I brought Smokey home from the hospital today. He has a different painkiller and an anti-nausea drug, and they seem to be working. But we had a bucket and a towel in the car just in case...
The dogs were ecstatic to see him again. Right now he and both of them and probably both cats are all snuggled up in the bed sleeping. He has his laptop next to him with an internet phone; he can call our house line when he needs me. (I suggested that I give him a bucket of rocks, and he could throw them one by one at the bedroom door when he wanted me. For some reason he thought the phone was a better idea. Go figger.)
* * * * *
I would like to say a few words in appreciation of the VA hospital. I was there three times for a total of maybe six hours at most. I met three nurses, a chaplain, and a few behind-a-desk types, plus saw a lot of patients, all of them men. Although I didn't put it all together until I was walking to Smokey's room today to get him, the totality of the place is excellent. There is no arrogance, no prissy professionalism, no fake smiles, no gushiness, no flashiness -- just genuine caring and basic good manners. Underlying it all I felt a foundation of love.
Contrast that with a typical hospital, particularly one with a bottom-line-focused administrator. (I feel I know whereof I speak, having been hospitalized [counts on fingers and toes] eight or nine times in my long life in seven different hospitals, none of them for-profit institutions.) Other hospitals, in fits of consultant-induced fervor, survey their patients incessantly to Get Feedback. Their staff are cheery beyond belief. Everyone is so professional, i.e., impersonal, that the patient is just another body.
The contrast was particularly striking among the non-medical staff -- the cashier, the clerk in the pharmacy, the person in the family help office, even the guy behind the counter in the cafeteria. Everyone took the time to look me/us in the eye and actually listen to whatever we said. Nobody's eyes were glued to their computer screen or their paperwork during an interaction.
Smokey was pleased that I picked up on this. "Now you can understand why I prefer to go to the VA than [our local medical facility]." He also said that there is a deep feeling at the VA of gratitude and appreciation for what the veterans have given. (It also doesn't hurt that there does not seem to be a single *special little snowflake* among the patients.)
This was the Minneapolis VA hospital, but it also holds true for the satellite clinics he has been to here in n.w. Wisconsin. We cannot speak for other VA facilities around the country, but I suspect there are similarities.
Thank you, Veterans Administration hospital of Minneapolis.
Glad you've got him home safe and relatively sound, and that you both feel good about the hospital: all these things make such a difference. I had an overnight in hospital last year and all the staff behaved so well that I thought there must be hidden cameras. I hope the meds continue to work and that he's back on his feet soon.
Posted by: Helen | 20 July 2012 at 09:31 PM
I just remembered you are in the UK, which means you commented at 3:30 your time.
What on earth are you doing up at that hour? New baby? Insomnia? Graveyard shift?
Sent from my iPad
Posted by: kmkat | 20 July 2012 at 11:39 PM
It must be so nice to have him home - I hope you both had a restful and peaceful night. It's wonderful that you had such a positive experience at the VA. My dad always went to the VA hospital here and they were very kind. My only criticism was that he never seemed to have the same doctor and that made it hard to get information on his condition and treatment. This was 20 years ago when he had a heart attack, though, things may have changed considerably since then.
Posted by: Carole | 21 July 2012 at 06:29 AM
Glad Smokey is home with you, where I'm sure he will get the best care. Everyone one knows you can't recover in a hospital! hehehehe.
Prayers for you both that he will mend quickly and the two of you will get back to enjoying life together once more. Hope your weekend is peaceful, relaxing and quiet.
Posted by: Linda | 21 July 2012 at 06:45 AM
Thank goodness he's home!
I'm sure he will be able to heal far more quickly at home with you and the animals. When does PT start? Are the meds doing the trick? Is he asking for those rocks yet?
Being at a good hospital is priceless. It's a shame that there are so few of them now. I spent the morning at the ER with my mom and was surprised by the uneven care and concern. After talking to some medical friends, now I realize I should have handled things differently. Isn't that always the way? (She's home and seems okay. Stupid drug reactions.)
xo
Posted by: Cookie | 21 July 2012 at 09:02 AM
Glad he's home!! And that's very cool to know about the VA hospital - for some reason, I thought it was a sort of scary place.
And Smokey has my sympathy on the morphine - I discovered it made me puke my guts out the night after my partial hysterectomy.
Posted by: Chris | 21 July 2012 at 06:59 PM
Glad you're all home! VA sounds like a good place.
Posted by: Lisa | 21 July 2012 at 09:59 PM
Glad he's home, where the care is just as good. (Plus he gets dog kisses which are extremely therapeutic...) Hoping his recovery is quick and nausea-free!
Posted by: gayle | 22 July 2012 at 07:04 AM
Glad he's home now. Gayle's right - dog kisses are therapeutic ;) Nice hospital - made me remember (and cry!) about visiting my sister a few years back. (That's a good thing.)
Posted by: bullwinkle | 23 July 2012 at 05:21 AM
Thank you for the wonderful comments about the VA Hospital. I agree with you on how our local hospitals seem to be more oriented to the price line than the caring line. Darn!
My parents were in a number of hospitals and I found that how I acted had an impact on how staff treated me. All in all, I had a very good experience at Regions in St Paul, but that happened after relationships were formed with staff members. Until then I was just another WI person in from the sticks.
I wish I had the great experiences you've had with VA facilities. I'm jealous. Is it too late for me to enlist? They still take 51 year old women, right? ;)
Posted by: Carleen | 23 July 2012 at 02:52 PM
Hope Smokey's feeling better! My good friend recently had surgery at the VA and the care was top-notch - no frills, but reliable and caring. We have one of those desk bells for incapacitated family members to annoy everyone with, er, get someone's attention with :-)
Posted by: Julia G | 25 July 2012 at 05:34 PM