Health Discussions

"I was cesarean born. Can't really tell. Although, whenever I leave a house I go out through the window."  - Steven Wright

The only time I ever spent a significant amount of time in the hospital, the whole staff was really great to me.  I even hugged the nurse who wheeled me out to my parents' car because she had been so good to me.

The nursing staff at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago did a wonderful job caring for me years ago.  More recently, my daughter had the best labor and delivery nurse at University of Chicago.  She was so phenomenal that I sent her a profuse thank you note when I got home.  To be honest, I tend to remember the nurses more than the doctors.  I've rarely encountered a nurse who wasn't professional and caring. 

Yes. I was cured from a serious crash and am now 90% as good as I was before the crash and getting stronger every day. I am amazed how dedicated most medical personnel (that I've met) are. They go the extra mile and make sure you get taken care of, at least in Dekalb Medical Center where I spent about 5 1/2 weeks.  The few bad apples I've met in no way reflect on the vast majority of medical and rehabilitation staff.

My 2 maternity stays were pretty good, although the second was better than the first. Our day nurse the first time was less than pleasant.  This second time, they pretty much left us alone. 

I had an ER trip about a year ago and that wasn't horrible either... the staff there were grateful for mine and my husband's positive attitude in comparision to the lady next to me who was, shall we say, less than positive.

GeorgeChabot said…
Yes. I was cured from a serious crash and am now 90% as good as I was before the crash and getting stronger every day. I am amazed how dedicated most medical personnel (that I've met) are. They go the extra mile and make sure you get taken care of, at least in Dekalb Medical Center where I spent about 5 1/2 weeks.  The few bad apples I've met in no way reflect on the vast majority of medical and rehabilitation staff.

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And we are so glad you had that wonderful experience George.

I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 30 weeks with my son, and I was ordered to the hospital until I delivered. Although the hospital suite was nice, I was completely terrified.

 The nurses really did go the extra mile though. It helped that I tried to stay positive, but they really did everything they could - one nurse brought in her own VHS collection for me, they let me bring my pet hermit crabs, they didn't say a word when my husband stayed the days and nights with me (apparently they had a rule at the time that husbands could only stay the night if their wives were in labor), and they brought in the cafeteria menu instead of the hospital food menu. One nurse would even bring in fresh muffins and cookies every few days.

When they induced just two weeks later, they knew I was worried about the baby and my own health. One nurse in particular would come in there and sit with me while my husband was away. She would sit in there on her time off and just do crosswords with me.

Although it ended in a c-section and I DID have a terrible nurse post-surgery, the kindness I felt by those nurses were immense. When my son was transferred to a level 3 NICU, my husband had left to stay with our newborn. One of the nurses I had really befriended had just gone off the clock but stayed with me in the room and just let me cry. I think that was the first time I really let down - up until that point, I needed to be the strong one for my family. Just that little bit of kindness was beyond my wildest dreams.

JazzSinger said…

"I was cesarean born. Can't really tell. Although, whenever I leave a house I go out through the window."  - Steven Wright

The only time I ever spent a significant amount of time in the hospital, the whole staff was really great to me.  I even hugged the nurse who wheeled me out to my parents' car because she had been so good to me.

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That's awesome to have a good experience with the entire staff!

LoveisJoy said…
The nursing staff at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago did a wonderful job caring for me years ago.  More recently, my daughter had the best labor and delivery nurse at University of Chicago.  She was so phenomenal that I sent her a profuse thank you note when I got home.  To be honest, I tend to remember the nurses more than the doctors.  I've rarely encountered a nurse who wasn't professional and caring. 

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How thoughtful of you to write a thank-you note! I've received a few of those myself, and I've treasured them.

GeorgeChabot said…
Yes. I was cured from a serious crash and am now 90% as good as I was before the crash and getting stronger every day. I am amazed how dedicated most medical personnel (that I've met) are. They go the extra mile and make sure you get taken care of, at least in Dekalb Medical Center where I spent about 5 1/2 weeks.  The few bad apples I've met in no way reflect on the vast majority of medical and rehabilitation staff.

