Hospitalization

 

I consider myself a very healthy person. I have never had any major problems with my health and rarely get sick. I do the regular check ups and preventative procedures and all my numbers up until now confirmed that I am in good health. I don't take any regular medications. I never broken any bones or had surgical procedures or spend any time in a hospital except to visit other people. 

That changed last Saturday after I got a call from my doctor. I took a routine blood test to get ready for my physical and the test turned up something that indicated I had a problem that needed to be looked at. This require me checking into the ER to have a battery of tests run. Initially I though it would just involve a day in the ER while they ran some test and then I would be sent home with instructions to follow up with my doctor. However it ended up turning into a four day hospital stay. For privacy reasons I'm not going to go into the details of what they found but would like to share my first experience with being in a hospital. It wasn't the most pleasant experience but I think I now have a better appreciation of the people that work in the hospital and what it is like to be a patient in one.

When I got the call from my doctor at 9am, just as I was about to go out for a ride, my first reaction was to get pissed off that I won't be able to go out for a ride. I thought that there had to be something wrong with the blood test as I felt fine. Once I got to the ER they took lots of blood over the course of the first couple of hours. Luckily they put in an IV needle to my arm so they could just attach a tube and take more blood as needed. I also got wheeled down to the X-Ray room to take some chest X-Rays. By late afternoon they had confirmed that the blood test that I had on Friday was correct and I needed some more tests to try and pinpoint the exact problem. It was also determined at that time that I would have to stay overnight for observation. 

Nobody especially someone who feels healthy wants to stay in a hospital but staying was the best way to quickly get the tests I needed and to apply any treatment if a problem was found. It is funny being wheeled around in a stretcher. It reminded me of all those medical shows where they show the patients view as he is being wheeled through the halls. You see the persons feet and then the hall passing by and the doors automatically opening as you approach them. The elevators in this hospital have mirror's on the ceiling so I got to see myself in draped in a fashionable hospital gown lying on a stretcher. Not a pretty site. 

Saturday night I was moved from the ER to a private room so I got out of the ER before most of the drunks and bar fight victims started rolling in. I ended up on a geriatric floor and was definitely one of the youngest and healthiest person there. It is strange feeling healthy and being in the hospital with nurses coming in asking you how your feeling or asking what they can do to make you feed better. 

Five months ago my wife had an outpatient procedure at this hospital and even though the hospital is old and small the staff is really good. They are all very friendly and efficient and keep you informed about what they are doing and what they plan to do. From working with doctors and nurses when my parents were in the hospital I know the quality of care is directly related to how good the nursing staff is and how much they like you. Even though I didn't like being in the hospital I tried make the best of it. I hadn't expected to be checked in the hospital so my wife had to go get a few things so I could be comfortable. 

Over next couple of days I gave more blood and went for a couple of CT scans and a biopsy to help diagnose the problem. The hospital system had a reasonable good app that allowed me to see the results of all the tests they were ordering and also track the tests they were planning. The app is pretty well tied into the hospital and the doctors because I usually got notified of tests and scans at the same time the nurses did. 

Of course being in a hospital is like being a lab rat. They come in every 4 hours to check your vitals and then come in to draw blood at least once a day if not more depending on if your going for some type of procedure. I usually got stuck with a needle a few times a day but the nurses were able to easily find a vein and get what they needed quickly so it didn't hurt that much. The only problem is because they have to keep checking on you it is hard to get a full nights sleep. I usually got woken up at midnight for a vitals check and then 4 or 5 am to give some blood. 

The highlight of each day was the visit from the doctor as they are the one that can help you make sense of the tests and give you and idea of what the plan is to fix the problem. The hard part to being in the hospital is not knowing how long it is going to last or when they are going to come up with a final diagnoses.

On Saturday they told me what they suspected it was but needed all the tests they did on Sunday and Monday to confirm it and zero in on a precise diagnoses. Most people want quick answers but I see now after talking to the doctor and seeing the test they run how the process works. Unless you have an obvious injury it is hard to get quick answer because when you check into a hospital with a problem there are hundreds of things it could be. Each test eliminates or confirms a certain condition. Each test can also take a few hours to a week to be processed and inspected by some medical professional. Although a lot of tests are automated there is a still a lot of manual lab work involved so its hard to get a quick answer. Besides you want to make sure the people evaluating the tests take the time to get it right. 

By Tuesday they had run all the tests they need. I was still waiting for results and was not sure how much longer I would need to stay in the hospital. My doctor said it would depend on what they found and how soon they would need to treat me. By that time I was pretty well setup in the hospital and was able to work. The food wasn't too bad and I got used to giving blood and getting my vitals check. I still didn't enjoy sitting around in pajama pants and a hospital gown. I also could not stray far from my room so my exercise options were limited. 

Luckily late Tuesday afternoon the doctor came by and said that although I still had a condition that needed to be treated it wasn't something that needed to done immediately. I was checked out about an hour later and am home now. I will visit the doctor this week and he will tell me what the treatment plan will be. It may be some outpatient treatment or require a hospital stay. Either way I'm glad this problem was caught early before I had any symptoms. The US health system definitely has some problems that need to be addressed. These problems have more to do with the administration of the benefits than the health care itself. After spending some time in the hospital I have a lot of faith in the people in health system and trust they will help fix any problem I have and continue to keep me as healthy as possible as I age.