Room mates

Patients crack me up sometimes! I can't blame either one, but I have only 2 today. I got floated to the Burn unit at the UCSD Hillcrest campus. Well, neither one of my patients likes the other. My Bed "B" has been throwing a fit because his slightly MR neighbor had a very large, smelly bm, the kind we here at the nurses station even made the effort to seek out and find air freshener! We are usually good with smells, but sometimes.....
Bed "A" then started in when B was having his dressing changed, and screamed and yelled at the top of his lungs, despite having had 4 mg of morphine as well as vicodin on board. You would have thought we were trying to kill the man. Vitamin A to the rescue, and "B" finally went to sleep and both parties have been happy for the past 4 hours. Of course, I always feel horrible when patients are in pain, and my idea would have been to keep giving him pain meds, morphine in particular, until the pain was back under control. Doctors have other ideas about things like that, knowing that the pain med will last a good 2-4 hours, and the dressing change will only last for 5 minutes. The doctors feel no pain....
I am embarrased to say that instead of increasing the pain meds, we shut the door. He is comfortable now, not that that makes it any better. I could never work on a burn unit for real. Those nurses are either angels or devils who enjoy inflicting pain on other people, as is done with each dressing change. Neither of my patients were burn patients though. Nonetheless, I suppose it would be pretty traumatic to have a 4 inch long by 2 inch across by 3 inch deep "gaping" hole in your abdomen. We get so acustomed to open body parts, but we forget that things like this are not exactly "normal" for most our patients. I wonder how many of them wonder what is keeping their guts from falling out!
In my own personal roommate saga, there is indeed a christmas tree up, and decorated! My room mate had dictated that the tree must be big and real, and it had to go in one particular space, and I could not buy it cause he was going to and yadda yadda, as I think I already outlined. So, to be a little spiteful after the 2nd time of him not following through with a promised date, went out and bought myself and TINY FAKE TREE! He came up the steps, knocked on my door, and demanded "Where's my tree? You said you were going to get me a tree! Where is it?" 11:30 Saturday night was neither the time, nor the place. I did have the fleeting thought that if he wanted to argue, I could take him on, and most of you who know me, know that choosing to argue with me is setting up for a major drama. Instead I chose the high road and remarked, "I am not going to discuss this." I did not see or speak to him again until Wednesday morning! Sunday I put "my tree" up in a different place on the other side of the room! If he wants a tree to his own specifications, he is welcome to get his own tree! Then, Wednesday morning, we bumped into each other, and I said a cheery "good morning" and got back a wonderfully cold silence. At least he keeps his door closed now so I don't have to listen to that stupid computer game he plays ALL THE TIME!
Anyone wanna take bets on when that will happen? I'm thinking IF it goes up, and that is a big IF, it probably won't be until the night before Christmas or something. Oh well! At least I am happy! Fa la la la la!
I also put round pink and blue ornament balls All Over the house, on the table, next to the TV, hanging from the matchstick blinds, and I am sure he hates it! I even got grandma in on the "just to piss him off" christmas decorating! I don't know if I had mentioned that the guest bathroom has a working toilet, and the wood cabinet part for the sink, but no sink. Just pipes sticking out of the ground. Mind you, he has all the parts to finish the job, and he said it would be done before I moved in....well, you know how that goes! So grandma is up on all the events, so she got some very cute little christmasy finger towels and some cute little decorative soaps to put in the guest bathroom! Grandma is great!
What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall listening to him talking to his friends about what a pain in the butt I am! I don't know why guys are so opposed to anything with remotely good taste until after they are married. If anyone has ideas for "cute little anoying things I could add for decorations, please do tell! I was thinking, those toilet paper doily angels are kind of what I was thinking. Any suggestions are welcome!