---

You must have been pretty banged up to have to spend 5 1/2 weeks in the hospital. I'm glad to hear that you've recovered so well. There's a lot to be said for the advances we now have. I've worked with a few bad apples--they usually don't stay long on our unit.

lilsquibb said…
My 2 maternity stays were pretty good, although the second was better than the first. Our day nurse the first time was less than pleasant.  This second time, they pretty much left us alone. 

I had an ER trip about a year ago and that wasn't horrible either... the staff there were grateful for mine and my husband's positive attitude in comparision to the lady next to me who was, shall we say, less than positive.

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I had an ER visit while I was pregnant with my last baby. There's nothing like being pregnant to get you to the front of the line! (Actually, it's such a small hospital that I am not sure if anyone else was even in the waiting room.) The staff at that tiny hospital impressed me. Thanks for sharing.

AngiBowman said…

I was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 30 weeks with my son, and I was ordered to the hospital until I delivered. Although the hospital suite was nice, I was completely terrified.

 The nurses really did go the extra mile though. It helped that I tried to stay positive, but they really did everything they could - one nurse brought in her own VHS collection for me, they let me bring my pet hermit crabs, they didn't say a word when my husband stayed the days and nights with me (apparently they had a rule at the time that husbands could only stay the night if their wives were in labor), and they brought in the cafeteria menu instead of the hospital food menu. One nurse would even bring in fresh muffins and cookies every few days.

When they induced just two weeks later, they knew I was worried about the baby and my own health. One nurse in particular would come in there and sit with me while my husband was away. She would sit in there on her time off and just do crosswords with me.

Although it ended in a c-section and I DID have a terrible nurse post-surgery, the kindness I felt by those nurses were immense. When my son was transferred to a level 3 NICU, my husband had left to stay with our newborn. One of the nurses I had really befriended had just gone off the clock but stayed with me in the room and just let me cry. I think that was the first time I really let down - up until that point, I needed to be the strong one for my family. Just that little bit of kindness was beyond my wildest dreams.

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That must have been a terrifying time. To know that the baby's life may hang on a thread is such a hard thing, and I can only imagine how tough those weeks were for you. How nice of the nurses to do those little things that mean so much. A nurse aide I used to work with would often take patients' laundry home and return it the next day. We worked 12-hour shifts (6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.), so you can imagine what a sacrifice that was. We now have a laundry on our floor for the patients to use.

Warning: Mini Rant Below

It's nice to hear good stories about your local hospitals because I sure have none. The same hospital that killed my mother killed my father. Same floor, two doors down. I mean it too. They made every possible error but I have to say that it was mostly the doctors and caretakers' fault and not the nursing staff's They just did what they were told.

Some nurses were exceptional with my mom who was hospitalized for FOUR YEARS. (Yep, you read right.) They would treat her well and like the wonderful woman she was. Some were atrocious and I wanted to kick them in the head. (Sorry for being mean but it hurts to think people weren't treating such an amazing woman with respect.)

With my poor Dad, it was just terrible. He was deaf so no one even took time to TRY to write or communicate with him. He was late deafened (in his early 20's) so he could speak well and he could usually understand what you were saying if you looked right at him but no one bothered. Makes me mad all over again!

My son had his appendix out and they made a mistake with him too and he almost died. I had to give him antibiotics every six hours through an IV thing going right to his heart for two weeks because the doctor messed up. The nurses were OK though.

When I was in for my gallbladder, again, it was the doctor on call who screwed up and gave me a shot of a painkiller I did NOT want. I had an awful reaction and the nurse (who actually went to high school with me) was a mean SOB.

HOWEVER...when my son was desperately ill with a seizure disorder, the people at Johns Hopkins were AMAZING. Just amazing through and through. I can't say enough about how they treated my baby and how they cured him so I do have one fond hospital memory.

