How do you know you have spent too much time in hospitals?

[FaithManor]

Your kindle has saved the wifi connections to seven Michigan hospitals and connects when you walk through the doors.

 

Seriously, there should be some sort of frequent flyer discount, or luxury lounge with free massages, or something! Not even an ottoman in this place. I feel like this is poor customer service.

 

At least the coffee is decent. But I want a taco bar, massage, recliner, and sparkling drinks please!!!

 

Sigh...

[Valley Girl]

... when you have a "favorite" dish in the hospital cafeteria

 

... when you're on a first-name basis with other patients' nurses

 

... when you know which restrooms are the least busy

 

 

[Guest]

That's how I felt with the DMV that year I had four kids getting licenses.

[FaithManor]

That's how I felt with the DMV that year I had four kids getting licenses.

Bad bad bad bad bad. That is one place that operates like a cattle chute!!

[Crimson Wife]

When the bulk of your cell phone contacts are numbers for various doctors, therapists, or clinics and you have multiple numbers for each clinic noting which is for the advice nurse, which for the receptionist/scheduler, which for billing, and which will leave a voice mail for the doctor.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

... when you get invited to staff social functions

 

... When you're asked to be a parent consultant when they're planning hospital upgrades and changes

 

 

Waaaay too much time spent at that hospital.

[Arcadia]

My university hostel has a shortcut through the university hospital. Most of us staying in that hostel shortcut through the hospital everyday.

 

We know where the staff vending machines are because the coffee is stronger and cheaper.

 

We know where the cell phones signals are the strongest and where the blind spots are.

 

We also end up knowing the doctors and nurses on the corridors we use on an old friend basis. We also know the long term children patients there and their parents very well because many of us who use the shortcut also volunteered at the children cancer wards.

 

When visitors to the hospital think you are a staff because you can give directions to almost anywhere in the hospital and you talk like a walking directory.

[prairiewindmomma]

....when the cafeteria staff knows that you arrive in the cafeteria at 1pm and it's their summer special rotation of your favorite dessert and they hold you back a piece when everything else sells because they know you can't turn down hot blueberry pie + vanilla ice-cream and you're getting no good news upstairs

 

....when the parking garage attendant greets you by name

 

....when you learn that the hospital actually has washer/dryer facilities on floor and offers to let you use them

 

.....when you arrived at the hospital in summer, and leave after the fall leaves have fallen

 

....when you have a color coded calendar and green days are "home" days and red days are "hospital" days 

 

.....when the nurse walks in with your favorite drink in the afternoon along with your jug of water 

 

.....when you have the doctor hands you his cell phone number and tells you to call him directly because he knows you won't call needlessly

[3 ladybugs]

- When nurses ask you where things are and confuse new nurses who they tell to ask you where things are

 

- When the area around where your family member is looks more like a home then a hospital

 

- When you stop talking to new people visiting others in the hospital because you know you will be far longer then them and it is too much work to make a short friendship

[Valley Girl]

With all the negative medical care stories we read about regularly, reading about the acts of kindness people have experienced from medical personnel and staff is really encouraging.

[Valley Girl]

I have another one...

 

When the staff lets you take over the solarium for an hour or so to celebrate a family birthday with the patient.

[chocolate-chip chooky]

I can relate to so many of these, and it's bittersweet memories.

 

I'm sorry you folks have all had to spend so much time in hospitals. I know it's hard, I've lived it too. My daughter was in ICU for a 15 month-long stay, and then a regular on and off for another 16ish years.

 

The people who work in paediatric ICUs are incredible human beings.

 

To all of you who are living this experience, I wish you all the best and I wish your loved ones improved health.

 

And three cheers to all those staff (doctors, nurses, cafeteria, parking, therapists, cleaning staff etc) who make the days brighter.

[Joyofsixreboot]

:-(

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[sassenach]

When you're looking at the drawings for the new wing of the hospital, with its single patient rooms, with happy anticipation.

 

This was a bit of a bonding moment with ds's sickle cell roommate's mom. We stood there admiring the drawings and talking about how nice the rooms look because we both know we'll be there in the future!

[Spryte]

Oh dear. This brings back a lot of memories. And smells.

 

When the staff brings you food, and remembers that you're a veggie. When the EMTs know you by name, and stop by with little gifts and just to say hi.

