Icepack? Pack your own.

Unless you are willing to throw an absolutely criptacular gimpy tantrum you may wish to pack your own icepack the next time you visit the hospital.
It was my experience this week that hospitals, or at least the hospital I frequent most, are unwilling to hand out icepacks for patients who need them.  My physical therapist put me through an incredibly aggessive workout yesterday and left no time for icing (usually I am able to lay down with an icepack for the last 15 minutes of therapy).  I limped out of into the hallway expecting my ride to be waiting for me but she wasn't there.  I went back into the physical rehabilitation department desk and explained that I needed an icepack and would be back in two days if they wanted me to return it.  "Our policy is not to give icepacks out to patients.  Just use some frozen vegetables."  WTF?  Excuse me but where am I supposed to get frozen vegetables?  I am in a hospital not a grocery store!  I went on to explain that my ride would be there any minute and that I had an hour long ride home.  The woman then proceeded to call my physical therapist who said I could not have an icepack but I could go lay down in the recovery room with one.  "But my ride is probably already waiting for me, I don't have time to lay down in the damn recovery room."  She then called again and said I was to go and meet my physical therapist in the treatment room (which of course was halfway across the hospital).  I quickly limped in that direction getting madder, more swollen and in greater pain with each step.  I finally made it there only for my pt to have some IcyHot muscle rub gelly he was so graciously offering me.  WTF? (This really is basically what I said to him).  He offered up some lame half-baked excuse about gel-packs potentially breaking open and the hospital being at liability.  So why can't I just have ice?  Is there some potential risk that I might get wet? WTF!  I turned quickly (almost falling over) and did my best to stomp away.  Hmpf! 
At the front lobby I attracted the usual crip attention.  This time I took advantage of my haggard state and made a complaint about how the hospital treats it's patients.  The lady at the front desk came back with four icepacks!  When I asked if I needed to return them when I visited the hospital this Friday she said, "Oh no dear, you can keep those". 

Comments

[Gimpy Mumpy]

Ooh Croupier, yes! Do you think we can get a nurse or phlebotomist to lend us one of their stretchy rubber tourniquet thingies for making a Super-Mumpy-Slingshot-Icepack-Launcher?? :P

[Croupier]

Oh man, I am cracking up at your awesomely smart PR move in the lobby. That so rules. I think you should ice yourself down with one of the icepacks, keep one at home, and throw the other two at your physical therapist and the rehab desk woman.

[charlesdawson]

In my experience, NHS hospitals stock a special brand of ice-maker - it breaks down as soon as anyone needs a pack for a nosebleed or a sprain.

At one time we could go to the central kitchens and scrounge some ice from them, but apparently this is a Health & Safety no-no; why the ice should be different from a kitchen, I don't know.