Nothing HOSPITAbLe about it

My husband's grandmother is in the intensive care unit at one of the local hospitals (prayers please!), and his family has been very happy with the care she has been given. I stopped at the hospital today to see how she was doing and to see if I could be of any assistance for his parents (food or coffee runs, etc.). You should know that I hate hospitals. I always have. From the moment I walk in the doors that hospital smell causes my entire body to feel weak. Couple that with my germophobic tendencies and we've got What About Bob? part 2. Anyway, once I finally stepped into the cubicle that is called a room in the ICU, I was bombarded with sounds. Beeping monitors, loud gushes from some sort of oxygen apparatus, beeping from the IV bag thingy. Immediately my own anxiety went into overdrive. How in the world is anyone supposed to actually recover in the hospital when there are so many noises distracting patients from sleep? After all of these years of medical advancements we can't do better that this? I'm finding this so hard to believe. Our healthcare system is a mess, there is no doubt about that, but what is going on that our hospitals aren't quieter and more conducive to recovery? No wonder so many people refuse to go to doctors or into hospitals when they are ill. It's quieter at home!

There was a sign hanging from the ceiling when I first approached the ICU wing that said something to the effect of, "Every person entering the ICU must first wash their hands or use alcoholic gel sanitizer". I immediately started looking on the walls for sanitizer. A nurse approached me and asked me if I was lost, to which I replied, "No, I'm looking for hand sanitizer." She laughed, "Oh, you're probably the first person to actually read that sign and do what it says." What??? You mean to tell me that in a part of the hospital where it is most crucial for patients not to be exposed to germs and harmful bacteria, there is nothing but a SIGN monitoring people's hygiene? We're going on pure faith that humankind will follow directions and do what they're asked to do? I've been in the bathroom at the gym. I have seen too many women bypass the sink after emerging from the stall. There should be a scary Hulk Hogan-style man standing at the entrance to the ICU with a giant bottle of hand sanitizer forcing people to de-germ! Aaaaahhhhh!!!