The Eyes- Windows to Pain

                                        The Eyes-Windows To Pain

     Sitting in the ER, where I had taken David, at his request, so I knew it was bad.
     It was easy to tell the ones that had a fever. Their coat was buttoned up or they had asked for a warm blanket. Usually they were snuggled up to the companion with them. You knew they were trying to get warm. If their eyes were open you could see the misery in them, very sad and dull.
     Others that did not have fever, was not as obvious. But, if you watched, you could recognize the pain. Shifting in the seat to get comfortable, clinched teeth. They had a hard time sitting still. The more sever the pain, the wider the eyes were opened.
    Some like David, had pain and to move only made it worse. They sat very still and it seemed to hurt if they opened their eyes. No matter the discomfort, they could only sit still for so long, until they had to shift positions. Pain so bad they broke out in a cold sweat.
     Babies and children are the saddest. They cling to a person or someone with them, often cannot stop crying or whimpering. Their eyes are so sad and sometimes have a look of fear.
     That day there was the attention getter. I'll call her Ann. An orderly wheeled her into the waiting area in a wheel chair. Not sitting close enough to anyone for a conversation, she would just make noises, at first.  When that didn't work, Ann  got out of the wheel chair, walked to the desk to see where in line she was to see the doctor and how long she would have to wait. She sat back down in the wheel chair.
     Another lady came in and wanted a seat close to a plug in so she could charge her IPad and phone. The plug was next to Ann. Conversation partner, held captive.
     Ann, wanted to know what was wrong with the child she had with her. She then related the details of when she had the same problem, brought on by the abuse of others. Ann also talked loud enough so that everyone in the room could hear her story.
     The talk turned to Ann's problems only after that. She had driven herself to another hospital and was number fifteen in line to see the nurses and then the doctor. Waiting an hour, she still had eight ahead of her. She left that hospital and drive to the one we were at. She was pleased there was not a full waiting room and assumed she would get in quickly.
     Ann, proceeded to tell everyone her stomach was hurting and she felt like an elephant was sitting on it. With a loud voice she let the staff and everyone else, know she needed prompt attention. When that didn't get the desired attention she wanted, she got out of the wheel chair again and marched to the reception desk.There she started screaming at the nurses, that promptly brought out the security officer.
     Calming her down, she came back and sat down again. She was quiet, only for a few minutes. Across the waiting room she began to scream at the nursing staff. They weren't doing their their job, neglecting the patients, not taking care of them, which should be their job priority.
     A security officer and a very tall husky, male nurse came for Ann and wheeled her into a room to check her vitals and have a little talk with her.
     When they wheeled her back into the waiting room, with tears in her eyes, she apologized to everyone for her behavior. Ann was called to then go to an exam room, ahead of others.
     When Ann left the room, one lady said, "She must be chasing the devil." Others just nodded their heads.
     When they called David, for his turn, we could hear Ann screaming at the nurses. They had put her in an area separated from most of the patients.
     As I had watch Ann, in the waiting room, her eyes showed anger and disgust. They weren't the eyes of someone in the kind of pain she insisted she had. As I thought about all that had occured, I came to the conclusion, that had she been in that kind of pain, she would have called an ambulance. Not driven herself, she certainly would not have left one hospital and driven to another, after an hour of waiting. Her need for attention was greater than her need for the treatment of pain.
      David finally saw a nurse and a doctor. After blood work, other test, and a CT scan, it was determined he had a kidney stone. With meds and knowing the problem will be dealt with, we went home. David will see the specialist on Monday.
     The next morning the meds had worn off and the pain woke him up. Worst pain yet, he took his meds and lay back down. I rubbed his back until he relaxed and fell asleep.
    Suddenly it took me back many years. Linda, my twin sister, would sit up with me at night and rub my back or legs to help me deal with the pain I had. I was also reminded it was the pain, fear and emotional distress that Dr.Tosh saw in my eyes and alerted him to the trouble I was in. My mind was no longer dealing with the pain, I had endured all that I could handle. He observation saved my life. Yet my Mom, was oblivious to the pain I was in, even though I had tried telling her many times.
    Strange that it has taken me over fifty years to recognize, that the eyes are the window to pain and joy in our lives. I now find myself looking closer at people and looking to see if they are in stress as I was so many years ago.
    

(C) Copyright, all right reserved. July 2018