Woman in hospital bed opposite is driving me up the wall

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I've been in hospital for best part of 9 weeks so I am probably being a bit unreasonable as I'm home sick, I miss my baby at home and I'm really poorly.

Woman opposite me came in last week to have her gallbladder removed. As soon as she came in she was demanding everything from the nurses. We all know we have a buzzer and we have to wait our turn but I had just come out of a nasty 20 minute seizure and she was shouting over saying 'she's finished now you can come to me'
She wanted a cup of hot water.. it's been like that the whole time and the nurses and us in this bay are getting fed up.
She constantly picks her nose and eats it. All the time. I've shouted so many times (during meal times) that it's disgusting and we don't want to see it as all of us in here are vomiting already. She replies with 'sorry it's annoying'

She has on multiple times shoved her fingers down her throat and made herself 'sick' and also poured her orange juice into the bowl and told the nurse she was sick to get IV anti sickness. She constantly spends the whole time itching her arse crack, she pulls the blanket off her and has no issue with having her legs wide open and we can see what she has for breakfast.
She hasn't left her bed once apart from to go to the loo. She hasn't showered at all, the nurses keep pushing her to shower but she doesn't want to. They've even offered a bedside wash and that was a no.

(She is fully mobile) I said to her yesterday 'shall we go for a little walk and brush our teeth?' She said she forgot to bring a toothbrush with her. They have spare here. She's been in for 6 days. She keeps complaining of chest pains and each time she has to have an ECG then a doc to review.
The infuriating thing is she only decides to get chest pain when I'm having a seizure. She only pretends vomits when somebody else is being sick.

I can't draw my curtain round and not see her as I need to be in eyesight of the doctors and nurses if I have seizures. (Up to 6 a day).

Everyone in the bay is getting tired of this. The nurses can see what she's doing. They told her she's medically fit to go home days ago but she won't leave as she has a new ailment.
There's probably nothing I can do. But I'm so close to losing my rag at her picking her beak and scratching her arse when we are all trying to get better. Trying to eat. We all have to touch the same finger monitor when they do our obs and I don't want to touch her germs, bogeys or arse crack particles. Small bay of 4 people.

What the hell can I do. It's making me so wound up but I can't do a thing about it.

That sounds awful. And you’ve been in for 9 weeks? How ghastly. I hope things get better for you.

At some point they will move her on (mainly because they need her bed).

God I hope so.

I've been posting under a different username about my hospital stays as I didn't know if this post would make me look like an arsehole.

7 weeks in one hospital and 10 days ago transferred here. (I'm 28, having cardio seizures that they can't stabilise atm. That's another story!)

She's currently eating a bag of haribo so loudly smacking her lips together I am about 2 seconds away from launching my table GGGRRRR

My God she sounds horrendous (and not the full shilling either tbh)

I can only offer a hand hold I'm afraid 💐

I don't suppose there's any chance you can get moved to another bay? (unlikely I know)

When she's really getting on your last nerve can you close your eyes and do some meditative breathing - I know it sounds pants but at this point it's worth trying anything?

Fingers crossed she (and/or you) will be discharged soon, nothing last forever, this too shall pass.

That sounds absolutely horrendous, how disgusting

She sounds awful but she must have more wrong with her than her gall bladder. I was in and out when I had mine removed. One night is all most people get. I suggest you purchase noise cancelling headphones.

Oh dear - I hope you are well soon - it sounds like a marathon for you.

This woman sounds dire. Once when I was in hospital on a big Nightingale ward, a woman in the corner would hurl her bedpan, discus-style, across the room. Gross!

You poor darling, that sounds really tough. You are so brave, and missing home and your baby too

Earphones and iplayer/music? Ask to be moved?

It does sound as if they may get rid of her soon though.

Maybe suggest that she needs an in house referral for a psychiatric assessment too.

This sounds absolutely horrible and I’m sorry she’s making an already difficult hospital stay even worse.

I’d just like to add, as a nurse, that they should be cleaning the sats probe (finger monitor) in between patients. You shouldn’t have to be worrying about her germs being on it as you should be seeing it be disinfected regularly. If it’s not, that’s something you should raise and ask why it’s not being done, as it’s a big infection control measure.

Ewww, absolutely vile, YANBU op.

I really hope they kick her off the ward soon (what a waste of limited NHS resource FFS) and also that you get home to your baby soon 💐

If she isn’t a falls risk get the nurses to draw her curtains so you’re not subjected to the nose picking and other things you don’t want to see.

Agree with @Putonyourshoes if you aren’t seeing them wipe down the sats monitor ask them to each and every time.

Could you suggest that her curtains are drawn?

My God she sounds horrendous (and not the full shilling either tbh)

Well yes, although I think to recognise she may have metal healthy or even learning difficulties is a more appropriate way to say it.

I'm so sorry OP I do sympathise. I'm nice time I was in they brought a woman and her brother to the ward at about 3am and they were so loud, she was shouting about how her antipsychotic meds had been left behind so nobody on the ward approached her to ask her to be quiet. It was the accrue admissions ward and none of the nurses were fussed at all. When I got moved to the next ward we had a woman on speaker, on FaceTime, for hours. It was exhausting.

Complain to PALs at the hospital, they’ll have a page on the hospitals website usually. She sounds like she has mental issues and shouldn’t be on a normal ward like this, sounds like she actually needs psychiatric help.

Can you ask to be moved? Surely the stress of her isn't helping your seizures ?

She's clearly not mentally well and if she's in a bed that she no longer needs she might be there because they can't get a bed for her in a hostel yet.

That's not to say it isn't terrible for all around you. I'm just finding it interesting that if a poster had posted about their abusive husband people would jump up and down with claims that he had ASD or some MH reason besides being an abusive arsehole. But not for this woman who clearly isn't well.

Oh no it's awful enough being in hospital, let alone with all that going on. Sounds really stressful 😞 can you try some ear plugs or headphones and watch done tv or music, or get an eye mask and pretend your asleep 😴 hope your out if there soon xx

Sorry I stopped reading your OP as it made me feel sick. I've been in your position many times. You may have mentioned this further down your post but I would have my curtains drawn, noise cancelling headphones, my phone and an iPad so I could watch Netflix, YouTube, etc.

And yes, I am sure the nurses are cleaning the equipment between uses or you really have a far bigger problem than this woman.

That's sounds horrific, poor you. I'd second noise-cancelling headphones if you're able to have them and try to talk to PALs - they can be so helpful

Don’t be ridiculous, this is what a lot of the general public is like!

Speak to the nurses and see if you can be moved, explain how it's making you feel. Can't hurt to try x

I know she is either homeless and/or has MH issues, but I would have wanted to smother her in her sleep after less than 24hrs. You are a saint.

I know you can't have your curtain all the way around, but can you ask if it's possible to just have it across the one side that's towards her? So just at the foot end of your 'square'? Like a wall between you and her.

Maybe they could move her to an end bay by the entrance so she can be seperated from everyone else? I feel like if her curtain is pulled round she'll just be shouting and even more disruptive.

Or can you position the TV thing to block your view of her?

It's miserable, you have my sympathy. I was on a ward with someone like that - constant minor demands that had to be done NOW and refusal to even try to do anything herself. And constantly fucking talking loudly at people who said they were trying to sleep.

I have noise cancelling headphones. You can't muffle out the sound of someone picking their nose and arse and sticking their fingers down their throat to vomit.

Noise isn't the issue.

OP please ask about Non epileptic events and ensure this is investigated properly as well. Your experience sounds very similar to someone I know from what you have posted here.

Hospitals always bring out the assholes - MH issues or not.

Do you have any noice cancelling headphones?