Is There an Aspirin in the House?

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Is There an Aspirin in the House?

February 27, 2016 by dorannrule

Yesterday my friend spent the morning at one of our best-in-Virginia hospitals. She took her husband there for surgery.

While waiting for word of his condition, she developed a splitting headache and asked the nurse for an aspirin.

“Sorry, we can’t give out meds – even the over-the counter type,” the nurse replied. “Check in the pharmacy though.”

The pharmacy (which no doubt only fills prescriptions because it is a hospital after all) is a far piece from the waiting room and my friend did not want to leave her spot.

The hospital gift shop is also a far trek when you are waiting for a loved one to emerge from surgery and there is no guarantee a gift shop would have over-the-counter pain meds anyway.

Obviously my friend wanted to be nearby to get the status of her husband’s recovery from surgery.

She grinned and bore it.

Ever hear the saying, “Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink?”

Posted in Country Challenges, Friends, Health, Humor, Random Impressions, Survival, Uncategorized, Virginia | Tagged Asprin, doctors, Hospitals, humor, Meds, Nurses, pills, surgery, Virginia hospital | 18 Comments

18 Responses

on February 27, 2016 at 3:58 am Jill Weatherholt

I suppose I can understand the hospital’s policy on dispensing OTC medications. Although I’m not a big pill person, I never leave the house without a travel sized bottle with aspirin, Advil, etc.

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on February 27, 2016 at 4:07 am Anne Mehrling

Red tape can be so frustrating at times! I presume your friend survived and hope she is feeling much better now.

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on February 27, 2016 at 4:38 am virginiabornandbred

This is really sad and absurd! There should be something we can do about it!

_____

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on February 27, 2016 at 4:47 am John

That stinks. I understand their are policies in place for reasons but…

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on February 27, 2016 at 5:24 am ritaroberts

I hope your friends husband was O.K. The headache was most likely from stress. You would have thought under the circumstances the hospital would have supplied your friend with an aspirin, after all they knew why she was there ,or did she get one EVENTUALLY. ?

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on February 27, 2016 at 9:16 am Eliza Waters

I hope your friend’s spouse is recovering well. Your last line may hold the answer to her headache. Many headaches are caused by dehydration, so 16 oz. of water may have helped her. Stow that away for next time. 🙂

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on February 28, 2016 at 4:14 am dorannrule

I somehow believe my friend will now carry a bag full of “necessities” next time she heads for a hospital. 🙂

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on February 28, 2016 at 4:15 am dorannrule

Thanks Anne. And yes, my friend survived and so did her husband, but her story was so odd wasn’t it?

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on February 28, 2016 at 4:17 am dorannrule

Some things that make sense are actually senseless. My friend would have been better off asking strangers if they had an aspirin since there would be no potential liability for the hospital.

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on February 28, 2016 at 4:18 am dorannrule

I agree John, but also understand the liability issues… the moral of the story is to come prepared or to be willing to ask a fellow stranger for an aspirin.

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on February 28, 2016 at 4:21 am dorannrule

No Rita, my friend never got an aspirin that day and you are right that the headache was probably due to stress. Eliza of elizawaters.wordpress.com, suggested dehydration might have caused the headache. I believe that since my friend says she “never” drinks water when she is out. Meanwhile, her husband is a.o.k., home and happy.

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on February 28, 2016 at 4:24 am dorannrule

I thought I already sent a reply but it disappeared. Thank you Eliza for the “dehydration” theory. This friend of mine refuses to drink water, especially when she is not at home. I have a hunch you are onto something here! 🙂

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on February 28, 2016 at 4:24 am dorannrule

Oh yes, and her husband is a.o.k. Thanks again Eliza.

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on February 28, 2016 at 5:43 am John

Liability – translated means that American society has become a Litigation Nation. People will sue for basically anything today.

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on February 28, 2016 at 3:41 pm Eliza Waters

The brain is 75% water. Even mild dehydration can cause headaches, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. They say if you wait ’til you are thirsty to drink, you are already dehydrated. Urine color is the best indicator – it should be pale to light yellow – any darker signals the need to drink a lot more water. 8 glasses a day, or more if you are sweating due to heat or exertion. Your friend is not taking good care of herself by not drinking water! First rule is: take care of yourself so that you can take care of others. 🙂

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on February 29, 2016 at 1:47 am dorannrule

Great advice Eliza! Thank you. 🙂

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on February 29, 2016 at 4:15 am Eliza Waters

I share because I care! 😉

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on February 29, 2016 at 8:22 am judithhb

Sometimes policy makes no sense at all.

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