 

8 mos as primary caregiver when my best friend of many years was terminal. It wasn't too much time, though, it wasn't long enough. I'd take more.

 

And now I'm singing A Long December in my head...

[iamonlyone]

This thread gives me some good perspective. We have been in and out of lots of hospitals, and, most recently, I have spent a lot of time in and out with my mom since she was diagnosed last winter with pancreatic cancer, but you all have spent much, much more time in medical settings.

 

All my comments were already included (favorite lunch, know the staff by name, know which bathrooms to use, etc.).

[scholastica]

Hugs to all of you who have had to spend so much time in the hospital with loved ones. You all are amazing.

[FaithManor]

Well, he is out of recovery and home. 

 

We have had the funniest conversations since he came out of anesthesia.

 

Him: "Did you zip my pants?"

 

Me: "No. You insisted you could do it yourself."

 

Him: "Did the nurse do it?"

 

"No, you said you wanted to do it, so I let you do it."

 

"She better not do it."

 

"Hon, it's already done, you did it yourself, and even if she had done it, it certainly wouldn't be anything she hasn't seen before."

 

"Okay."

 

Three minutes later

 

"Did you zip my pants?"

 

Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

Poor guy.

 

He is now eating homemade chicken noodle soup, and drinking hot tea. His throat is sore from being intubated.

 

I have to be honest, I am a little surprised at the fast turn around for people who have been under general anesthesia. I worry that I, the person least likely to ever succeed in the medical profession by an absolutely horrendous safety margin,  am in charge of him. Do all hospitals think the relatives are natural born nurses with extensive medical backgrounds?

 

Too bad my medic baby lives in NY. I'd be happy to give her this patient, and she would be all too thrilled to be in charge of her dad!

[J-rap]

When even your children can give tours of every nook and cranny.

 

When you've picked out your favorite lounges.

 

When you no longer feel strange or out of place walking the hallways late at night.

 

When you help yourself to snacks in the nurse's lounge and don't think twice.

[Guest]

When the cafeteria staff knows you well enough to remember your allergies list better than you can. 

 

So sorry....

 

[sassenach]

When other patients' moms ask you to join their team meeting to help them understand what's happening with their child (and the staff doesn't blink).

Edited August 10, 2017 by Sassenach

[Guest]

When you know how to silence your alarms

 

When you just want a treadmill, bc you have to move and laps around the floor aren't doing it

 

When you walk into the lobby and rate it compared to the others

[Seasider]

When you're on a first name basis with the security guards and custodians.

[sassenach]

Well, he is out of recovery and home. 

 

We have had the funniest conversations since he came out of anesthesia.

 

Him: "Did you zip my pants?"

 

Me: "No. You insisted you could do it yourself."

 

Him: "Did the nurse do it?"

 

"No, you said you wanted to do it, so I let you do it."

 

"She better not do it."

 

"Hon, it's already done, you did it yourself, and even if she had done it, it certainly wouldn't be anything she hasn't seen before."

 

"Okay."

 

Three minutes later

 

"Did you zip my pants?"

 

Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

Poor guy.

 

He is now eating homemade chicken noodle soup, and drinking hot tea. His throat is sore from being intubated.

 

I have to be honest, I am a little surprised at the fast turn around for people who have been under general anesthesia. I worry that I, the person least likely to ever succeed in the medical profession by an absolutely horrendous safety margin,  am in charge of him. Do all hospitals think the relatives are natural born nurses with extensive medical backgrounds?

 

Too bad my medic baby lives in NY. I'd be happy to give her this patient, and she would be all too thrilled to be in charge of her dad!

I'm shocked at how quickly they send people home now. I've also had 2 REALLY bad bounce back experiences with DS, so I don't let them rush us out the door anymore.

[bettyandbob]

I spent a year is a medical office at least 4 days a week. Major medical issues with all three kids. this was before cell phones. I developed a huge knowledge base in celebrity gossip. It was weird because I don't really pay attention to that stuff. Apparently I had scanned People and Us in every medical office. And that is how I knew everything about Britney Spears in 2002.

 

I'm sorry you are so well acquainted with your hospitals.

[Seasider]

I'm shocked at how quickly they send people home now. I've also had 2 REALLY bad bounce back experiences with DS, so I don't let them rush us out the door anymore.

