So You Thought Your Summer Sucked?

Remember when you were a kid, and there was such a novelty as "summer vacation"? For most of us, we enjoyed lazy summers up until our sophomore or junior year of high school. Of course, there were the smart ones who were able to get "jobs" (excluding babysitting, which in my opinion, is the worst of them all).

I have had my fair share of dead end jobs myself, and realized that I am not as much of a people person after working retail for a summer. But I would have much rather been working one of those "dead end jobs" compared to what I experienced this past summer.

It all began the week before finals, I was writing papers up the yin yang, doing a semesters worth of work in the last month, working on this newspaper entirely too much, but what can I say - it was my life! Sleep, at that time, was overrated.

After finals, everything went to the shitter, quite literally. They say things happen for a reason, but I am beginning to have my doubts. I was only in my new house, which I signed a one year lease on, for five days, before taking a nine week vacation... in a hospital! I didn't even get to meet all of my roommates, nor unpack all of my belongings. At least it happened after finals, I suppose.

Who would of thought a simple infection would lead to such a long hospital stay? Without getting into the medical jargon, one thing led to another, and according to one of my doctors, my body went to shit and my blood poisoned itself. Such statement could not have been much clearer.

While being in the hospital for so long, there are certain things that you begin to take note of. Never get sick (or in my case, crash) during weekends or holidays. Very few people in the medical profession work these days, and most often, the on call staff is clueless. This is not conducive to seriously ill patients.

Never trust anyone, this seems basic for this day in age, but always ask questions and do not consume any medications without checking to make sure that it is prescribed for you. Due to the Governator, patient to nurse ratios are increasing, making room for more error.

If you know you can do something safely, do it! While in the hospital, there are some people who are too cautious. As one of my doctors told me, falling was an acceptable risk. As soon as I heard that, I began to do more and more.

The most important thing that one person can do is speak up and be vocal (if possible), or if you can't, grab some paper and write down what you want to say. In these situations it is beneficial to have someone who can speak up for you.

Most importantly, try your best to fight the vampires! No, I am not hallucinating or on any narcotics at the moment. The vampires are the blood-sucking lab technicians who love to poke you with needles every morning. Lastly, always find a sense of humor in the most serious of matters. Life is too short to feel sorry for yourself, shit happens, get over it! While in the hospital, do not plan to get any rest. They say when recovering you need your rest, and in order to achieve this, you need to be in your own bed, without alarms and machines beeping every ten seconds.

And to answer your question: yes, I escaped. Minutes after receiving my discharge orders, I grabbed my cane, and was stumbling down the hall to my car. In many respects, it was like being in jail: crappy food, no privacy, odorous facilities, and loud noises 24\7. Also, the longer you are in the hospital, the more chances you have to get sick again. There were several cases in which I became seriously ill from something the doctors did.

After being out of the hospital for almost two months, I have learned to appreciate much more than I did. For example, having my own bedroom with a queen bed and closing door. Or perhaps a home cooked meal that does not taste like rubber. I never would have thought a shower was a luxury - until I didn't have one for two months!

My advice to everyone out there on this great campus is to live each day as if it were your last. Live life to the fullest, and always follow your dreams, and let your passions guide you. Have no regrets, as you never know when you will be fighting for your life in an operating room, such as I did.