Shhhhh Quiet Zone

Saturday afternoon, as I was being dismissed from the hospital in Tegucigalpa, Matt was being admitted to a hospital in Ojojona.  Matt and Nicole had worked the morning shift at Casa.  Matt had a bad place on his leg, that he thought was a bug bite.  Because he thought it was only a bug bite, they stopped at the local hospital.  They thought some ointment and pills would be prescribed and they would be on their way.  Upon discovering it was not a bug bite, but a staph infection, he was admitted immediately.  Had he known was awaiting him, they might have driven to the city and found another hospital.

I don't think there is anything wrong with this hospital.  We have taken the kids there for stitches, blood tests, pee tests, general exams, etc.  But, they are very, and I mean very, strict.  There are signs posted on the street on both sides of the hospital that you are in a quiet zone.  We usually have to park across the street.  Can't get those noisy cars too close to the quiet zone.  Our cell phones are taken from us before we can enter the hospital.  One night I took a neighbor who was having pain to that hospital.  Two other people were with me.  After our phones were taken from us, they said only two people besides the patient could come in.  We told them it was not an option for one of us to stand outside alone in the middle of the night.  They let us in.  We really were being quite.  We were just visiting as you do when you wait.  We were speaking in whispers and sometimes could not even hear each other.  We were told several times we were being too loud.

Well, poor Matt has been admitted to the quiet zone.  Of course, there is no tv in the room.  No cell phone.  He had his ipod in his pocket that no one had seen.  He got caught more than once using this contraband. 

Visiting hours are from 3:00-5:00 everyday.  And then only one person at a time.  No exceptions allowed on times of visit or number of people.  Nicole went to visit Sunday afternoon.  She was there at 3:00.  Haley had just gone to sleep and we thought surely she would sleep the whole time Nicole was gone.  We, of course, were wrong.  Haley got up a little before 4:00 and there really wasn't anything I could do.  Just a few minutes later, my phone rang.  The number showed Matt Fitzgerald.  My daughter, who has pretty much followed the rules her whole life, had to sneak a phone into the hospital and then sneak into the bathroom to use it.  It still hurts to laugh, but the vision of this was funny.  I could hear that song "smoking in the boys room" being sung as "phoning in the girls room".  (Side note: she did leave and come rescue me and Haley).

In this quiet zone Matt has been unbelievably bored.  One day, he got up and walked back and forth across the room 500 times. 

Thankfully, Matt will be home today.  He will be so thankful for some noise.

Terri