very fit in the ICU

[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.

[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.

[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

[Crankin]

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!

[pll]

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.

[limewave]

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

^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.

[7rider]

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

[Artista]

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.

[OakLeaf]

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

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.

[Biciclista]

what is an snf?

[OakLeaf]

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.