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Over the past two weeks, I had to spend two stints of time in a hospital setting, attending to someone else. The first was a very happy event indeed
—the arrival of my first grandchild over a Friday and Saturday two weeks ago. (Yay! A girl!) The second was a dramatic ruptured appendix on the part of my beloved that landed him (and me) in the hospital for four days.
Long days. Of course, the ER always takes a million years for anything unless you’re flat out bleeding to death, and even then you might have to prove it. Even though we arrived in the middle of a weekday, it was well into the evening before it was decided that yes, he needed surgery. Urgently. They wheeled him in and told me to go wait in the surgical waiting room. I was the only person there. The only person on the floor, I think. Creepy at night.
But by then, it had been eight or ten stressful hours since I’d eaten, not counting the package of Cheese Nips and a soda (water was sold out) I wrestled out of a vending machine. First, I had to scrounge up all the change from the floor of the car and my purse and our combined coat pockets because the card reader AND the dollar bill reader was broken. That was the best I could do for two dollars.
So by the time CR went to surgery**, I was HUNGRY. I went searching for a cafeteria, which I found. Closed. A young girl pointed me toward a bank of vending machines, where I sadly settled for a couple of granola bars and a bottled Frappacino. (At least it had milk in it!)
It was like that at Fort Carson, too. A bank of vending machines with mostly high fat, high salt processed food. They at least had some sandwiches, but you know, I’m not all that comfortable eating egg salad from a vending machine. Just picky like that. I’m sure the cafeteria is open and humming weekdays, but we were there for a baby. They don’t necessarily arrive during weekday hours. Ditto the ER: people are having emergencies there. They might need sustenance.
I was at those two different hospitals for a total of six days, and had exactly two hot meals in all that time. Isn’t that kind of…bizarre?
Would it be so much to ask to make it halfway decent fare? Wouldn’t you think that a hospital would want us to eat healthy food?
Here’s my wish list: bottles of milk and juice in the vending machines. Maybe some little cups of yogurt and hummus and peanut butter, and ordinary crackers that aren’t 12 zillion grams of sodium per serving. String cheese and cheese wedges, and hey—what about tins of soup with a nearby microwave?
Have you been marooned and starving in a hospital with a sick friend or husband? What would you do to improve the experience? Do you have a wish list of food options?
**Christopher Robin is FINE. He’s now a not-quite sick enough male who is bored to tears. ’Nuff said.
I take food with me now for any visit to hospital. Often for the patient, but also for myself. I don’t know how old the things in vending machines are.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:38 am.
I wish I’d thought of it. Next time, I’ll be prepared.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 12:31 pm.
I have a funny story about that. One of the best hospitals around here has… well… one of the best restaurants INSIDE the hospital. You know, like it was just the restaurant anywhere else, I guess exactly for that. When my grandpa was terminal, we’d go there every day, and the food was really good. It’s a restaurant. A real, fancy restaurant. In a hospital. Sometimes, when we have no idea where to eat, we just joke, “Oh, let’s go to the hospital, as good place as any, right?”
People
ps: CONGRATULATIONS, Grandma! Babies are the best!!!!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:56 am.
B, thanks! Super in love with the baby. She’s so pretty!!
That hospital has the right idea! Give me great food! It would be a good revenue stream for the hospital, too, wouldn’t it?
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 12:32 pm.
I am so glad your Christopher Robin is doing better. Last year in mid March my mom fell at the car dealership and broke her hip. While she was in the ER her heart started acting up so they were afraid to take her into surgery until they were sure she wouldn’t have a full blown attack. Ten days later she finally went into surgery. In total she was at the hospital for 17 days and I spent all but one of those night with her. We have a new facility her called Riverbend and with the new we got new and improved food, the cafeteria is open 24 hours complete with fresh cooked foods.In fact there is a total of three cafeteria’s in the facility. Cafe Yumm is closed overnight though. They would bring an extra tray for me when I wanted one. The only thing I would change about the availability of food is in the ER area, I had to hike from there to the main hospital for coffee last week when 15 yo g-son was there on possible appendicitis attack. It wasn’t, they aren’t sure what it was but he is better now.I like the idea of vending machines with actual food in them, and like I said, closer to where the people waiting are held captive.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 5:01 am.
