It Takes Nerve to Sit in a Neuro-Surgery Waiting Room

I sat for a couple hours yesterday in a neuro-surgery waiting room. I might have mentioned that Ms.LiquidTreats had a pretty serious brain injury from a fall about 6 weeks ago. It's getting much better, but she has to go frequently to the neurosurgeon to check on the progress of the clot on her brain and I went along to help her. Her injury's getting much better, but I gotta tell you, the people in that waiting room weren't doing so well.

I've got a brain tumor and I need to see Doctor Smith-Jones right away. Just before we were leaving, a woman walking in an made that announcement at the top of her lungs. "I've got a brain tumor" are words I hope I never need to utter. She then went on to say that she'd called early in the morning, but the doctors' office forgot to call her back, so she just came in.

I've got a pocket full of Percocet. A 50-ish guy was telling his story to the woman sitting next to him, who had surgery on cervical vertebrae -- from the FRONT and BACK. The guy said he had a degenerating condition in his lower back that made his hips so painful all he could do to get out of bed was take a handful of Percocet. Oh, while the back thing was going on, he had a stroke, too. Now his 80-something mother is driving him across the bridge to a Center City hospital.

They pulled my brain tumor out my nose. I am not shitting you, that's what the guy said. He had his hair shaved partially in the front and there was a six-week-old scar where his hair was just starting to grow back. "They drilled a hole in my head and then pulled the tumor out my nose," he said as he gestured toward the scar. "Now I'm doing much better. I feel like my old self."

There was a woman in there who was driving her wheelchair with her chin. Another woman wearing a huge helmet because part of her skull was removed. Old people. Middle-aged people. Even a teenager.

I had a headache when I went there. After looking around and listening for a bit I decided that I was just fine, thank you very much.