very fit in the ICU

as a lot of you know, my DH is in the hospital, having just had some drastic surgery to rid his body of cancer. In the ICU they don't expect to find athletic people. when your heart beats at 60 beats a minute and normal blood pressure for you is 115/80 that means if you are a little droopy (as most people are) the alarms in the ICU are constantly going off. Today, as DH falls asleep, his bp drops and the alarms go off, which then wake him up. it's kind of like torture. also a lot of pain meds drop the blood pressure so they have to give them other stuff to bring it up. they finally let my DH stand up this afternoon and he wanted to walk but because of his low BP they said if we let you walk we'lll get fired with those numbers.
pretty frustrating.

Wow, that's interesting, Mimi. Who knew? I have lowish BP but not an incredibly low resting HR, and I don't recall having any of this when I was in the hospital for several days after surgery in 2005. I hope they will realize that RD's normal is perfectly healthy for him. Sorry you're having to go through this on top of everything else. Hospitals are not fun places to be, and I was SO relieved when I was able to go home.

Do they say when he will be released? Hopefully SOON!

Keeping you both in my thoughts...

Hang in there, both of you. Sending positive thoughts to you, DH, and the hospital staff.

he will be in here for about 12 days, but hopefully only 2 more in ICU. yeah they told me they had an olympic athlete here that had the same issues...

Yikes! Hope all is going well!

Not related to BP, but my Raynaud's kept making the blood oxygen sensor go off because I was freezing and it would cut off the blood supply to that finger. One of the nurses taught me how to turn the alarm off :p Once I could walk I learned how to steal extra blankets, too.

Best wishes for you both -- I hope he recovers well.

When I have my blood pressure and heart rate checked during any visit to the doctor, there's a good chance they will look confused and check a second time, or ask if the numbers are always that low. Last year my pulmonologist said, "how much bike riding did you say you do?" And that was after I walked up 5 flights of stairs rather than take the elevator to his office.

My sister is a nurse in a critical care post-op unit -- I think I will ask her about this.

How frustrating not to be able to rest! I wonder if RD's doctor can direct them to adjust the monitors so they can let RD sleep but still make sure he is safe?

As frustrating as it is, he will probably recover faster than people who are less fit going into surgery.

I'd be in big trouble...my BP is typically 110/60. On a high day it might be 110/70.

A friend's DH is type 1 diabetic and had extended hospitalization after he was blown off a roof during a windstorm and suffered dozens of broken bones and a collapsed lung. In the hospital MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS totally mismanaged his diabetes--treating him as if he were a type 2 diabetic and obese...2 things he is far from.

They had to have a friend (a fellow type 1) come in and give the hospital staff what for. If his injuries didn't nearly kill him, their lack of competence nearly did. They were trying to treat his condition with diet, rather than the necessary blood checks and insulin.

Sometimes it seems like "policy" trumps common sense. The results could be lethal.

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Originally Posted by ny biker

As frustrating as it is, he will probably recover faster than people who are less fit going into surgery.

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This^. I'm sorry it's so frustrating for both of you though. Hopefully, they'll figure out his normal before long so you can both get some rest. Is Don otherwise in much pain?

Thanks for the update, Mimi. I've been thinking of you all day.

Hope he's getting to feeling better soon!

Sending you best wishes.

A few years ago I freaked out the pre-op nurses with my 45bpm resting heart rate. I had to convince them that I'm an athlete and that this was normal for me.

Sending you the best vibes I can generate.

yes you guys know what i am talking about. when i complained he needed his rest they said he isn't here to rest and that would have to wait until he is out of ICU!

on the other hand, most of the patients here are too weak to complain.. so I have to remind him of that and it makes him feel lots better.

When my DH was in the hospital with cancer, he ended up in ICU for a week. It is so important to have somebody there advocating! They are so understaffed that mistakes are made, some with devastating consequences. They kept trying to give DH breathing treatments with the same substance that landed him in ICU (rapid heartbeat & threw a clot). He would supposed to be IPO for a morning test & they'd bring dinner. Finally, his oncologist threw up his hands (after a test was delayed) saying, "I guess my ORDERS around here are just SUGGESTIONS."

I stayed with him 24/7 or had a trusted family member with him at all times. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get to the bathroom, get water, kleenex (why do they always put it out of reach of the patient?), etc. I'm not blaming the nurses because they were very helpful AND very stressed.

Then he got MRSA...not a memorable year

yes, Dogmama.. he has a table where his stuff is and each time the day nurse comes in she pushes it out of her way.. and out of his reach! =8-0

however, they have 2 patients for each nurse, not understaffed here! can't complain about THAT. we picked our hospital carefully.. but we can't wait to get out of ICU.

