# Hospitalized



## imp (Jul 29, 2015)

Have you ever been hospitalized? Would you care to reveal the particulars of the experience? Was it a medically-productive, rewarding time for you? Is there any particular facet of being hospitalized that you would share with those of us about to be so interred?    imp


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## Warrigal (Jul 29, 2015)

Only to have my children and you don't want to hear that particular horror story.


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## Josiah (Jul 30, 2015)

I've been hospitalized several times and didn't find it much to my liking. They wouldn't let me follow my normal supplement regimen. For most of your basic human needs you're at the hands of aids (not nurses). They are low paid, under educated, overworked, usually overweight and always seem to be on a cigarette break when ever you need them. You'll see your doctor once a day for 30 seconds if you're lucky so it you have anything consequential to say to him/her rehearse what you're going to say so you can say it all in 30 seconds. The hospital staff will try to leave you with the impression that they're so busy, but if your hearing is acute you will overhear countless hours of conversations between hospital staff on strictly non hospital related subjects. If you're really hurting don't expect much sympathy. Oh lest I forget, the food was terrible.


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## Butterfly (Jul 30, 2015)

imp said:


> Have you ever been hospitalized? Would you care to reveal the particulars of the experience? Was it a medically-productive, rewarding time for you? Is there any particular facet of being hospitalized that you would share with those of us about to be so interred?    imp



I was hospitalized twice in 2013 to have my hips replaced -- first one, then the other a month later.  For me, it had a wonderful result -- I can walk again!  I also received excellent and caring treatment while in the hospital (2 nights for the first hip, 3 for the second one).  I had great pain control. The nurses were vigilant and compassionate -- and the food was even good.   I was in a good hospital and I was told by nurses that my surgeon is VERY particular about how his patients are treated in the hospital -- though I suspect that in that hospital all patients get good treatment.

I was scared to death before the first hip (I hadn't had any surgery since tonsils in early 50's), but wasn't even worried when I went back in for the second one.


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## Warrigal (Jul 30, 2015)

That's good news for me Butterfly.


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## hollydolly (Jul 30, 2015)

Yep I've been hospitalized several times in my life, twice this year once in March to have back surgery, and again in May when I collapsed and was taken in as an Emergency admission and remained in hospital for 4 days
..Whenever I've been in hospital previously ( apart from when I gave birth) it has been in a privately run hospital and the care is very good...but this last time I was taken to an NHS run hospital, and I can only concur with Josiah's description...it was just appalling. There is no '' nursing care' as such, it's almost as though you're renting a bed, with the odd ''nurse' coming to dispense an analgesic every 4 or 5 hours and take blood pressure.....but only if you're a good girl and tell them how much pain your in on a sliding scale ( I could go on and on but I won't) the consultant will come around once every couple of days if you're lucky with a high faluting attitude surrounded by lackies and speak to you as tho' you were an imbecile, and actually have no interest in you at all ...A horrid experience, and one which I hope never to have to repeat!!


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## Lara (Jul 30, 2015)

I had cancer of the uterus in 2011 but I caught it quickly so it was effectively removed at Duke Hospital. VERY BUSY, huge hospital but EXCELLENT CARE. I met Dr. Valea for the first time over this issue and he asked me a few weeks before surgery, "Have you ever had an uncomfortable experience in the past with an operation?". I said, "only that it's scary to start feeling the effects of the anesthesia and not even see the doctor in the room." I felt like maybe the doc wouldn't show up or maybe a PA would step in and do it or worse yet, an intern.

The day of the surgery, I laid in the operating room, no doctor, just nurses, but expected that. I began to feel the effects of the anesthesia. All of a sudden Dr. Valea comes and got right down in my face near my ear and said quietly, " I'm here for you and I'm going to take good care of you." The nurse asked me later if I remembered it. I said, "I'll never forget it". He's at the top of his field, with international recognition, has done countless surgeries, and is still a very caring doctor….with incredibly professional skills.

I'm still cancer free. The hospital care was very impressive.


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## Ken N Tx (Jul 30, 2015)

A little unrelated, I had oral sedation surgery when I had 7 teeth extracted. The doctor was very polite and kept asking if I was OK and if anything hurt!! After I came out of the sedation, he and the nurse wheeled me out to our car for the ride home!! About 7PM that night, the doctor called my home and asked if everything was going OK!! I returned to him for several more extractions (local this time) and during the entire procedures he kept reassuring me it would go fine and kept asking if he was hurting me in any way!!

Great doctor!!