It's like they automatically assume the person at the hospital during the procedure is also going to be available for 24 hour caregiver duty upon discharge. After a parent's last major cardiac procedure I had to pressure two physicians and a couple of social workers to be sure there were written orders for follow up home health care, because there was no one who could be there with her 24/7. She ended up with an extended hospital stay, thank goodness one of the SWs saw the light and could help the physicians find good insurance coding options to keep her in there longer. (I realize longer stays can result in higher rates of infection, but going home sooner would have been much riskier.)

[Angie in VA]

When you eat Thanksgiving Dinner in the hospital cafeteria. 

 

When hospital staff lets your family dog come into your mother's hospital room so she can see him one more time before she dies. (And so he can know "Where's Mom?" since he whined while she was gone - for 3 months - till that visit. 

 

When two of your mother's nurses attend her wake, and it was not in the same town as the hospital is.

 

 

:grouphug:

 

I'm sorry you've had this trial. ITA w/ massages and taco bars and comfy chairs and sparking drinks! 

 

 

[FaithManor]

Thanks guys! He is sound asleep in the recliner with his shoes on.

 

For some reason he was against removing his shoes! I can't wait until he is fully lucid to ask him why.

[Jean in Newcastle]

When you choose your ER based on their specialties.

 

When your kids ask which ER we're going to because each ER has a favorite restaurant nearby to go to with Daddy.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bethben]

I saw a mom going into the hospital with a large memory foam mattress that fit those very uncomfortable parent beds.  To me, that screamed, "i come here a lot."

 

[TechWife]

When you recognize the different beeps made by each pump and also know that the copy machine shares one of them - and you can silence them all (including the copy machine).

 

When you wear non slip footies in the hallways instead of shoes at night.

 

When you know that the best coffee is in the Ronald McDonald Family Room, bit when it's closed you know which of the other floors to go to in order to find the best.

 

When you sound like a cross between a cruise director, a car salesman and a nurse when you talk about your favorite hospitals.

[FaithManor]

Lol... the shoes! His feet were cold but he didn't want socks, slippers, or a blanket!

 

Oh the things anesthesia does to the brain. 😄

[Hilltopmom]

These are all great, I agree with them all

[Valley Girl]

Starting to feel like I'm part of some really weird club!

[Ottakee]

When the ER nurse at the children's hospital says, "Didn't we just see you?"....after your third ER visit in a week...granted 2 different kids.

 

When your child complains that her MRI was done before the movie was done she was watching during her scan. I explained that it was too expensive of a" movie theater" to watch the rest of it there.

 

When they wheel out both of your preschoolers in the same wheelchair after back to back scans.

 

When you have one child on the 7th floor and one down in ER and you and DH get to decide who gets which kid (he took the seizure...non blood kids upstairs and gave me the cut hand kid in ER)

[MooCow]

When walking into any hospital feels instantly comfortable, like you are home.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I feel you. 

:grouphug: :grouphug:

[PinkTulip]

When your resident brings you candy canes and your tech wears an elf hat because you're there over Christmas.

[Tap]

We haven't had long stays, just lots and lots of visits to specialists......

 

DD18 and I find that we:

 

Describe the 5 different hospitals we go to by the lobby/style of buildings.

 

We know where the good parking is.  And.....that Valet at OHSU Doernbecher is one of the best things Ever! 

 

We give directions and use hospitals as reference points  "take exit 4, It is the same exit as Randall Children's Hospital.....etc"

 

We notice when the hospitals change the non-seasonal art work. LOL  Especially at OHSU, which can be a bit of a maze if you taking short cuts.  Art displays are part of how we know where we are. LOL 

 

Edited August 11, 2017 by Tap

[Jean in Newcastle]

When you walk into the pharmacy and you feel like Norm on Cheers.

[Bootsie]

When I was a preschooler, my family spent a great deal of time at hospitals.  I got to know all of the visiting ministers, chaplains, and priests.  My parents knew we had been there too long when I saw one walking in the door and I went over and said hello, holding my hand out because I recognized that he was the one who gave kids a quarter for the Coke machine.  

[alisoncooks]

This thread brings back some memories...

 

Here are mine:

When your DH has to tell the hospital pharmacist (every month) about the special override code because his prescription always gets flagged as an incorrect amount (and it's not, it's just a crazy amount of chemo pills). Of course, they always have to double check - the code is in his online notes - but it's time-consuming.