You’ve had your fill of hospitals, too, sounds like! (Hope your mom is doing well now.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 12:33 pm.
She’s fine now and back here for a visit from Mn and getting her licence renewed. You can’t do it online anymore you know.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 1:48 pm.
Oh, good grief! Still, I guess if you get to go visit, that’s a good reason.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:06 pm.
But she’s ready to go back to Mn; she’s been checking Amtrak schedules for a week. The only hold up is waiting for her birth certificate to arrive from Nebraska, her original was lost in a move.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 5:37 pm.
Oddly enough I am quite often that person who leaves people sitting in the waiting room for hours on end. If it isn’t a UTI, it’s a miscarriage that needs a D and C to clear things out or a suicide attempt or some other operation. With the Toowoomba hospital visiting hours, the coffee shop is usually closed around dinner time so it is usually best to call my McDonalds afterwards and pick something up (cheaper too).
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 5:29 am.
Are you a hospital employee, Kelly? I can imagine that it’s very hectic to work the ER.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 2:26 pm.
No I’m not Barbara. Dad was in hospital nearly 8 years ago with diabetes, he was almost in a coma and mum and I regularly visited him in the evening visiting hours.
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 12:57 am.
I am glad to hear CR is better. And Congrats, grandma! Knock on wood I haven’t had to spend any time in a hospital in years. I do know that back home everyone always said if something happened to them they wanted to go to Hospital X. They supposedly have great food there. I think hospitals have nasty food to assure the doctors of future patients. Not sure about that, its just a thought!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:49 am.
LOL, Kelly. Maybe they’re trying to discourage us from getting sick!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:07 pm.
The hospitals around here have horrible food too. So glad I haven’t had to spend any major time in them for myself or family members. I always tell my family that the only way I would go to the hospital is if I was having a heart attack and they would have to prove it was first. The few times I have been in a hospital I don’t eat in the cafeteria. Used to work for one and will not tell you what went on. Congrats on the new gandbaby and so sorry to hear about the emergency appendectomy but glad he’s home and doing so much better.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 7:59 am.
Having spent a fair amount of time in restaurants, Aida, I can only imagine!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:10 pm.
Congratulations on the baby and thank goodness CR is better. I spent a night in the ER with youngest son when they thought he had appendicitis. ALL night and then they decided he had an infection of the lymph nodes.
About 20 years ago my mom had leukemia (she’s still kicking!). Luckily the hospital was in an urban area and there were restaurants right outside.
When my dad was in the hospital, nothing. I went to the cafeteria once and had a doughnut. Gack.
Like you said, healthy stuff would be great. You’re so stressed when you’re there, sugar and salt and fried dough and more caffeine are not a good idea.
Water, yogurt, fruit, juice, whole grains. Yay.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:17 am.
Wow, all night and a different diagnosis!
Yeah, the trouble is, humans kind of do want those bad foods under stressful circumstances. It’s just SO not what we need. I finally made do with broth from the family kitchen area on the floor . Not bad.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:12 pm.
Congrats on grandbaby!
So sad you and your husband had to go through that terrible wait and stress.
My beloved brother just went in Tuesday for his second hip replacement. not a do-over ,but on his other side. It had been a little less than a year since his 1st new hip, so it was all still fresh in his mind about all the rehabbing he was going to have to do qand the after surgery pain and needing his pain relief pump. last time they did not set it up until almost 24 hrs after so he was in intense pain. By 9 pm my sis in law reported she was home, on tylenol and he happily had his pump.
Most of our hospitals and even the medical centre where I go for my yearly boob squish, have a Tim Horton’s. yummy food ( not just donuts) and omg needed coffee. Sadly the one he’s in this time and last does not. It’s close but not close enough to walk it. There are little kitchens on each ward & you can usually sweet talk the nurses into letting you use the microwave or grabbing some coffee.