I just hope none of us has to go to the hospitals around here. They all stink, at least from what I have experienced but as I said, it was usually the doctors and on call staff that were at fault. The nurses were a 50/50 mix of really nice to really not nice. I think it takes a very special person to be a nurse and I sure wish those who don't truly love it would do something else.

Katrena said... You must have been pretty banged up to have to spend 5 1/2 weeks in the hospital. I'm glad to hear that you've recovered so well. There's a lot to be said for the advances we now have. I've worked with a few bad apples--they usually don't stay long on our unit.
______________________
Thank you. When I said "bad apples," I meant about 1 out of a thousand. My case was quite a phenomenon that everybody wanted to see, because you know high speed motorcycle crashes seldom have such happy endings as mine.  So I could tell most of them were A-OK.

To Patty dearest's mini rant: two frames above

Dear Patty that's why you must move here down South. Those NY people got an attitude! :>

Your bud

The nurses at Fort Pierce Hospital [Florida] were amazing when my father was dying of cancer.  They would hug us, tell us they were sorry and treat him as though he were king.  It was because of their compassion we made it through.

My wife had to go to the ER about a year ago and I thought the staff there was amazingly good. I was so impressed that I ended up writing a review of that hospital's ER here on Viewpoints. If I need to go to an ER, I hope to go there.

--Bob

Oh Patty, I can relate very strongly to what you wrote about your experiences. My dad had a liver transplant about 16 months ago at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.  Before that he was in and out of another hospital for 5 years.  During the 2 years before the transplant he spent more than 3/4 of those years in that crappy hospital which my mother picked because that's where my dad's primary care physician practiced.  I hated that place.  It reminded me of that tiny little creepy hospital in the Halloween movies and the staff was just awful but it was "close to home" and made my mother "comfortable".  My brother and I tried to get her to to transfer all his care to Henry Ford but it took her out of her comfort zone (I could still wring her neck over this) and it wasn't until he got the liver that all of his care was transferred there where it was like a complete 180.  All of the docs and staff are incredibly friendly, helpful, caring, and skilled in what they do.  Thankfully HFH basically owns my dad now and he is not allowed to go anywhere else unless it is extremely dire and they cannot get him to HFH fast enough and then after he is stabilized they send him there by ambulance.  Everyone at that other hospital were so inept and stupid that I cannot believe he didn't die and it was a miracle that he got the liver when he did as the HFH docs said he was about 2 days from death.  I can't tell you how many times I called the patient advocate, the nurse supervisor, and so many others at that other hospital trying to get answers, help, and to make sure the nurses treated my dad as a dying adult rather than a bratty kid.  Grrr I am still angry over the way those nurses treated my dad and the way my mom just sat there and let it happen.

Before my dad's transplant I've also never had a good hospital experience.  I've been to the ER a few times and was treated like cattle and like a non-human so it was very refreshing to experience caring, competent care during that really horrible time after my dad's transplant.  The only complaint I have about that whole experience was when they called us in to see my dad after the surgery and he was all hooked up to a million different things and on a ventilator and the nurse asked us 30 minutes worth of questions about his weight, medication and food allergies, etc that they could have asked us prior to the surgery or during the 8 hours we were sitting outside in the surgical waiting room.

Oh boy, I gotta shut up - I'm getting all worked up!  LOL

I hear ya, Buggheart. Thinking back on all the things that should have been done and all the things that were just not right can make you crazy. I still haven't even totally thought out what happened to my father. One minute he was OK and the next, dying and dead within about 10 minutes. I still don't understand why. But if I think too much, I'll make myself upset all over again. When I'm ready, I will definitely think about all that happened and try to come to terms with it.

I once said if I was hit by a bus outside of St. Joseph's Hospital, I would insist on going to a different place to be treated and still feel that way. I can't believe that some hospitals are so warm and caring and some are so awful!