I will never understand the constant interruptions in the hospital. I got almost no sleep in the 4 nights I spent there after having my son by c-section (a long story in itself...my OB was an a-hole). Unlike other surgeries, everyone thinks they need to come visit a new mom and the baby. So I couldn't sleep during the day when people were in and out to see the kid, then at night the nurses were in about every hour...I'm a horribly light sleeper. I was in tears by the time we left...I was so tired after 12 hours of labor, then surgery, then trying to care for my new baby, and staff in at all hours. One nurse came in and woke me up--to make sure I was OK (not even to check vitals). Yeah, jerk, I was fine...until you woke me up!

Some women think having a baby in a hospital is like a vacation. I think they're off in the head.

I hope your hubby is able to get some rest. I firmly believe that sleep is THE most important factor for recovery from just about anything.

ICU always reminds me of the pachinko parlors I saw in Japan---lights going on and off, alarm bells, thumping and howling noises, you name it---just major overstimulation of the senses. The opposite of restful for sure. Important place but boy is it hard on people.

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Originally Posted by salsabike

ICU always reminds me of the pachinko parlors I saw in Japan---lights going on and off, alarm bells, thumping and howling noises, you name it---just major overstimulation of the senses. The opposite of restful for sure. Important place but boy is it hard on people.

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I had outpatient surgery years ago (breast reduction). I had the option to stay overnight in an outpatient ward (as long as I was in and out in <24 hours it was still considered outpatient). As soon as I finished my dinner I told my nurse I was ready to go home. I was. I never would have slept in that ward--they don't even turn the overhead lights off at night.

People think healing is a vacation because you're lying down, when in fact it's really hard work.

I've never understood that it should be so hard to rest in a hospital either! But I guess that may be something of a luxury point of view, since I've never had anything really serious to recover from. My son had a minor but somewhat traumatic operation a few years ago (went in to check a swollen testicle and was told: OPERATE NOW!), and couldn't get a wink of sleep the following night until I begged that we get to crash on the couch in the visitors waiting room. It was like an anti-resting environment everywhere else.

Keep us posted, mimi!

We're going to have to start calling Don "Zeus" -- he is a god among men. Here's to quick healing. I hope they let him set up his trainer when he gets to a regular room.

Roxy

It is so true that medical personnel just don't know what to do with fit people. Especially, fit people over the age of 50.
DH fought this while dealing with the aftermath of his angioplasty and stent implantation. Hell, he couldn't even get anyone to believe him when he complained of chest pain and nothing showed up. Then, they tried to give him beta blockers, when he has a resting HR of 45.
I had a whiff of this myself when I went for my physical last year. The new doctor freaked out when I told her my chest was hurting (I was getting sick and I have asthma/allergies) and she asked me if I had chest pain when climbing stairs, after I had just told her I rode my bike over 3,000 miles last year.
Mimi, I am sure you will be advocating for DH. The med personnel just think people like us are freaks!

Mimi: Best wishes to you and your husband. I hope he recovers as quickly as possible.

Not all hospitals seem to react the same way... My BP can be rather low (I have recorded 90/60 at the dr's office) and during an outpatient surgery, it was even lower, pulse under 50. I had a nurse or technician "admiring" my numbers while I was recovering. She told me they usually never see numbers that low.

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Originally Posted by pll

Mimi: Best wishes to you and your husband. I hope he recovers as quickly as possible.

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^Being in the hospital is MISERABLE. Sending best-wishes for a quick recovery and healing.

I nearly had a surgery canceled b/c my resting heart rate was so low (mid to low 50's). DH got a little stern with the nurses, "she runs! she bikes! It's normal for her!" And when I was in the hospital in labor with my son, the nurses kept moving me around b/c my blood pressure was so low (compared to what they're used to).

I feel the same way when I go to my GP. They see so many unhealthy people, they don't really know what to do with me when I come in.

All the best, Mimi.
I hope Don gets out of there quickly and has a speedy - and complete - recovery.

Sending healing vibes to your hubby, Mimi. Hope the hospital care situation improves today. I'm sure that this is as stressful for you as it is for him.

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Originally Posted by NbyNW

People think healing is a vacation because you're lying down, when in fact it's really hard work.

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Nurses and hospital staff and people who write protocols really ought to know better, though. I guess that's just it though ... the only ones who see the effect of the disruption on the patients, have no power to do anything about it. :(

I read something not too long ago about how the noise level in the average hospital is so high that it affects the mental functioning of the people who work there. Let alone people who are trying to get well or be caregivers.