Last yr she complained about not getting a good meal and I reminded her that there was a bonus- the community college across the street had a state of the art cafeteria open all day.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:32 am.
Your poor brother! My sister, a nurse, opted to have both knees replaced at the same time to get it all over with. I’m guessing she would NOT make that decision again. (And yes, she was very young, in her 40s, when she did it.)
We don’t have Tim Horton’s out here–must be breakfast or something? Sounds good, anyway.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:09 pm.
Omg Kathy, I live on Tim Horton’s! Well if that was possible. Now that I am in the south I make my family bring 10 LARGE cans of coffee with them when they come to visit! If not more:) I usually share northern goods with my friends, but Tim Ho’s is one I am very selfish with!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:19 pm.
Congrats on CR’s relatively routing op and having a new granddaughter to coo over!
Guess I’m lucky to live in a dense area where there’s usually a diner near our hospitals. We’ve got a trauma center nearby that has a McDonalds – the vicious circle, creates customers right there in the building.
I once had to go to ER 2x in 1 wk: in New York City, in and out in 45 minutes, in New Jersey, waited 4 hours to get 4 lousy stitches and I missed dinner. I would have thought it’d have been the reverse.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:44 am.
You would think it would be the opposite, wouldn’t you? But maybe NY has a higher patient load so had to learn to be fast.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:10 pm.
I haven’t been near a hospital since I gave birth, and since I wasn’t interested in eating then, I am way out of the loop on “cool your heels” hospital food.
But because I am terrified of getting in this situation, and because I have so many food restrictions and/or allergies, I always carry one or two protein bars and a handful of string cheese packets with me every time I enter the great “when will I find food I can eat” unknown. It’s proven to be a non-technical life saver more times than I can count.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:57 am.
I really should get in the habit of carrying stash foods with me. I’m vegetarian, and that complicates everything a lot. If I just had some protein bars and things, I’d never get that hungry.
Truth is, however, it almost never happens that I’m away from my own food supply for very long!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:11 pm.
Congratulations on the grand babyage! And I’m glad the dh is in mending mode.
Maybe it’s because we’re a smaller community but the local hospitals have decent food. The vending machines do have power bar options and the gift shop sells, milk, yogurt…basic power boosts.
My friend with MS spends a horrendous smouny of time in the hospital each year, to the point where when she’s admitted on a wednesday smiles and says “well it’s salsbury steak day, so…”
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:17 am.
Ha! Love it.
Gift shop selling those items is a great idea, too. Love your friend’s good attitude. Laugh or cry, right?
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:12 pm.
Congrats on your new grand daughter! I am also glad to hear CR is doing better.
I don’t blame you for not eating a sandwich out of a vending machine, the thought makes my stomach turn. Our hosptial has a Tim Hortons in the lobby and it is open until 11pm. It has saved me on a few occasions. Also, because I have young kids, I always have a granola bar or 2 in my purse, and they come in handy during emergencies.
A little canteen that is open 24hrs would be nice. They don’t need to sell hot meals, but things like fruit, yogurt and sandwiches. Tea and coffee would also be nice. It should be a 24 hour thing, though.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:26 am.
A little canteen would be perfect, wouldn’t it? 24 hours.
And clearly, I have forgotten the little kid mandate of always having food in the purse. I suppose I need to get that back. Not that my darling girl will be ready for snack foods for awhile, but still….
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:14 pm.
I guess I should be thankful for the food available at my local hospital. Sometimes I feel as if I should notify the post office of my temporary address at the hospital with two elderly parents who have been in and out of there alot recently. They actually have vending machines that have actual food (sandwiches, soup, yogurt, veggies, fruit, etc.) that you can purchase and then a microwave if you need it. I have also been offered sandwiches, snack and drinks while sitting in the emergency room, ICU units and surgical floors.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:39 am.
