MIA

Sorry to be MIA for a bit. My gf had a routine 'procedure' done on Monday that led to emergency surgery and the ICU for a few days. She's in stable condition now and getting a little better every day, but that's been my life for the past week. Hospital, more hospital, home to feed the cats and collapse into bed. I've gained three pounds through the wonders of hospital food* and eating only things like M&Ms and potato chips from vending machines. Also, how sad is it that I actually know that? (I weighed this morning.)

*The more time I spend in hospitals the more I notice how unhealthy the places are. They're noisy and uncomfortable and in some cases disturbingly unhygenic, but more than that, the food they serve has no nutritional value! White rolls and butter, sugary Jell-O, vegetables that haven't seen a vitamin since the Cold War, gravy on all the meat. I mean, for heaven's sake, am I the only one who thinks a hospital should be concerned on some level with actual HEALTH? Apparently so.

They put A. on "clear liquids" yesterday (after 6 days with nothing but IV fluids) and they brought her a tray containing: a lemon-ice popsicle, iced tea with sugar, cranberry-grape juice cocktail (ie: not even real juice), apple juice, and chicken broth. I sent it all back except the apple juice, which I mixed with water and let her sip on. Apparently today they're going to let her eat real food, but I've already told her nurse that she can have only things like apple sauce and yogurt or mashed banana or something else that has a vitamin in it.

Sorry for the rant, but it just blows my mind!