I delivered a baby boy many years ago in Elgin, Illinois.  He only lived a few hours.  A nurse came in to me to tell me that she had baptized him before he died and so I shouldn't worry about him.  I told her that I didn't believe that babies were born with sin but I truly appreciated her exercising her faith on behalf of my son.  It has been 29 years ago and I still am grateful for her compassion for a stranger.

I'm very pro-nurse, as my partner is a PEDS nurse. On the hospital front, I know there are lots of horror stories, but I think the squeaky wheel gets the grease. It's easy to get great care and quickly forget it, once it's over. Not so easy to forget bad or negligent care once an ordeal is over. In January, my mother was admitted to Morton Plant Meese Hospital in Dunedin, Florida. She was in very bad shape and not expected to survive. I flew down to Florida, fully prepared to argue with whoever tried to keep me from moving into the hospital room and staying by her side day and night. To my surprise, when I got to the hospital (directly from the airport) and told the head charge nurse that I was planning on staying in my mom's room, she asked if I needed a toothbrush and slippers, and had a recliner chair moved into the room. I'd been prepared to sleep on the regular, old visitor's chair, and here she was sending pillows and sheets and toiletries to me, and offering me use of a shower on the floor! The staff at Meese couldn't have been nicer or more caring, and I truly believe their attitude had a lot to do with the fact that my mother pulled through what the doctor's had declared an episode much to serious for mom to survive. I also have to give a "shout out" to the great dialysis nurses out there: they make a real difference in my mom's day-to-day life by treating her like an individual, and not just a dialysis case number.

GeorgeChabot said…
Katrena said... You must have been pretty banged up to have to spend 5 1/2 weeks in the hospital. I'm glad to hear that you've recovered so well. There's a lot to be said for the advances we now have. I've worked with a few bad apples--they usually don't stay long on our unit.
______________________
Thank you. When I said "bad apples," I meant about 1 out of a thousand. My case was quite a phenomenon that everybody wanted to see, because you know high speed motorcycle crashes seldom have such happy endings as mine.  So I could tell most of them were A-OK.

---

Unfortunately, I know all too well about motorcycle crashes. We've lived at our current address and have had two motorcycle accidents in our front yard, one of them fatal and with enough force to move our neighbor's dumpster into the middle of our driveway. Even though I'm a nurse, that scene still haunts me at times.

Celebrate life and don't hold grudges.

Meri said…
The nurses at Fort Pierce Hospital [Florida] were amazing when my father was dying of cancer.  They would hug us, tell us they were sorry and treat him as though he were king.  It was because of their compassion we made it through.

---

One of the big reasons I've stayed in oncology is because the patients and their families are often the most wonderful people in the world. I'm sorry to hear about your dad's death, but I'm glad to hear that his time in the hospital was filled with compassion.

Buggheart said…

Oh Patty, I can relate very strongly to what you wrote about your experiences. My dad had a liver transplant about 16 months ago at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.  Before that he was in and out of another hospital for 5 years.  During the 2 years before the transplant he spent more than 3/4 of those years in that crappy hospital which my mother picked because that's where my dad's primary care physician practiced.  I hated that place.  It reminded me of that tiny little creepy hospital in the Halloween movies and the staff was just awful but it was "close to home" and made my mother "comfortable".  My brother and I tried to get her to to transfer all his care to Henry Ford but it took her out of her comfort zone (I could still wring her neck over this) and it wasn't until he got the liver that all of his care was transferred there where it was like a complete 180.  All of the docs and staff are incredibly friendly, helpful, caring, and skilled in what they do.  Thankfully HFH basically owns my dad now and he is not allowed to go anywhere else unless it is extremely dire and they cannot get him to HFH fast enough and then after he is stabilized they send him there by ambulance.  Everyone at that other hospital were so inept and stupid that I cannot believe he didn't die and it was a miracle that he got the liver when he did as the HFH docs said he was about 2 days from death.  I can't tell you how many times I called the patient advocate, the nurse supervisor, and so many others at that other hospital trying to get answers, help, and to make sure the nurses treated my dad as a dying adult rather than a bratty kid.  Grrr I am still angry over the way those nurses treated my dad and the way my mom just sat there and let it happen.

