TakeStock
Well-known member
I had my pre-admission testing today, the last step before surgery on March 31. Blood tests, chest x-ray, physical, EKG, urine sample, and a bunch of questions they asked over and over again about my health (how many times do I have to tell them my medications?). I also got an incentive spirometer to take home to practice with. Unfortunately it?s one that only goes up to 2500ml, which I can hit fairly easily. The nurse told me to count how long I can hold it at the top, but I don?t know that?s quite as ?incentifying? as trying to move it to the top number. Oh well.
I asked for and got a tour of the cardiovascular ICU (CVICU) by one of the cardiac nurses. It?s a very nice facility, newly built with big, state-of-the-art rooms. I counted at least 20 electrical outlets around each bed, which to me seems pretty state-of-the-art. I should have plenty to choose from to hook up my laptop. One patient per room, each room has a window, bathroom w/ shower, couch w/ pullout bed, LCD TV and a glass wall so the station nurses can peek in (a curtain can be used for privacy). The best part is, according to the nurse, cardiac patients stay in the same room their entire stay. They want to make the recovery as ?contiguous? as possible. So I?ll get to stay in one place the whole time, and see the same set of nurses. When they ?step down? a patient the only change is that two patients share one nurse, instead of one nurse per patient initially. Not bad, hopefully some of the post-ICU problems I?ve read about will be avoidable for me. The nurse I talked to claimed their goal is on a scale of 0-10, to keep the pain level at 0 at all times. I told her I?d prefer a -1 or -2 if they can find the right drugs, but I think she thought I was joking.
Anyway, the hospital is Bethesda North in Cincinnati. For those about to get surgery for the first time, I recommend getting a tour, if possible, of where you?ll be waking up from surgery. It helps to alleviate some of the fears, knowing what your surroundings will be like before you even go under.
I asked for and got a tour of the cardiovascular ICU (CVICU) by one of the cardiac nurses. It?s a very nice facility, newly built with big, state-of-the-art rooms. I counted at least 20 electrical outlets around each bed, which to me seems pretty state-of-the-art. I should have plenty to choose from to hook up my laptop. One patient per room, each room has a window, bathroom w/ shower, couch w/ pullout bed, LCD TV and a glass wall so the station nurses can peek in (a curtain can be used for privacy). The best part is, according to the nurse, cardiac patients stay in the same room their entire stay. They want to make the recovery as ?contiguous? as possible. So I?ll get to stay in one place the whole time, and see the same set of nurses. When they ?step down? a patient the only change is that two patients share one nurse, instead of one nurse per patient initially. Not bad, hopefully some of the post-ICU problems I?ve read about will be avoidable for me. The nurse I talked to claimed their goal is on a scale of 0-10, to keep the pain level at 0 at all times. I told her I?d prefer a -1 or -2 if they can find the right drugs, but I think she thought I was joking.
Anyway, the hospital is Bethesda North in Cincinnati. For those about to get surgery for the first time, I recommend getting a tour, if possible, of where you?ll be waking up from surgery. It helps to alleviate some of the fears, knowing what your surroundings will be like before you even go under.
