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AIBU?

You can’t recover in hospital

135 replies

Schuyler · 17/09/2019 12:55

I’m not complaining about the care which has been exceptional. I just think the environment is not conducive to recovery. Unfortunately, I’ve been admitted to 5 different hospitals over the last few years and I’ve seen the same thing in all.

The temperature is unstable - either far too hot or far too cold.

The food can be virtually inedible. It is certainly not nourishing! Longish admissions mean I work my way through the menus. I’m fortunate to have almost daily visitors who can bring me food but many people don’t have this luxury. If you’re taken for tests when the food arrives, you might end up with cold food or melted ice cream.

It’s noisy and impossible to sleep and too bright. I understand why they need some lights on and obviously they can’t help beeping and confused people calling out.

I don’t think there’s a real answer but people look at me like I’m an alien when I tell them I tend to get better much quicker at home! AIBU?

OP posts:
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Rainbowssoul · 17/09/2019 13:06

Wow ... I am so pleased you posted this ... I too have had some long admissions and it has consumed me forever daily thinking about how shite it was but I too was lucky to have support but so many were older had nobody ... and well I slept rarely so heard so much going on all night .. patients being ignored over and over, absolutely heart breaking. I couldn't move at first but once I was able to I was the one helping them all not the staff .. and I always had food bought in , didnt mind the soup and the salads but owt else was depressing x

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Ponoka7 · 17/09/2019 13:09

No you're not.

Last time I was in, it sounded like the Nurses were playing tic during the night.

I was in a private room and when going to change the patient in the next room, at around 4am, the Nurse was singing outside my room. That was the Royal in Liverpool, but the food was ok and the soup was good.

I was denied liquid pain killers ny a Nurse, even though i was being sent home with them. My Sister had to bring in food for me. That was Broadgreen in Liverpool.

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TriDreigiau · 17/09/2019 13:10

I remember reading about some research done in USA they found that many people were readmitted for other things with in 6 months.

They found people being woken up or missing meals for tests and noisy environments were all unhelpful for longer term health - it was stressful.

They seem to think it was part of the battle against disease mentality - rather than seeing the whole person though I wonder if it's just more common in modern hospitals.

I've had couple of family members in with different things and the department deals with that area but they've also developed another condition much more minor but despite it causing discomfort and then pain it never got seen to till they left hospital -despite vauge promises to do something but it wasn't their area.

But no all family admitted have usually been desperate to get home.

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Rainbowssoul · 17/09/2019 13:10

In fact one time i remember packing my bags ready to discharge myself ... but the circumstance explained to me were that if I left and the inevitable happened ( haemmoraging ) then I would not get back to hospital in time and both and my baby would not survive .. so after 7 weeks and trying to leave I had to stay , had no choice. This was on maternity wards.. I've been on surgical wards lots of times, I vowed never to go back not ever , I will do everything in my power to just not go back, damn this body of mine !! ;)

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recklessruby · 17/09/2019 13:13

Yanbu. Hospital food is grim and there s no peace. It s too hot as well.
Cleaners waking you up at 7 am sweeping the ward.
Going home after 6 weeks after spinal surgery was absolute bliss!

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Metalhead · 17/09/2019 13:13

YANBU, all hospitals should have single rooms only so you get at least some degree of privacy and peace & quiet.

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TheMustressMhor · 17/09/2019 13:14

Last time I was in, it sounded like the Nurses were playing tic during the night

They probably were. Nurses on night duty don't remember that people usually try to sleep at night.

You're right OP. It is much easier to recover at home - and you can take your painkillers when you need them, not when the nurses decided you can have them.

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pasbeaucoupdegendarme · 17/09/2019 13:15

YANBU. I nearly killed my dad when he told me that “at least I could rest properly” when I had to stay in after the birth of my last child. Hospital is about the least restful place possible, I imagine!

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TheQueef · 17/09/2019 13:17

YANBU after two horrible stays I'm determined never to stay in again.

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MyNameIsIrrelevant · 17/09/2019 13:18

Absolutely not restful at all.
The constant in and out of the nurses and patients means sleep is sporadic at best.

The food isn't great but it wasn't as bad as I anticipated when I was in after my baby was born, actually the dinner meal I had when I was in labour was actually quite nice (helped along with a nice large serving of pepper) and memorable! Lol.

But no I certainly didn't feel rested in hospital, even though I barely got out of bed.

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RosaWaiting · 17/09/2019 13:19

Yes OP

My mother has atrial fibrillation. Her last attack was when my dad was still alive. She begged him not to call 999 because she thought she’d be more likely to die if she went through the ensuing fuss. The previous attack, she was in for five days for observation and it took her weeks to recover from the hospital experience.

He called me, I agreed we should respect her wishes and that time she was recovered enough to go to the cinema within about two days!

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dollydaydream114 · 17/09/2019 13:20

Depends what you mean by ‘recover’. I’d say my physical recovery was OK in the sense that I healed as planned, but yeah, certainly not remotely restful in terms of actually feeling better.

I don’t think it was the fault of the staff at all, they were great, but obviously the general setup of a hospital ward is, by necessity, quite busy and noisy and has to run to a routine which doesn’t always feel great for the patient. (For example, coming round with dinner about five minutes after you’ve thrown up.)