Hugs on the rotating door with the elderly parents. I experienced that with my grandparents a few years ago and it’s tiring for the poor dears.
It sounds like you do have a great system of vending machines. That’s exactly what I want!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:15 pm.
I still have little ones, so there is a package of peanut butter crackers and few granola bars in my purse at any given time, lol. Still, hospital snacking sucks- and yes, it should be improved. The best snack machine I’ve ever seen was in the Boca Raton Community Hospital, where I gave birth to my oldest. They had packages of veggies/dip, apples, crackers and cheese, along with the junk. It was nice. Their in-room menu was also the best/most nutritious/closest to actual food that I had ever seen.
I’m so glad CR is okay. I had my appendix out when I was in junior high. I will never, ever forget that pain. Hand to God, it was worse than labor with either of my babies. I thought an alien was going to rip my stomach open and start singing “Hello my baby, hello my darling!” and tap dance its way off the gurney…
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:42 am.
Dana, that is a riveting description of an appendix attack! OW! He is a lot better, but it’s true he was a very sick guy for a little while. Luckily, these days it’s all lasers and tiny incisions.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:16 pm.
I have been in the hospital more than I want to remember.I have spent 2 christmases,2 birthdays and I can say there food left alot to be desired.I used to have visitors sneak in candy bars and chips to eat late at night.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:46 am.
Gail, you poor thing! Christmas is especially terrible in the hospital.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:18 pm.
I must have a fear of starving to death because I usually have something in my over sized purse to eat. More likely though it is habit from being the one who feeds the “world”. I haven’t been in your situation because there is always someone on the outside willing to go get food or relieve me so I can get the food. I am a stress eater and not picky, any excuse to have a candy bar, so vending machines, even with unhealthy stuff, works in a pinch for me.
Congratulations on your first grand baby, and how fun that it is a girl!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 9:59 am.
If you are prepared, you are smart, not fearful! I am going to have to do that.
I know what you mean–I was eating Hostess donut gems at one point. I couldn’t believe it. They still taste awesome, however.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:21 pm.
YAY, at Girl!!! Congrats–hope Mom and baby are both doing well too!
I hear you on the hospital fare. I’m sure over the last four years we’ve spent enough hours in the hospital to equal a year. Luckily, we usually didn’t have to scrounge too much. Since we were return clients the nursing staff usually took pity on us, and would help out with juice and snacks from their stash. Upon occasion they’ve even done clandestine missions in to the cafeteria after hours to get us a sandwich. LOVE nurses. They are saviors. Hope CR feels better soon and that your household returns to normal.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:03 am.
Mom and baby are doing great, thanks for the good wishes. I’m headed over to moon over her in just a little while. Feel very blessed to have her close by.
Love nurses, too. Where would we be without them?
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:19 pm.
Our local hospital has great food and the only vending machines are in ER. I’m only leave my love ones alone in ER when I have go to the bathroom. Congratulations to the new granddaughter and to the recovery of CR.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:05 am.
Thanks, Sandi!
I don’t leave anyone alone in the ER, either. Too much going on–and let’s face it, if you’re there, the last thing you can do is think.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:13 pm.
Congratulations on the precious addition to your family!!! What an exciting time!
I’d be okay with the no hot food thing, but like you, I’d want some healthy options. Maybe they’re trying to get rid of waiting friends and family. They’re trying to starve you out of the place. Bottled water is a must. They should always have that on hand. Fruit would be nice. Fresh, if they could manage it. If not, then those little packages of fruit would certainly be better than candy bars and chips. Yogurt would be good. Those vending machines should have food to make people feel better, not to add to the nausea.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:19 am.
It is a very exciting time. Thanks, Susan!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:14 pm.
Congratulations on your first granddaughter! I have one myself that just turned 6 months old, and there is nothing like it in the world! I’m also glad CR is going better…the hub had his appendix out about 5 years ago, and it was scary waiting four hours for them to determine it was ‘urgent.’