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## jujube (Jul 30, 2015)

I've never had what I'd call a "bad" experience with my six hospitalizations over the years.  Some have been better than others, but I felt I got quality care in all circumstances.  My only odd experience was waiting to be discharged once.  They said I couldn't be discharged until the doctor made his rounds.  This went on all day with them coming in every hour or so and saying he'll be right there.  Finally, at 5:00 p.m., they came in and said he called in and said I could be discharged.  Uh, if a call was all that took, I could have been discharged at 9:00 a.m. that morning.  They had people in beds out in the hall waiting for a room and I was champing at the bit to get out.  Didn't make sense.


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## hollydolly (Jul 30, 2015)

I had exactly the same situation in May when I was being discharged...they told me at 9am I was being discharged and to wait for the Doctor to do his rounds,just like you I kept asking every hour or so.. and precisely the same time as you Jujube they eventually told me at 5pm...no doctor came around, and it ended up with them just making a phone call. I was really frustrated because again there were lots of people waiting for that bed!!


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## grannyjo (Jul 30, 2015)

Was hospitalised last year after I fell and smashed my leg and ankle. Nine days of being there enduring the hospital rounds by the young trainee doctors.  I was never referred to by name,  just as "the compound, multiple leg fracture".  After I had the operation to actually fix the broken bones,  they tried to get me out of the hospital the next day,  even though I couldn't even get out of bed unassisted.

The nurses were always busy - too busy to bring a bed pan a lot of the time,  so I got into the habit of pressing the button a couple of times a day,  just to get relief,  even if I didn't have an urgent need at the time.

The food was so bad that I lost a couple of kilo's in weight.


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## Mrs. Robinson (Jul 30, 2015)

I was hospitalized for 5 days in 2000 for bacterial meningitis. I actually got quite a bit of the doctor`s attention because he got his butt chewed royally in the middle of the night (over the phone) by the ER doc who was treating me. I had seen "my" doc (wasn`t my established doc,this was the first time I had ever seen him) the previous afternoon with classic meningitis symptoms (I had even diagnosed myself) but he said "No,sinus infection". Well,it was not a sinus infection. The ER doc was livid and called him on the phone to let him know. So he pretended to be very attentive the next morning when he came in,but mostly spent the time trying to convince me to go to another hospital. I had two different insurances at the time and I guess they decided I should be using the one that would be using a hospital an hour and a half away. I said fine,my husband will drive me there. He said "No,you have to go by ambulance." I`m much better now,but for many years I had a major issue with anyone but myself or my husband driving. So I refused to go. He was sooooo ticked lol. It all worked out though-the other insurance agreed to pay the bill so I stayed. The care was good and the food was AWESOME. I was ordering doubles of everything. I have spent 15 years trying to find a veggie lasagna that was as good as theirs lol. Wasn`t til a week or so later that I realized the food was so good because I was on huge doses of steroids for the brain swelling lol. If I had chewed up and swallowed the paper menu it probably would have tasted good...


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## Falcon (Jul 30, 2015)

Josiah said:


> I've been hospitalized several times and didn't find it much to my liking. They wouldn't let me follow my normal supplement regimen. For most of your basic human needs you're at the hands of aids (not nurses). They are low paid, under educated, overworked, usually overweight and always seem to be on a cigarette break when ever you need them. You'll see your doctor once a day for 30 seconds if you're lucky so it you have anything consequential to say to him/her rehearse what you're going to say so you can say it all in 30 seconds. The hospital staff will try to leave you with the impression that they're so busy, but if your hearing is acute you will overhear countless hours of conversations between hospital staff on strictly non hospital related subjects. If you're really hurting don't expect much sympathy. Oh lest I forget, the food was terrible.



JOSH, Sounds like a Kaiser Permanente type hospital; run like an assembly line.  I wouldn't take my pet worm to one of them!

I had back surgery and MY experience was the EXACT OPPOSITE  of yours, in EVERY respect.


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## Warrigal (Jul 30, 2015)

grannyjo said:


> Was hospitalised last year after I fell and smashed my leg and ankle. Nine days of being there enduring the hospital rounds by the young trainee doctors.  I was never referred to by name,  just as "the compound, multiple leg fracture".


This reminds me of the time (I had forgotten) when I presented to ER with a vague pain in my chest. I was consistently referred to as the 45 year old chest pain, which amused me no end. I felt like saying, "No, I'm 45 years old but the pain is just a few hours old." It all turned out to be nothing specific but I spent a couple of nights in coronary care just to be sure. Everyone else was DND and I was sitting up, marking kids' exam papers and giggling at their answers. This kept setting of the alarms on the monitors. I knew I was fine within a couple of hours but the hospital needed some convincing.


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## Mrs. Robinson (Jul 30, 2015)

Falcon said:


> JOSH, Sounds like a Kaiser Permanente type hospital; run like an assembly line.  I wouldn't take my pet worm to one of them!
> 
> I had back surgery and MY experience was the EXACT OPPOSITE  of yours, in EVERY respect.



