very fit in the ICU

[PamNY]

Sending you the best vibes I can generate.

[Biciclista]

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.

[Dogmama]

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

[Biciclista]

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.

[zoom-zoom]

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.

[lph]

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!

[channlluv]

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

[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.

[zoom-zoom]

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.

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.

[NbyNW]

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

[Triskeliongirl]

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.