I would love it if they would put different items in the vending machines, and actually keep them STOCKED! Sometimes I’ve seen people that have told me that there is milk, juice, plain saltine crackers, tins of soups, etc. in the vending machines, and I can never find anything like that. I also find it ridiculous to charge $0.90 for a 5 stick package of gum, much less $1.50 for a candy bar, just because you have a ‘captive’ audience.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:26 am.
Congratulations on your grandbaby. Also I am glad Christopher is doing well. I also had emergency with my appendix, it was wrapped around my uterus and ready to burst, I know the pain.
My dearest was in the hospital for a week. He had gall stones that floated and went into places it shouldn’t have, like the pancreas .. then got MRSA from his.roommate. I learned quickly to bring stuff from home.
I wish there was fruit in those machines, juice or lifewater. Sliced apples tend to do the trick when you are waiting and need to nibble.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:55 am.
Wow, that sounds pretty dramatic, Carla. OW!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:15 pm.
I’ve been stuck at hospitals before with nothing to eat but what’s in the vending machines. I would rather go to the hospital that’s a little farther away because they had a McDonald’s there. I gave birth to both my kids there and those french fries really hit the spot. Unfortunately, it was located right next to the Cardiology center and I guess too many people complained so they closed it down. They opened something else there now, but I don’t know what. At least it’s real food and not from a vending machine.
And a big congrats on being a grandmother!!!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:07 am.
St. Barnabus? That’s the one I was referring. Odd, right? Because it has such a good rep.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:43 am.
Yup, that’s it. Shame they closed it – many times when family members where there we always knew we could get a bite to eat. It’s been a while since I was there.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 12:23 pm.
I would have been fine with McD’s. I mean, not for every day, but it would have been a lot more satisfying than the vending machines. A nice milkshake, maybe.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:16 pm.
Congratulations on the grandbaby and surviving the appendix!
My sister is one smart chick. She has low blood sugar, so she always carries her “emergency” food in her purse — like an apple, or a protein bar. So in the emergencies I have shared with her–like being stuck in a hospital with nothing but junk food — she has shared with me. I would adopt the same approach but I am not quite as disciplined as her and I don’t think I could trust myself not to nibble on the emergency food supply. I’d be the one if the plane went down who would eat all her chocolate in one sitting because of nerves and a fear of having to share. I admit it! Don’t sit next to me if the plane goes down!
It is kind of mind-boggling that hospitals aren’t a little more conscious of the vending choices.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:11 am.
That’s me. I figure I won’t starve to death in a few hours, so if I have food, it’s probably just going to get eaten. I don’t even put anything in my gym bag.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:17 pm.
tap, tap, tap… hello..It’s not going to change because you’re venting here….
Get a hold of the ombudsman and/or the board of directors/trustees… maybe send a photo of the the snacking machines..functioning or not…
Most of us end up in this situation totally unprepared.
How much cash/change is in your posession at this moment?
Frankly, those machines are ‘subbed out’ to outside vendors.
Present your arguments/desires…
Good grief, most schools have banned unhealthy snacks from their machines..
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:21 am.
You’re right, Cate. I should write letters and send pics. It’s a new hospital, too, so should be working out all the kinks.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:19 pm.
First: congratulations on the new granddaughter and on CR being fine and here is to his continued recovery.
The Geezer says the hospital food here is really good – like a restaurant (B, I wonder if the same people are running them) and wanted to head over there for lunch one day. I have not done it yet, hospitals are not really where I want to “hang out.”
The last time I had to spend a fair amount of time at the hospital, there were some places to walk to nearby (it was Cedars Sinai in LA) so that was a nice option. I guess other than that I have not really paid attention to it
I don’t think I would be brave enough to eat egg salad out of a vending machine.. I’m hesitant about that at restaurants
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:21 am.
I’ve never been stuck in a hospital for someone else, but I was stuck there after the births of my two sons… and trust me, the food they serve you even as a patient is abysmal at best. I have a picture of me sitting in the hospital bed just as my mom uncovered the lid of my mid-day meal… I was positively green. And seriously pale. My husband ended up sending family members to the nearby restaurants to get some take-out. We also packed food in our ‘hospital bag’ as my due dates drew near. Juice boxes, instant soup, crackers, etc. Anything that would last, really.
