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October 13, 2009

Good staffers ease stress of hospital stay

By LORRAINE LILJA, Innocent Bystander

I just got home from another short hospital stay. That's another experience of the passing years. The staff keeps getting better with each visit. They ask how you are feeling and scare up snacks when you need them.

I've led a very healthy life, and hospital stays were few. Tonsils at age 10 and babies at 29 and 31.

Sixty-five years of smoking have taken their toll on my breathing and lessened my oxygen intake. One of the results of oxygen deprivation is confusion, I'm told. It must be so, for I've come up with some pretty zany things, which is why my son decided I needed to go to the hospital one recent Saturday.

On the way home, we stopped at the pharmacy for two prescriptions. As we arrived at the drug store, I meant to ask him if he needed cash. But it came out asking if he needed an ash tray! It shows you where my head was.

NO GARAGE SALES
While inpatient, I met a nice nurse. We got into a conversation, and she said she is living in an empty nest and misses cooking. All her pots, pans and utensils are gone. I said I still have mine and never use them. So we will get together and solve each other's problems. It is opportune, because the senior home I live in doesn't allow us to hold garage sales. That's pretty dumb when you consider it. Folks who have had to downsize living quarters, sometimes repeatedly, need to have a way to dispose of the overage — and could use the money. What harm could it do to have one day set aside for a garage sale?

Another great improvement at CVPH Medical Center is the speed with which they send you on your way. I remember sitting for hours waiting to be discharged in the past, and that ranks up there with the longest hours ever spent. My whiz of a nurse had everything in order within an hour, complete with detailed instructions on how and when to take meds.

Now that I've buttered up the CVPH staff, I'll bet my future stays will be as pleasant.

Lorraine Lilja is a retired Press-Republican reporter. A collection of her columns, "Lilja's World," is for sale at local bookstores. Lilja can be reached at llilja17@hotmail.com.

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