to the whirling pressures outside. The eagle’s eye reflects a protective gaze from its hanging canvas home, upon the sundial mirror while the flames of the fireplace heat the tips of my outstretched toes as I slip comfortably into the wee hours of 1960 in the company of Mom’s Love Letter 6:

Apt #102 2331 Blake St
Berkeley, California
Sept 12/60 1:15 A.M.

Hi honey!
I love you so very much as always dear!
Hope that you’re not as lonely as I at this time, but being 2 AM in the morning in Winnipeg am sure you’re sleeping well.
You should have a private room here dear and I could really bother you, but being on duty and being professional couldn’t carry on too much – ha!
For the past 2 nites at work have been kept busy and w/ only 11 patients – so of course honey you must get a small outline of my patients since I can’t talk over the daily tasks as I did each evening when we’re out-
1) Have 2 fellows 36 & 40 who truly feel sorry for themselves so inevitably fight all medications I give them saying it won’t help them anyway – rather sissies, but they settle down fairly well after a short chat.
2) My prize – 87 yrs. old and hates the nite – takes his clothes off 6 – 8 times during the nite and thrashes all over the place – so have him heavily sedated and in restraints.
3)  Two coronaries (heart attacks) who are fairly sick.
One fellow put into an O2 tent to-nite – am w/ him fairly steadily.
4) Next man 46 (full of Ca) and had a nitrogen mustard treatment to-day – very apprehensive following and is now very heavily sedated so he can get some rest.
5) Next fellow 89 yrs. old – getting well following an auto accident and surge of carbuncles (multi boils) and likes company. Has his light on at least 12 times during the nite – lovely lil man who is just too friendly – 89 or not – (one time was a Broadway star of course has to tell you all these stories constantly).
6) 70 – year old lady – she is good if you can believe it – diabetic.
7) Two dandies – females – over 74 years old who tells you her life story every time you venture into her room and the other one just a “ball of nerves” – who talks incessantly and tells you all her life problems.
8) One other fellow 35 – w/ back injury – there you are honey – they’re all harmless – they never sleep tho’.

The spirited and seemingly nocturnal inhabitants occupying the beds of the Alta Bates Community Hospital certainly keep Mom on her feet. Ha, she’d have to have her wits about her with the likes of rambunctious naked fellows and ‘chatty Cathy(s)’ – undoubtedly, she’s a welcome sight at all her patients’ bedsides!