I would hate to be forced to eat the hospital’s food.
Glad to hear your man is doing well! My mom was on vacation when she was rushed to the hospital for gall stones. She was perilously close to blood poisoning (aka death) when they wheeled her into surgery. She’s thankfully fine now, but without her gall bladder.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:26 am.
PS. Congratulations on your granddaughter!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:28 am.
That’s a good idea, to pack food in when you’re expecting. The food for my d-i-l was very good–they had a lot of choices and could order as much as they wanted. Her husband was starving and had to go forage elsewhere for food, which I thought was kind of odd.
Hugs on your mom! Glad she’s okay. And what a bad time to have it happen. Ruining a vacation!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 6:19 pm.
Glad to hear CR is on the road to recovery and bless the new addition to the family. Little girls are so sweet.
Our ER is equipped with an array of vending machines that have bill changers built in. There’s also a handy ATM nearby. There are healthy snacks, but the junk stuff is in there as well. When I was in the hospital recently with pneumonia I was on what they call a gray diet, but still found the food palatable. Maybe it was because I was so hungry, I could have eaten a horse. I counted the minutes between meals.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 11:56 am.
The hospital my husband was in had a full time cafeteria and two seating areas one for hospital staff and the other for visitors. The one my son went to for surgery on his arm had a lousy cafeteria for visitors and it wasn’t open much but there was three different fast food places that were open 24/7 within walking distance that made a killing because of it. I brought in fresh fruit to both the times they were in as the food for patients was brought in at specific times and nothing to snack on in between.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 12:52 pm.
I’m so glad Christopher Robin is recovering well, and the grandbaby is SO adorable!!
Maybe the hospitals are trying to drive up business with the bad-for-you foods. I’ve had some awful snacks over the years at various hospitals. Since I became an aunt I now pack around packets of sliced apple, peanut butter crackers, and goldfish. They’re great for a snack, even if they tend to get pulverized in Giant Purse.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 1:23 pm.
I hate hospitals. I pass out at the sight or scent of blood and am a big baby when it comes to needles. When I was hospitalized because of an appendix scare the only thing that made it bearable was my e-reader. Even if hospitals had good food the hospital smell (I have a freakishly annoying sensitive nose) makes me lose my appetite.
One of my favorite authors (Kathryn Caskie) is apparently ill. I wonder if there is something nice we can do for her…
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 2:02 pm.
I’m sorry to hear Kathryn Caskie is ill. I’m sure a card or letter would be welcome.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:52 pm.
Congratulations on the granddaughter!! That’s awesome – and the baby girl clothes – to die for!! Have fun shopping!
I don’t get why hospital food is so bad. I had both my kids at the same hospital. The first time around the food was actually pretty good. The next time around it was AWFUL. The first night the dinner was so bad that even the nurse commented on it. By the time breakfast rolled around, I was starving since I hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day (not such a good thing after having just given birth – and we totally forgot about the vending machines). It was half cooked. My dh left at some point for food and was gone FOREVER because he went to get our son and my sister. Lunch was just as bad, and what my dh brought back wasn’t enough food. We ended up checking out of the hospital before we were there a full 24 hours because I was starving.
I would ditch any and all fried food. I’d do wraps, veggie burritos, Greek yogurt, fresh fruit (more than just apples, bananas, oranges, and the occasional fruit bowls), salads, hard-boiled eggs.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 2:06 pm.
Veggie burritos! That’s a great idea.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:59 pm.
Yeah, I’ve been there with my grandma before she passed last fall. I know what you mean, and when we did manage to make it to the cafeteria, it was like we had a choice between solid grease and limp salad. We usually went out to near-by restaurants. By that time, we needed a break from Grandma.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 2:35 pm.
I am so glad your beloved is recovering. Happy too that you have a new granddaughter to ooh and aah over. Aren’t grandchildren perfect in every way?