Before my dad's transplant I've also never had a good hospital experience.  I've been to the ER a few times and was treated like cattle and like a non-human so it was very refreshing to experience caring, competent care during that really horrible time after my dad's transplant.  The only complaint I have about that whole experience was when they called us in to see my dad after the surgery and he was all hooked up to a million different things and on a ventilator and the nurse asked us 30 minutes worth of questions about his weight, medication and food allergies, etc that they could have asked us prior to the surgery or during the 8 hours we were sitting outside in the surgical waiting room.

Oh boy, I gotta shut up - I'm getting all worked up!  LOL

---

I'm glad you were able to get his care transferred over. You were very smart to keep contact with that patient advocate, etc. You know what they say about the squeaky wheel--I've seen big differences in care in some hospitals and generally the ones where family members push the issue is where the care is focused.

I think nursing is about the only profession where you can meet someone and with the next breath ask that person about their eating, bowel, and sexual habits.

Meri said…
I delivered a baby boy many years ago in Elgin, Illinois.  He only lived a few hours.  A nurse came in to me to tell me that she had baptized him before he died and so I shouldn't worry about him.  I told her that I didn't believe that babies were born with sin but I truly appreciated her exercising her faith on behalf of my son.  It has been 29 years ago and I still am grateful for her compassion for a stranger.

---

I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your son. Losing a child is so very painful. It sounds like that nurse truly cared and you strike me as very wise in your response to her.

Telpher said…
I'm very pro-nurse, as my partner is a PEDS nurse. On the hospital front, I know there are lots of horror stories, but I think the squeaky wheel gets the grease. It's easy to get great care and quickly forget it, once it's over. Not so easy to forget bad or negligent care once an ordeal is over. In January, my mother was admitted to Morton Plant Meese Hospital in Dunedin, Florida. She was in very bad shape and not expected to survive. I flew down to Florida, fully prepared to argue with whoever tried to keep me from moving into the hospital room and staying by her side day and night. To my surprise, when I got to the hospital (directly from the airport) and told the head charge nurse that I was planning on staying in my mom's room, she asked if I needed a toothbrush and slippers, and had a recliner chair moved into the room. I'd been prepared to sleep on the regular, old visitor's chair, and here she was sending pillows and sheets and toiletries to me, and offering me use of a shower on the floor! The staff at Meese couldn't have been nicer or more caring, and I truly believe their attitude had a lot to do with the fact that my mother pulled through what the doctor's had declared an episode much to serious for mom to survive. I also have to give a "shout out" to the great dialysis nurses out there: they make a real difference in my mom's day-to-day life by treating her like an individual, and not just a dialysis case number.

---

We also allow 24/7 visitors, if the patient is OK with it. Many family members and/or friends are infinitely more qualified to provide basic care with little extras that staff may not have the time to provide. They also often know what is "normal" for that person and may notice subtle changes in personality that we may not realize is out of character.

I feel for your mom in having to go through dialysis, but I'm glad to hear that she pulled through such a serious illness.

Katrena said…

I'm curious to hear if anyone else has had good experiences in the hospital.

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I had a good experiene in a hospital about 2-1/2 years ago. I was admitted unexpectedly after leaving work ''for an hour or two'' for a routine medical test. Since I was hardly expecting to end up in the hospital I was pretty rattled - we were real busy at work and my doggy was home alone :(   

The staff was very caring and explained everything to me. Someone tracked down my coat and cell phone for rme, which I had left in the medical testing waiting room in an adjoining building. Luckily I found a friend to rescue my pooch at home, and they ended up discharging me 24 hours later.

