HNT ~ The View from the Recliner

AKA ~ The view from my command center and Happy Thanksgiving!

As many of you already know, I spent three nights last week at the USC University Hospital caring for my Mother while she was there having a stint put in her throat. The procedure was a grand success and she can swallow whole food once again. We are so grateful for all the wonderful, talented and caring people this experience has brought into our lives. There are too many of them to mention here so I decided to blog about a slightly different topic. The recliner that was my command center and sleeping accommodations while I was at the hospital.

We were very fortunate that Lilan's thoracic surgeon, Dr. John Lipham, requested a private room for her, and the hospital had just received new furnishings in several of the rooms on her floor. I had planned to stay at a nearby hotel, as the commute from OC to USC can be a bear (2 1/2 hours during the am & pm commutes), but alas when we arrived we found we had all we needed for a comfortable stay together at the USC "hotel". Throughout the past 3 weeks, and the ensuing 3 hospital visits, I have mistakenly interchanged the word hotel and hospital. Once we arrived at USC, it was actually true. The hospital was serving us as both a medical facility and a hospitality suite.

The chair that I sat and slept in was fabulously comfortable, and I was able to sleep like a baby between all of Mom's runs to the potty and the inevitable interruptions one experiences while staying in a hospital; vitals checks, medicine doses & therapy sessions. 3 consecutive nights of sleep that consists of a series of 1 1/2 to 2 hour naps is enough to make even the the healthy delirious. Can you imagine what it does to a patient?

BTW, I chose the high-contrast version of this photo to camouflage my double chin. Plus it really accentuates the checked pattern of the chair's fabric. Over my right shoulder you can see the built-in closet. Over the left is the oxygen supply and other doohickeys found in every hospital room.

This chair was a real lifesaver! It was luxuriously wide. Firm, but comfy. And oh so perfectly suited to my personal taste. I felt like Goldy Locks in the chair that was just right.

Perhaps you can share with me the view from your favorite chair. Please eMail me a photo or three.

To learn more about HNT click here.


Lilian napping while we wait for her discharge.




A remote control TV, and a mountain view.

A bathroom larger than the one Steve & I had in our balcony stateroom on our cruise to Alaska.
Did I mention that this hospital is immaculately clean? It looks brand spankin' new!