DEAR ABBY: The letter from "Exhausted in Tacoma," who was perturbed with her hospital roommate's visitors, disturbs me. First she said how sick she had been at the hospital and how rude her roommate's visitors were; then she was well enough to get up and go home. Abby, just how sick was she? As a registered nurse with 30 years' experience, I can tell you she doesn't sound very sick to me.
If she had been in the hospital as many times as she claimed, why did she go to the emergency room instead of having her own physician admit her? Also, she should have known enough about hospital procedures to have the floor nurse quiet the visitors down. She should also have known to ask for another gown to cover her backside, or how to use a robe or sheet to drape around herself to go to the bathroom.
I can't be sure without all the facts, but I'm guessing that "Exhausted" is a typical hypochondriac trying to get a few days in the hospital complete with "maid" service by her nurses, while her insurance pays for this "vacation."
No one who is truly sick gets up and leaves for the reasons she gave. And if rest at home was better than what she could get in the hospital, why didn't she just stay home in the first place? -- FRED HOLT, R.N., ENGLEWOOD, FLA.
DEAR FRED: Your reasoning, based on many years of experience, makes sense to me. However, without all the facts, I cannot call that reader a fake, for hers is not the only letter I have received complaining about visitors in hospitals.