It’s actually mainly the lack of privacy and other patients getting on my nerves that I find hard, though, rather than anything else.

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RosaWaiting · 17/09/2019 13:21

Oh and a friends grandma refused a hospital admission for pneumonia for the same reasons. Again, I think she recovered faster, in spite her f not getting the antibiotics s the GP wanted the hospital to give via IV.

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FishCakesFishCakesLovelyLovely · 17/09/2019 13:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Cakeorchocolate · 17/09/2019 13:27

You are absolutely right.

Whenever I've been an inpatient (a few times) I can't wait to get discharged. Being woken in the middle of the night for 'obs' and "how is your pain?" It was fine when I was asleep!!

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OneHanded · 17/09/2019 13:28

I’m vegan and catering can be amazing or get it completely wrong and send two meals or nothing! But I’ve been very lucky that Addenbrookes has an m&s food, Starbucks, Costa, newsagents selling coop food, etc! All the best to you OP, I’m in and out a lot too and rely on family cooking meals and bringing in half of Tesco’s ready meals and fruit and veg for nurses to heat up. I’ve found falling asleep to music, wearing an eye mask and drawing curtains helps too.

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Windydaysuponus · 17/09/2019 13:29

I had a dc on nye years ago and kept in as I was a' grande multiple'
Woken up at 12 to wish happy new year to!
First thing next day the woman opposite had her family arrive - 12 of them - pulling a huge picnic hamper and carrying bottle of fizz!
I discharged myself!

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OneHanded · 17/09/2019 13:30

Oh @RosaWaitingi was the same - they wanted to give iv antibiotics for two weeks. I refused and they sent me home that evening with oral antibiotics that did the trick perfectly!

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RosaWaiting · 17/09/2019 13:36

In terms of being unable to do anything

My experience is they do nothing to keep the place quiet, the opposite in fact, and there’s been no rules about visitors. It’s horrendous. I actually wondered if they were trying to nudge people to take private cover?

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LondonJax · 17/09/2019 13:39

Our DS had a heart procedure a few years ago. His procedure was delayed because of an emergency admission - he should have been a day patient with 6 hours on the ward to check all was well then home.

But, because he was taken down so late he had to stay overnight. I slept by his side.

He was on a children's ward with three darling little baby girls. Two had to be fed through a stomach tube so the parents were up every two hours. The other little girl couldn't sleep so her parents had a cot chime toy on very quiet (but enough for me to just hear as the ward go quiet).

Then the nurses had to do checks every so many hours.

DS came out the next day and we just practically ran for the door!

We almost missed our stop on the train home as we slept nearly all the way home.

My DS says he felt so sorry for the children who are on the wards long term because it's so hard to sleep.

Nothing you can really do about it and I'm not complaining. I'd rather have the noise than not have DS (which would have been the outcome without the procedure) but it does make you wonder how much the noise affects those people who are long term hospital stays.

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HappyHammy · 17/09/2019 13:40

Even small bays can be noisy and do staff really have to turn the lights on at 6am to do the obs. Why cant they put them on dim or use the bedside lights. I recently paid for an op on the very small private wing of an NHS hospital. The food was terrible. Nurses were a mixed bunch of competence and caring attitude. It was nice to have a room and own bathroom but the cleaner still thought it was ok to clean the bog and empty all the bins when I was eating and I didnt see a doctor for 2 days and didnt get painkillers on time and specialist pain nurse and pharmacy only spoke to the staff instead of me so it wasnt really any better.

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Nousernameforme · 17/09/2019 13:46

I think we need the old style nurses back. As well as the nurses we have now. The new style for want of a better descriptor get on with doing everything they do now technical procedures paper work and dispensing drugs and the older style to come in and do basic patient care. Make sure everyone is eating, beds are stripped and cleaned when needed dressings changed bed pans etc etc. Keep to strict visiting hours like the old days.

Ofc it comes down to the tories not giving any money to the NHS but maybe there is a way to do it on the cheap. Maybe offer apprentice nursing degrees and their job is to be a basic care nurse for 3 years with one day a week for study.

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Booboostwo · 17/09/2019 13:47

YANBU.

DD had a few hospital admissions last year and the lack of sleep was torturous. The ward was a nightmare with children of different ages and different medical needs all lumped together - so a child who was feeling unwell was trying to sleep next to a child who was about to be discharged but still had 10 relatives visiting and making a day of it. Even the single rooms were problematic. Last time we were put just outside the nurses' station (open plan on the corridor) and we couldn't sleep either day or night. DD burst into tears at some point because of the relentless noise.

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Rachelover60 · 17/09/2019 13:49

I agree with you, Schuyler. I had an awful experience as an in patient for eight days earlier this year, it will take me a long time to get over it, frankly. Turned out there was nothing wrong with me, goodness knows how much worse it would have been had there been a serious problem

I'm really sorry you've had so many admissions.
Flowers

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ThumbWitchesAbroad · 17/09/2019 13:49

YANBU, it's not a great place for recovery. It's better if you have a private room but even then there is noise and light all the time.

Thing is though that some things do still need to be monitored in hospital, and can't be monitored at home easily, even with a private nurse (who most can't afford) - regular blood tests, for e.g., much easier to be in the hospital to have these checked daily.

But yes - as far as sleep and nourishment are concerned, it's pretty hopeless.

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