Kaiser was where they were trying to send me,Falcon. My ONLY problem with that was them wanting me to go by ambulance. I was a Kaiser member for 35+ years and I miss it so much. Much better care than I have ever received by any private doctor or hospital. Kaiser today is definitely not like the Kaiser of the 50s and 60s. They saved my brother`s life 8 years ago and my sister in law`s back in December. They both should have died of their illnesses. We originally changed to Kaiser when our daughter #2 was an infant and was "forgotten" by her private pediatrician,who had admitted her to the hospital late one night with Pnuemonia and never returned the next morning to check on her. Her IV had come out and the nurses could do nothing-not reinsert it or feed her-without his orders. Turns out he was moving and his phone had been mistakenly disconnected. Supposedly. We figured,at that point,that Kaiser couldn`t possibly be any worse,and were pleasantly surprised to find that it was awesome. We can`t have it now though as we live outside of their service area.


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## Josiah (Jul 30, 2015)

Falcon said:


> JOSH, Sounds like a Kaiser Permanente type hospital; run like an assembly line.  I wouldn't take my pet worm to one of them!
> 
> I had back surgery and MY experience was the EXACT OPPOSITE  of yours, in EVERY respect.



Actually it was a VA hospital. It's nice to know there are alternatives, but on the other hand you couldn't beat the price.


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## RadishRose (Jul 30, 2015)

I too, have experienced the doctor finishing rounds before discharging me. It's maddening.

 I had been hospitalized several times last year ( thank God that's over with) and after the first delayed discharge I *begged *for the Dr. to get me out before continuing rounds. Fortunately, the pleading worked. 

To be truthful, I'm not sure I wouldn't have just walked out if I had to wait all those hours again!


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## NancyNGA (Jul 30, 2015)

I've never been myself but I've visited people there a lot, and check out was *always* a long wait.  If I ever have to go to the hospital I would prefer to be left alone, so that won't be a problem.  The food my mother had there was pretty good.  When it comes the day to check out, I think I'll just get dressed and head for the door and see if that rushes things along.


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## AZ Jim (Jul 30, 2015)

Anyone who was in the service and lived 79 years without hospitalizations is a walking miracle.  I have been in many times for many situations.


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## jujube (Jul 30, 2015)

RadishRose said:


> I too, have experienced the doctor finishing rounds before discharging me. It's maddening.
> 
> I had been hospitalized several times last year ( thank God that's over with) and after the first delayed discharge I *begged *for the Dr. to get me out before continuing rounds. Fortunately, the pleading worked.
> 
> *To be truthful, I'm not sure I wouldn't have just walked out if I had to wait all those hours again*!



Big problem with doing that is that your insurance (private or Medicare) might decline to pay your entire hospital stay on the grounds that .... oh, who knows what "grounds" they'll quote, but it has happened.   The SE's mother was threatened with that when she wanted to check herself out AMA to come home for Christmas last year.


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## jujube (Jul 30, 2015)

NancyNGA said:


> I've never been myself but I've visited people there a lot, and check out was *always* a long wait.  If I ever have to go to the hospital I would prefer to be left alone, so that won't be a problem.  The food my mother had there was pretty good.  When it comes the day to check out, I think I'll just get dressed and head for the door and see if that rushes things along.



I did that when I was in for five days once.  I was READY to go home, so I got up, got dressed and sat on a chair with my bag at my feet.  When the doctor came in, I said, "Oh, good, I was hoping I'd get to see you before I left."  He wasn't amused, but he did discharge me.


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## imp (Jul 30, 2015)

AZ Jim said:


> Anyone who was in the service and lived 79 years without hospitalizations is a walking miracle.  I have been in many times for many situations.



I was hospitalized once, for 7 hours, at age 5, tonsillectomy. Maybe that was not even an admission? Don't know. A fellow Kindergardener was there same day, same procedure, my Mother explained he could not go home as we did that afternoon, as he was a "bleeder".  They still used ether then, made a kid puke all over. When I woke up, a nurse brought me ice cream. It was vanilla, which further turned my stomach. 

Now you know why I've avoided hospitals since! I've been very lucky!    imp


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## Falcon (Jul 30, 2015)

Tonsilectomies  and boys' circumscisions  are similar......after a year or two you can't even remember having it done.


