Table of Contents: The Big Bike Accident - September 1, 2004

Everyone I had interacted with so far had been extremely friendly and personable, despite the many many people they must see every night, day after day, week after week. The X-Ray technicians, on the other hand, made me feel like a piece of meat that had to be processed.

They wheeled me into the X-Ray room, which also felt impersonal and clinical, despite its softer lighting. There were no people around except for my technician and the one with whom she worked. They talked to one another, sometimes joking around, other times, working out what they had to do to get my x-rays completed.

The only time my technician offered any personal kindness was when she had to move me back onto my body board from the other surface they'd moved me onto. She said she was sorry, and that it must hurt.

On the way to the x-ray room and on the way back, I was able to get a look at some of the other patients. I saw no blood or gore; it was hard to know what was wrong with them. I did see one young boy with a monitor showing an x-ray of what looked like his leg-bone.

I was glad when I returned to my bay in the E.R., where people were friendly, and there was lots of hustle and bustle of people. Despite the harsher lights of the E.R., it was overall a more personal environment.

Previous: Being in the E.R.

Next: Putting Humpty Together Again

Table of Contents: The Big Bike Accident - September 1, 2004