Did you like to stay in hospital as a child?

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I've never liked hospital stays. I can get used to them easily enough, but that doesn't mean I enjoy being there. With all that free time on my hands and not being allowed (or having the energy) to go anywhere, I get bored and restless pretty quickly. Most of the time I just sleep, read, or listen to music, as that's about all I can do, usually. I can deal with all the little annoyances of the patient dress code, the IV, the vitals checks, and the people going in and out all the time; it's the waiting around and doing nothing that bugs the heck out of me.

Although, the last time I was hospitalized, I ended up with a very attractive female nurse assigned to my case. It took my dad pointing it out to me to make me notice, though; I was so out of it.

That needles scared me a lot (and scare me even now), thankfully I had the encouraging words of my dad. Once it happened though, I was 4 and a half, that I tore to pieces the nylons of the nurse who tried to take blood sample from me . I think it had happened because it was out of the accustomed environment, on the corridor, so I wasn't expecting it. Anyway, I was allowed to wear my own pyjamas, have my favourite dog plushy and books with me. I ate not too much, my parents brought some food in, for example "floating islands", whipped egg white on vanilla milk, which I liked very much. My parents were extra kind with me, and the nurses and doctors were kind too. At least on one occasion I had the support of my aunt who worked there at the time as a nurse.

Somehow I naturally trusted doctors and nurses, so I wasn't really afraid of them. On every occasion I stayed at the same accustomed hospital, so it could have been a help to me. As I grew older my attitude towards staying in hospital has "normalized", now I don't like it any more than others do.

I LOVED Hospitals... and then I grew up and they didnt really give me anything to do there... but I always wanted to be one of those really ill children who got to go to school in the Hospital... Everyone thought I was a nutcase, but even today, I love being in them, the whole idea of feeling safe and all...

Not initially, but I did throw a tantrum that lasted at least a couple of days when I was taken out of ICU at 3 years of age. (I had pneumonia in both lungs and the flu.) However, I'm not sure if it was because of the change (I was in there for a little over a week) or if it was because I actually enjoyed the place.

The only childhood stay in hospital I had was treatment for Dravet syndrome back in 1968. I can't remember much about it.

I don't think I've ever stayed in a hospital overnight. I might have had to for strabismus surgery at age 2.

Otherwise: I've been very fortunate these 54 years, despite my ever-present digestive troubles.