Prepped for ER

When we were little kids we had great imaginations Our form of play to was to imitate the adults in our lives. We played, pioneers, school, church, store and doctor. We created a Mum Café, which Hertha organized. We cut out pictures of food, labeled them and made a menu.

We used MUM deodorant bottles for the salt and pepper shakers. Then we dressed up and came in as customers to the café. We took turns being the customer or waitress. We sat at this table to order and eat.

We stacked the pictures in piles and

served from this cupboard.

We pooled our money and bought a school kit.

Hertha was always the teacher. She made her

own stickers to put on our papers.

We had report cards, scissors,

chalk., crayons, attendance book

and yes diplomas. We pledged a paper flag.

One time I played dentist and Lora Dawn was my patient. I used a pick from a nut cracker set to examine her teeth. I found an old peppermint flavoring bottle which looked like a medicine bottle. I dipped the pick in the bottle and proceeded to examine her teeth. Some flavor was on the tip and she nearly flew out of the chair at me. Much to strong for mild Lora Dawn.

I made braces out of wire and a silver tooth out of tin foil. I shaped spacers out of bubble gum. I could knock out a tooth by making it look dark with a piece of brown paper, taken from chocolate candy wrapper.

One Christmas I received a doctors kit and I’m sure the older girls had a nurse kit. We imitated going to the doctor, and having a checkup, using a stethoscope, plastic syringe for shots, and candy pills and plastic thermometer. For more serious injuries such as broken arms and legs We wrapped each others’ legs and arms in white strips cut or torn from sheets. We used an old dishtowel for a sling. I used an old ironing board and wooden baton for crutches and swung on my knees. Later I found crutches stored in the barn and played with them.

Before the days of Fischer Price we had tin toys, a dollhouse, barn, farm set and gas station. One day I took the silo off the barn and used it for a cast. I stuck my arm through the silo and pushed my thumb out what would be the door. Then I wrapped it with the white bandages made from a sheet. I became expert at wrapping a convincing hard cast.

We went over the neighbors, the Grant boys, and I told them I broke my arm. The wrap felt very hard like a cast but didn’t quite look like one. I tried to convince George, who later became a teacher, principal and is now the Valli View School District superintendent., that yes, I broken my arm. At first I had them wondering then they doubted and I could lie no more.

Lately my attempts at pretending to be a nurse or doctor have come close to being true. When Noel came home from the hospital I became his nurse, housekeeper, cook. Twice a day I got to change his wound bandages on his healing foot.in what is called a wet to dry wrap.

Saline solution, followed by gauze Vaseline, more gauze and then a gauze wrap. Pulling on the rubber gloves I felt just like the doctor. I So My experience from my youth must have helped to make such a neat wrap.

One of our visits to ER during the holiday, the doctor complimented me on how I wrapped Noel’s foot. After he looked at it and proclaimed it not infected. ( I was the panicked nurse) he tried to wrap it back up. He went about it the wrong way covering the wound hole before it was treated. He said I could be his assistant. Noel kept telling the Dr. how to do the wrap but he got confused. Frustrated, he said, I have other patients who need stitching up.” He turned the whole thing over to me and left. So I sat on the round stool and wrapped Noel’s foot and the ER nurse became my aide. I tell you this so you’ll know I have worked in ER . wow !Never would I have guessed that our pretend days of \ doctoring would prepare me for ER.