Take a chair
11 March 2010
Don’t you just hate waiting rooms? Especially when you have to wait way past your appointment time.
For me it isn’t just a question of boredom, it’s a battle with that instrument of torture; the waiting room chair!
I don’t find sitting very comfortable, I have catheter tubes, I have radiation burn scars, and because of repeated kidney failure I am physically weak, so my core body strength is negligible. Sitting on an upright chair for more than ten minutes, hurts!
So on top of being bored I am either in pain, or fuzzy headed on painkiller meds if I remember to take them before I go.
Being weak I cannot sit down in a controlled manner, if the chair has no arms I have to flop down into it.
Of course, once I am in the chair, I have the problem of trying to get out of it. My legs are not strong enough to push me out of chair unaided, if the chair has arms its not a problem. If the chair does not have arms I have to put my hand against the back of the chair… whereupon if the chair is not nailed to the floor, the chair falls over.
I hate asking strangers to help me to my feet!
People, seeing I am not strong, often kindly offer me a seat. A lot of the time it is slightly less painful to stand, though of course standing is very tiring. If I can get in and out of chair I will often stand a few minutes, then sit a few minutes and stand again. Walking (at a speed of gentle totter) is less painful than standing, standing is less painful than sitting.
I am always deeply thankful to get back to my comfy chair at home that supports my back at 45 degrees and has a footrest.
It would be lovely if waiting rooms had a least a few reclining chairs!
If I stop for a quick cup of tea when I am out and about I always favour cafes that either have fixed chairs or chairs with arms, it makes life so much easier.
I don’t usually eat out because unless the waiter is Speedy Gonzales sitting upright for long enough to eat a full meal is too uncomfortable.
(Anyone recommend a restaurant in Shropshire that has reclining chairs?)
Read other posts in Val’s diary here:
24 February – So what is a stent?
10 February 2010 – A nice cup of tea
3 February 2010 – The joys of negative thinking
26 January 2010 – My secret tattoos
20 January 2010 – Plumbing problems (part II)
20 January 2010 – Plumbing problems (part I)
6 January 2010 – Of vampires and vaccinations
29 December 2009 – Beauty and fashion