 

When you gain 35 pounds in a year from the Starbucks in the oncology wing. Or maybe it was the free cookies in the family room.

 

When you borrow the oncology lab's lobby (after hours) to have Christmas Eve because the kids can't go up to the inpatient floor (flu season rules). Super-grateful for the maintenance worker who vacuumed another area so we could have family time.

[Valley Girl]

When you walk into the pharmacy and you feel like Norm on Cheers.

 

Now THAT made me laugh!

[G5052]

Yes, another frequent flyer here.

 

I know all the ins-and-outs of our insurance plan.

 

I know which restrooms are usually clean and which are not.

 

I know what is good and not good at each hospital, and what the menu cycle is.

 

I know where to park and where not to park.

 

We're even at the point with the local hospital's pre-op and post-op that we've had the same nurses multiple times and know all about their families.

 

DH was at a more distant hospital that we had never been to for ten days earlier in the year, and I felt totally disoriented because I didn't know where anything was! I did learn that finding gluten free food on the weekends was nearly impossible, so I ate elsewhere. They had gluten free options during the week only.

[alisoncooks]

Another one: when you have a favorite spot/area in the parking deck.

 

When your kids know the quickest route to the Chick Fil-A (that's technically not in the hospital but the attached university). "Through the lobby, past the elevator bank, go left past the cardio dept, through double doors, turn right, exit, cross the tiny brick yard and there you are."

 

When you know about the "secret" cafeteria that mostly caters to employees, which serves burrito bowls. Or the other one that has panini and sushi.

Edited August 11, 2017 by alisoncooks

[FaithManor]

Yes, another frequent flyer here.

 

I know all the ins-and-outs of our insurance plan.

 

I know which restrooms are usually clean and which are not.

 

I know what is good and not good at each hospital, and what the menu cycle is.

 

I know where to park and where not to park.

 

We're even at the point with the local hospital's pre-op and post-op that we've had the same nurses multiple times and know all about their families.

 

DH was at a more distant hospital that we had never been to for ten days earlier in the year, and I felt totally disoriented because I didn't know where anything was! I did learn that finding gluten free food on the weekends was nearly impossible, so I ate elsewhere. They had gluten free options during the week only.

Wow. So a hospital thinks wheat allergies and celiac go away on the weekends??? Okay, probably not, but still...there have to people admitted to the hospital over the weekend not to mention staff who can't have gluten so why not just make the options they already have to cook available to the general public? Seems like an odd policy.

 

There I go thinking again. Sometimes it isn't worth the energy!

 

Sorry your dh was hospitalized again. 

[Mimm]

My town my phone connects to the wifi in locations I haven't been to but are associated with my hospital/health network. It's convenient. :)

 

I recently read, "Home is where your phone connects to the wifi automatically" and I thought, "Ok, so home is the library, my daughter's dance studio, and various Starbucks locations."

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

You know where the quiet corners to nap are.

[jewellsmommy]

When the staff are finally willing to bring in a real bed instead of the "cage" bed for your toddler because they have come to realize that you or the daddy really will be present 24/7 and both will continue to be there overnight, every night (and it's better than watching 2 adults with a clingy, sick toddler try to sleep in the window-seat bed all together!) Dd wanted nothing to do with their cages... or what they call cribs with tops  :huh: . 

 

The nurses were wonderful but the policies were strict. When the nurses will break the policies for you...well, then you feel special.  :001_smile:

 

We had a favorite the meal...the cheapest thing they made  :lol: . 

 

 

ETA: Those days are, thankfully, long past for us. Hugs and strength to those who are in the depths of it now!

 

 

Edited August 11, 2017 by jewellsmommy

[G5052]

Wow. So a hospital thinks wheat allergies and celiac go away on the weekends??? Okay, probably not, but still...there have to people admitted to the hospital over the weekend not to mention staff who can't have gluten so why not just make the options they already have to cook available to the general public? Seems like an odd policy.

 

There I go thinking again. Sometimes it isn't worth the energy!

 

Sorry your dh was hospitalized again. 

 

They had gluten-free food for the patients, but the large public cafeteria that had a gluten-free station with several choices was only open Monday-Friday. On the weekends, only the food court and a case with wrapped sandwiches and salads was open. There was nothing I could eat there other than a simple lettuce salad. It is even a teaching hospital!