Lady Windemere Does Denver

I have been here in Denver at National Jewish Medical and Research Center for one week. There is not much to write about hospitals that is particularly funny. I have noticed there are a lot of sick people here--much sicker than I am. Seeing the sick children is the hardest part. People in hospitals don't look very healthy and for someone who is slightly germaphobe it can be a tad stressful. I'm getting quite proficient at pushing all elevator buttons with my elbows and pulling down sleeves to act as gloves if any doors need touching.

I have noticed another thing about hospitals: they are hotbeds of drugs!!! I found myself joking with another grandmother in the elevator about stopping the car between floors and comparing the "loot" we'd gotten and seeing if we wanted to do any trading! And we are the grandmothers! Can you imagine the sick teenager wards?? And the doctors push the pills harder than any starving grad student from the 60ies ever did!

Unfortunately I have yet to have one fun pill. Mine are real dogs and are totally spoiling the trip to NJH. This place is amazing though. There is such beautiful and varied original artwork on every wall--all donated. I try and stop and admire each unique object if I think the immediate area is relatively germ-free for the moment.

The oddest thing that has happened is the snow! On the First of May--MAY DAY--there was real snow coming down. Big flakes--big, big flakes of snow--just like I'm used to seeing on the news. It was groovy. But like man, what a bummer--I had to be in lockdown on the adult day unit ward. Bad trip.

Why the slip into hippie lingo? Because everyday they have me do some kind of therapy that involves inhaling. Now people of my generation generally don't have a lot of trouble catching on to inhalation therapy. "Take a deep breath, hold it for as long as you can, and exhale" is familiar territory. The inhalation therapist looked a bit startled when I passed him the bong, I mean nebulizer, but it was just old courtesy habits. He also seemed puzzled when after an hour of inhaling and holding I asked if he had any munchies around the lab. Oh dear--this younger generation has not been told many things by their parental units.

One week down, one week to go. I admire the people who work in places like this. It takes a certain kind of heart to be so nice to people who are sick and worried. (I, of course, deny being sick at all!) But they do have the ability to be cheerful. My thanks to Rain who had the good grace to laugh at a grandmother of 4 doing her John Travolta imitation of "Stayin' Alive" after inhaling on the salt bong for half an hour. God bless you all!