Best to RD as he continues to heal.

And just a word about my dad's experience last week ... if they transfer RD to a SNF for the next phase, be sure that med transfers are arranged well in advance, and do what you can to see that the courier leaves the hospital before he does. Missing 16 hours' doses of pain meds days after surgery = not good. :(

what is an snf?

Skilled Nursing Facility (rehab center). They usually transfer patients after they've recovered enough from surgery that they no longer meet the guidelines for hospitalization, but they need more care than they could get at home.

And in rapid conversation they really do say "sniff" for SNF.

Best wishes for speedy recovery and some rest too.

Hang in there Mimi and RD - Before you know it, RD will be out of ICU and then you will have a host of new problems in the general rooms! I think the hospital part of being sick just makes it worse!!!!

Wow, Mimi, this is the first I heard about this. I so hope the surgery was successful and that the cancer was eliminated. Sometimes you have to be a bit proactive with hospital staff. If you feel he isn't getting the rest he needs, ask your doctor to issue different orders to the staff appropriate for his physiology. I had to do this last time I was in the hospital.

Also, consider bringing him home cooked meals if he is up for it. I did that when my husband was in the hospital since the food was apalling. They didn't seem to understand how important good nutrition is to healing.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the cancer floor at the local hospital still talks about me when I was my Mom's advocate. To this day, if someone asks me if I am the Dr Daughter I have to restrain myself(but that's another story)...
KEEP BEING THE ADVOCATE,
DEMAND don't ask,
TALK to the Supervisor,
CALL the DR. and keep calling,
BE A PIA Monitors can be adjusted and alarms can be silenced but typically the charge nurse has zero power.
QUESTION, QUESTION and then QUESTION again
Who cares if they talk about you on break :)

oh no, he's going into another ward here. what's great about this place is that all the facilities and all of the doctors have instant access to each other and all the tests. it's great. they even can see when other doctors have appointments with you!

Yeowch, but isn't he supposed to be resting to recover from surgery in there? :eek: Hope the ICU stay will be short, if it can't be sweet. Medical personnel are just...puzzling.

I had a similar experience when I had surgery a few years ago. I was trying to sleep in my half-conscious state and I kept hearing this beeping and thinking 'I wish they'd attend to whomever is beeping so much' and then I realized it was me. Every time the alarm went off, they woke me up to check on me. Finally, some doctor/supervisor came in and asked if I was an athlete. I hesitated because I was out of shape and overweight at the time but said "yes" and they shut off the alarm for me. My RHR is in the low 40s naturally - regardless of my exercise routine and it confuses medical personnel all the time.

Mimi - I hope your DH has an easy recovery and that you both get some rest soon!

I think everyone that is fit has a story about medical care! They just don't understand fit physiology because they don't see that much of it. My hubby had double hernia surgery where they put in mess all the way across his abdomen.

Well, they kind of screwed up, and didn't do the pre-surgery ekg so they had no base for my husband. They knew him and knew how fit he was. Pretty stupid.

Anyway, when he came out of anesthesia, they thought he might have had a heart attack because of the rhythm of his athlete's heart; wouldn't let him come home, gave him morphine (supposed to help the heart issue) and then that made him deathly ill. I had to go in the next day and tell them they were nuts, cut out the morphine and let my hubby go. It was crazy

Sending positive vibes to you and your family Mimi. Maybe he will amaze them and get out of the hospital earlier than expected.

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Originally Posted by Sky King

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the cancer floor at the local hospital still talks about me when I was my Mom's advocate. To this day, if someone asks me if I am the Dr Daughter I have to restrain myself(but that's another story)...
KEEP BEING THE ADVOCATE,
DEMAND don't ask,
TALK to the Supervisor,
CALL the DR. and keep calling,
BE A PIA Monitors can be adjusted and alarms can be silenced but typically the charge nurse has zero power.
QUESTION, QUESTION and then QUESTION again
Who cares if they talk about you on break :)

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+++1
AND make sure that everybody who enters the room WASHES THEIR HANDS OR USES SANITIZER. My DH got wound MRSA and that really sux.

Another thing - they were going to transfer him to an SNF but I pitched a fit & they showed me how to change bandages using the sterile technique, do the IV for the vacomysin (MRSA medicine - the IV was a pic line & already in) and other things. I brought him home and his insurance company sent us bandages, medicine, the whole bit. They were probably thrilled that I saved them the $$ of an SNF. But really, after awhile you need to be home to heal. Hospitals & the like are not for sick people who need to recover! ;)