I am currently on day 13 of Costa (5 I was away with the fairies) now I am bit more able I am Bored....
Cant do cross stitch much as shaking too much
No TV!
havent got much concentration to read a book
and finally my phone died and the nurse thats on wont let me charge it due to electrical safety
Any ideas how I can entertain myself... only so many times can check your facebook
Doctor Top Trumps (just don't let them see them!!)
All you need is some paper and you can make your own set of Doctor Top Trumps cards - picture of each and decide what you're going to rate them on - bedside manner, understanding of asthma, time spend with patient, looks(!), dress sense, humour, likleyhood of squashing your feet by sitting on the bed without thinking...
Then you just need to find someone to play them with! 
Hmmm not sure it would work in a side room in ITU... but have seen some fit doctors... and nurses (male of course!)
Will do that on the ward once get there!!
It's horrible when you can't manage to read, isn't it? When I'm like that I tend to listen to radio 4 (I know, but someone has to.....) nothing lasts more than about an hour so I can drift in and out and I know that everything will be repeated later in the week if I fall asleep in the middle of something interesting.
I find it very difficult to understand what is unsafe about recharging your phone, but you're probably stuck with that one. Can you get someone to recharge it for you overnight and return it the next day? And, do you have an I-Pod or similar? If you have, maybe get a book or two downloaded so that you can listen when you're feeling up to it and then turn off when you've had enough. Again, though, you'd probably need someone to re-charge it for you.
Failing that, you could always try making a list of your 25 favourite songs to add to GrannyMo's post - I've been trying for a couple of weeks and still can't get down to 25 but it's providing me with endless amusement.
I really hope you start feeling a bit better soon.
i can see the idea i might blow up the whole ward lol!! Hopefully when its shift cahnge over they will let me!!
Unfortunalty not in my local as specilist unit wanted me with them so vistors are limted! got ipod working on adding somgs to the list my mine I find are meandful lyrince my current fave there s song with 'breathing is no fun anymore!'
Now laptop battery dying too... what am I going to do for 12 hours!
Sorry to hear you're stuck in ITU BIzkid but glad you're no longer away with the fairies. Never been in hospital but love Ratty's idea of Doctor Top Trumps lol! Think I could do a reasonable set for the ones I've seen as outpatient.
What about word games/puzzles/sudoku - or would that be a concentration issue like with reading? Audiobooks might be an idea if you can get hold of some, my mum who tends to get insomnia listens to them at night when she's not in the most alert state (after just waking up/drifting off).
If you're not using your phone to get on FB/AUK what are you using? Any chance you could eg get iPlayer, 4OD on it?
Otherwise Annista's idea of lists is good. I like to make lists of things like 'which people living or dead would I invite to a party?' and then plan what the party would be like and who I'd have talking to each other. Or if doctors/nurses have tendency to say the same things a lot (like 'sharp scratch coming') you could have a sneaky game of hospital bingo - make a list of typical phrases and cross them off.
Hope you get better soon and at least out of ITU.
I have a pay as you go dongle for my laptop so can get 40d though would end up being a small fortume!!!! gonna watch casulty tonight and pick faults im good at those!
Got su doku been doing odd puzzles but now thats starting to bore me!!!
gonna try writting amazing things said to me.... then move onto insiprational song lyrics... might ewven start to write a book on hospitals of the UK seem to visited allot of them ( work, uni and friends all over the country not through ohh what hospital can I visit today!)
Ugh poor you!
I hate being on a ward, but I hate side rooms even more. It can get pretty lonely in there, though I imagine that a side room on ITU is slightly less lonely than on a general ward.
My two regular hospitals both have wi-fi for patients, which is an absolute lifesaver. I take my netbook, iPhone and headphones, and I'm set. I'm with Annista on the radio 4 listening. There are so many interesting programmes if you can get yourself into the right mindset. My kindle is another lifesaver - I get through about a book a day when I'm feeling well enough to read, and because it can fit 3000 books, I can almost always find something that fits my mood. It also has 3G, so I can download books if I don't have one that suits, even if the wi-fi is down.
I usually have a pack of cards in my hospital bag, so I can play patience, or various games with visitors. Backgammon (on computer or IRL) is another good one - can be played with a friend or alone, as it's mostly based on luck. Bao is another good game that doesn't take up too much space.
Richard often brings trashy magazines and/or puzzle magazines, DVDs (for the laptop, if I get bored of TV/iPlayer/4OD).
I know what you mean about cross-stitch being a bit too fiddly for a shaky person, but do you knit? That doesn't need much equipment, and I don't find that it's much more difficult if I'm shaky.
Hope you can get out of there soon! Where are you? Anywhere near London?!
Hugs, Wishes
I l.ove the trashy Mags when ill the take abreak storied from around the world makes me chuckle!!
Got Nick Edwards trust me Im still a Dr to read just taking a while keep forget where I got to
Vistor wise Im not getting many as not in local and its 90 mins away from home but usually get a few as know people from pre asthma days...
The side room thing on itu isnt as bad but depends on nurse if its one I can have little chats with I dont mind on a ward I get lonely, I get lonely in a bay sometimes... i do like the peace at night though.
I am guessing that unless your phone charger has had a PAT (portable appliance test) in the last 12 months and has a sticker to prove it you won't be allowed to connect to the hospital's mains electric in case its faulty and causes a problem. All places of work like that have PATs every year by qualified electricians and everything that has a plug is tested if they can find it. Can you get a visitor to take your phone and charge it elsewhere and then bring it back to you? Karen.
Day 14 today between ITU n now hdu Grrrr
My entertainment is fb n texting n I sooo look forward to visiting as thing getting to me
at times as u know
Others include planning ways of killing woman next to me if she bangs that table with the box of tissues once more or shouts ELINOR once more!!! Grrr
Sudoku good
Newspapers
Seeing how many staff p**s u off in one shift - another favourite!!
Day 14 today between ITU n now hdu Grrrr
My entertainment is fb n texting n I sooo look forward to visiting as thing getting to me
at times as u know
Others include planning ways of killing woman next to me if she bangs that table with the box of tissues once more or shouts ELINOR once more!!! Grrr
Sudoku good
Newspapers
Seeing how many staff p**s u off in one shift - another favourite!!
Miserys, no one ever questions me plugging my phone or MP3 player in to recharge. I always have a book of wordsearches on hand, and a notebook to write thoughts or doodles. Also pick a word like ""Caterpillar"" and see how many words you can get out of it, without including nouns. That keep you busy for a while! Get well soon!
thankfully i can use electrical stuff, so my entertainment is a portable DVD player, DS, and phone...and then i tend to read bout 2 books, the trash mags, and i tend to sleep LOTS!!
if none of that is successful, im helping the lil old people around me when the silly staff dont tend to ever be available, such as moving the drink from the far side of the table where the poor fragile lil old lady cant posibly reach it (this of course is when im not attached to a hospital pipe, drip of picking my lung off the floor and shoving it back up my bottom!!! 
xx
oooo ive even on one occasion made a pck of cards out of paper and played that for hours on end!!!
x
i know snowygirls entertainment today was a 2yo giggling, crunching a rhubarb & custard sweet, spilling squash and eating cakes!
that's cause me n my 2yo went to visit. only took us a couple hours there and 3 back!
Geina x
long weekend in hospital
Back in Hospital..