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## AZ Jim (Jul 30, 2015)

imp said:


> I was hospitalized once, for 7 hours, at age 5, tonsillectomy. Maybe that was not even an admission? Don't know. A fellow Kindergardener was there same day, same procedure, my Mother explained he could not go home as we did that afternoon, as he was a "bleeder".  They still used ether then, made a kid puke all over. When I woke up, a nurse brought me ice cream. It was vanilla, which further turned my stomach.
> 
> Now you know why I've avoided hospitals since! I've been very lucky!    imp




I had my tonics removed sitting in a chair in a doctors office in 1938.


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## grannyjo (Jul 30, 2015)

Actually,  the worst part for me was listening to the young trainee doctors discussing my case within my hearing.

Some advocated amputation,  because those over 70 don't have real good powers of recuperation/bone mending!

One I spoke to after the operation,  when I was in physio - he reckoned I was different.

Thank goodness I spoke up and said I wouldn't countenance amputation.

I now walk quite well,  on my repaired leg.


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## imp (Jul 30, 2015)

Falcon said:


> Tonsilectomies  and boys' circumscisions  are similar......after a year or two you can't even remember having it done.



Ha! I remember the former, but would have dreaded the latter, had I not been very small, yet.   imp


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## Butterfly (Jul 31, 2015)

With my tonsils (early '50s), I was one of the "bleeders" but it didn't start till we got home.  I still vividly remember the frantic ride back to the hospital, and bleeding all over my dad's car.  I was scared to death.  One of those memories that will never fade.


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## imp (Jul 31, 2015)

Butterfly said:


> With my tonsils (early '50s), I was one of the "bleeders" but it didn't start till we got home.  I still vividly remember the frantic ride back to the hospital, and bleeding all over my dad's car.  I was scared to death.  One of those memories that will never fade.



I should think they ought to have known that in advance! Mine were done in 1947, the other kid who was a hemophiliac went in aware (his folks were) of it in advance. Such condition could possibly result in bleeding to death. Have you had any recourse over the years related to it, medications, tests, etc.?     imp


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## Lon (Aug 1, 2015)

My first hospitalization was at age 40 for the removal of one small egg sized gall stone. I was in hospital for three pleasant days and had a quick recovery to normal activities in 30 days.
My second was at age 45 to repair a cartilage tear on right knee. This was a over nighter in hospital and full recovery to normal activities in 30 days.
My third was at age 55 in New Zealand to repair a cartilage tear on left knee. This was a over nighter and full recovery to normal activities in four weeks.

My fourth was at age 56 for complete removal of my Prostate Gland for a high grade cancer that was contained within the gland. Procedure was performed at Stanford University Hospital with four days in hospital. Care was outstanding. This hospitalization enabled me to finally quit smoking after many failed prior attempts. I was totally continent in 60 days and had successful sex in three months.

My fifth at age 69 for a procedure  to remove my thyroid gland due to multiple toxic nodules (non cancerous) One day in hospital and full recovery in 30 days.

My sixth was for repair of a bilateral Inguinal Hernia with two days of hospitalization and return to all normal activities in 30 days

My seventh was at age 72 at Cal  Pacific Hospital in San Francisco to undergo a Pulmonary Vein Ablation to correct  and eliminate Atrial Fibrillation. I was in hospital two days and resumed normal activities in one week.

CONCLUSION  I tolerated all these procedures well and had speedy recoveries because I have always been in pretty good shape with very low cholesterol and normal blood pressure, ran daily, played golf, regularly scuba dived regularly, played raquet ball four times weekly.

Now here I am at age 81 and I am not anticipating any future inconvenient surgeries or hospitalizations, but if perchance I do need one I expect I will once again handle it OK because I am l still in pretty good shape for an Old Fart with gimpy legs.


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## drifter (Aug 1, 2015)

I've been hospitalized three times in my illustrious life. Twice for Infections that could not be handled by antibiotics in the regular course of my healthcare, and once for heart attack. I was hospitalized a week with the heart attack and complications, and three days each for the pneumonia. I received good care, adequate food, and except for worrying some on the occasion of the heart attack, about the expense, they all were like mini vacations I was more or less forced to take.


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## Butterfly (Aug 2, 2015)

imp said:


> I should think they ought to have known that in advance! Mine were done in 1947, the other kid who was a hemophiliac went in aware (his folks were) of it in advance. Such condition could possibly result in bleeding to death. Have you had any recourse over the years related to it, medications, tests, etc.?     imp



It was over 60 years ago.  They just stopped the bleeding and that was it.  I had coughed, and apparently dislodged a stitch or clot or something.  No bleeding disorder or anything like that.


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## Ameriscot (Aug 2, 2015)

Two babies, very easy births.  Hysterectomy - pre-cancerous.  Surgery to correct deviated septum so it would be easier to breathe.  I was warned it might go back to what it was, and it did.  No bad experiences in hospitals.  All were in US hospitals and haven't needed to go into hospital in UK.


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