My most recent stint in a hospital involved a dear friend who suffered a stroke. She was in the neuro intensive care unit. Because she and her family were loved by so many of us, the waiting rooms overflowed with food, so much so that I never had to get a meal while I was at the hospital. So I don’t know what the current state of hospitals is, but I remember being in a 7th Day Adventist Hospital when I had my two kids. The thing I resented most was that perfectly good vegetables and legumes kept being disguised as something else. I would so much rather eat edamame (soy beans in the pods)than soy presented as bacon or sausage. Just saying. . .
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 2:39 pm.
Perfect beyond imagining, Louise!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:53 pm.
Congrats on the grand baby!!
I was once stuck in a hotel with no room service and had to live off Nibs, tic tacs and Diet Coke.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:47 pm.
I think the problem has been defined today—there’s a wide divergence in what people think of as healthy food. Add in the spoilage factor and it seems an insurmountable problem.
Anything with sugar in it is a big no-no for me. That removes fruit, juice, flavored yogurt, milk. I’m also yeast and wheat and corn intolerant, so there goes all the grains and crackers and stuff.
I don’t know what it is about today, but so many people have food issues. I know my issues are fairly common. Then add in the vegetarians and vegans and milk allergies (I enjoy that one as well) and what’s left? It’s kind of a losing game for the vendors.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 3:52 pm.
It sounds like you have a lot of food challenges, Claudia, and that must be difficult. I would also imagine that you don’t go anywhere without being prepared.
My son is vegan, so I always think with him in mind–hummus and vegetables, fruit, juices, nuts, and crackers are good choices for him. I’m guessing things like hummus and veggies would be good for you, too, and plain yogurts, and maybe nuts, and you’d be happy, right? The nut intolerant can choose the milk and yogurts and cheeses. The gluten intolerant can choose the nuts and the hummus and the veggies.
Etc. I think we all know healthy when we see it. It’s not Cheese Nips and a Dr Pepper, or a tube of cookies and some coffee. It’s not that hard to create a vending machine that would offer something for a lot of different allergies and belief systems. We just…don’t.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:57 pm.
I find the local hospitals pretty good, although I don’t understand what’s up with the cafeterias in them only being open at “regular hours.” Who’s keeping “regular” hours in a hospital? Not even the nurses and doctors are doing that. Makes no sense.
My mom had surgery not too long ago, and I stayed at the hospital overnight. It wasn’t too bad. They had a few things provided on the floor, a microwave available, and a coffee pot, so that helped. But I still didn’t get the whole “oh, we’re closed now, even though a million people are roaming the hospital at 11 pm.”
But when the cafeteria and coffee shop WERE open, they were great. There was a big salad bar with great stuff on it and the regular cafeteria food AND sandwiches and pizza for whoever wanted it, plus yogurt, etc. A really good set-up … if you could get in when it was open. *G*
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 4:21 pm.
Inevitably, my husband ends up in the VA on a Friday night when the cafeteria is closed all weekend. I spend more time running out to get food. I can only live on vending machine stuff for so long- esp since they have coke and I need Pepsi! Across the street is a bigger hospital which is open and I suppose I could go over there, but Panera is closer. I usually end up bringing him fruit from the grocery store and real ginger ale.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 8:22 pm.
Laughing at the Coke vs Pepsi! That’s the truth.
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:58 pm.
Hospitals are a food nightmare! I actually celebrated when my dad transferred from a hospital close to us down to the big hospital further away because the big hospital had an actually coffee shop AND bakery shop! I learned quickly to Google close restaurants and find places like Boston Market so that we could get lots of small items to eat all day. We also made sure to get to the cafeteria as soon as it opened so we could get first dibs on the salad bar otherwise it got super yucky!
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 10:58 pm.
So happy for you! Grandchildren are wonderful. Also have been in the hospital situation. Enjoyed your message and do hope hubby is doing much better by now.
Posted on March 2, 2012 at 3:56 am.