JovialCougar said…

Katrena said…

I'm curious to hear if anyone else has had good experiences in the hospital.

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I had a good experiene in a hospital about 2-1/2 years ago. I was admitted unexpectedly after leaving work ''for an hour or two'' for a routine medical test. Since I was hardly expecting to end up in the hospital I was pretty rattled - we were real busy at work and my doggy was home alone :(   

The staff was very caring and explained everything to me. Someone tracked down my coat and cell phone for rme, which I had left in the medical testing waiting room in an adjoining building. Luckily I found a friend to rescue my pooch at home, and they ended up discharging me 24 hours later.

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That would make for a very difficult situation if you weren't expecting to be admitted. That could have easily been a post for a BAD experience, but it sounds like they did what they could with the situation. I'm glad you were able to find someone to help out with your dog. That reminds me of a time when I decided to run some errands while my kids were at the Y for a gym and swim class. Well, it was 100 degrees in the shade and I was 8 months pregnant and my car broke down. Talk about not a good feeling! Luckily, I was able to touch base with a friend who picked up my girls with her child and then picked me up. Whew!

Yes, I had a godd experience in a hospital.  I have a heart condition which has caused me to be hospitalized several times.  I've been in three different hospitals and while one place was down-right awful,  Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, New Jersey was wonderful.  The facility was clean and the equipment up-to-date.  The staff was very, helpful, courteous, respectful and nice from the doctors and nurses down to the kitchen staff and housekeeping.  Even the food was good, if you can beleive hospital food can be good.  After having stayed at this great facility, I almost wouldn't mind being hospitalized again.

NattScatt said…
Yes, I had a godd experience in a hospital.  I have a heart condition which has caused me to be hospitalized several times.  I've been in three different hospitals and while one place was down-right awful,  Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, New Jersey was wonderful. 

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I'm glad to hear you found good care.  I used to live near Vineland, NJ and once worked (a summer job) at Newcomb Hospital. Remember it?  Not a good hospital. We used to make some dark jokes about the care there. I'm not sure the new hospital in that area is much better,

I admit, my hospital experiences have mostly been good, but I had the added benefit of my mother working for 30+ years at the hospital I frequented for my gall bladder, and two births as well as other emergencies and such.  I have to admit that my BEST hospital experience was after Grace (my youngest was born).  For the full story visit http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/332394/do_you_have_a_birthing_plan.html?cat=52

Anyway, Grace was accidentally born at home.  Just as I was insisting to Bryan that holding back on pushing was no option, the paramedics arrived at the house.  They were wonderful (note to expectant parents if you have to call the paramedics make sure you tell them it is labor and delivery as not all are trained to deliver!). Moving right along after a series of scares, as if delivery at home was not scary enough, Grace's score was a 5 and I was in jeapordy of bleeding "out" because of the placenta.  Can't move me, must move her, what do you do?

Anyway, after arrival at the hosptial, I admit that the entire staff was amazing.  My OB/GYN was barking orders like a drill sargent, and I remember her saying, "I don't want him (the anesthesiologist) paged again go FIND HIM NOW."  As nurses rushed, he arrived to let me know that in a 'second' I would feel so much better.  According to all reports it really only took a second, but long enough for me to tell him, "I love you," as the pain was so incredible that not having it anymore made me fall victim to love at first sight.

I remember not much more, but waking to nurses who couldn't have cared for me more if they had been my own mother and a doctor who was determined that I get rest and recover (not matter what the insurance says about getting out after so many days) after what I guess is considered a traumatic birth.  I don't know about anyone else but it was pretty traumatic for me.

Grace was fine, one of the paramedics was seated next to me when I came out of surgery and showed me pix of my beautiful healthy baby girl on her cell phone, since she wasn't allowed up in my room quite yet. Talk about great health care .. from paramedics to hospital.  I sent thank you card and basket full of goodies I so wanted to thank them for all they did.