Guest guest Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 A quick update and thoughts as I prepare for my revision. I went to visit the floor where I will be recovering at town Hospital. The head nurse was delightful and appreciated that I came by. I didn't want to take much time, but she showed me an open room (private) and sat down with me for a few minutes to explain their approach to nursing/recovery. She explained that their goal is to keep me from getting blood clots or pneumonia (getting me up asap), but that they will ask me what my goal is(and to think about that ahead of time) and they will tailor their approach to what I need (e.g., pain control, etc). They strive for pain control at 2-3 which I thought sounded pretty good. They have a ratio of 4-5 patients to one nurse and other floor technical staff, residents come early in the morning and I will see Dr. Lauerman every day as she said he make a point to check up daily on his patients. We discussed what to bring and not to bring and how they handle family, visitors etc. I was glad I went. It reduced the anxiety of what to expect there. Regarding infection rates in hospitals, a friend of mine who works in a hospital lab says that each hospital has infections no matter how hard they try to eliminate them. But her opinion was that if I am going to be on an orthopedic ward and not a general floor chances are better that the likelihood of infection possibility will be lower. I think I am mentally preparing also. I am trying to stay strong with positive thoughts (I've survived this before, meds are better than 23 years ago, I have great family support now, etc). But what I found is when I'm tired or have been strong all day for family/friends, the anxiety comes right back to the top to be dealt with. Normal I suppose. Anyway, blood donation went ok, working on my list which I made from the excellent resources of this board, and trying to eat healthfully etc. I've never been pregnant, but this must be like the last few weeks -- let's get this over with and get to the other side where there will be hope and a new phase of my life. My best to the others who are closing in on their event or decision to move forward and those recovering. Thanks for listening. Annette in Arlington Revision date 10/2 PS - I enjoyed Llewyn's article. Thanks for sharing your story with us and your community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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