drbillstevens
New User
Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 6
Location: Ohio, Lancaster
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 Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 10:09 am Post subject: Re: Henry Ford Hospital: A Wife's Diary |
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Thanks Leo. Here it is, and PLEASE anyone with questions contact me. I'm so thankful to those who passed on information to me.
Bill
DAILY JOURNAL
HENRY FORD HOSPITAL
FROM SHERRY?S POINT-OF-VIEW
Dr. Menon?s staff:: We have found them to be a very personable and professional team. They have answered all our questions and have been very helpful. We would not have known how to begin to set this up if it had not been for all their help. They were outstanding!
Saturday, May 14, 2005
We arrived in Detroit today around 4:00 p.m. Our sons Jason and Jeff drove us up from Lancaster, OH. It was really a good thing that they had taken the time to install a CB. There was a serious accident on I-75 that shut it down. Jeff was able to talk to semi drivers to find out what alternate route to take.
We are on the second floor of the apartments. We unpacked everything and got settled in. The main room is a combination bedroom/living room with two twin beds, a loveseat, table and chairs, and TV. There is a small balcony off this room. There are two additional bedrooms, with two twin beds in each, the bathroom, and kitchen which has lots of storage, stove, refrigerator, microwave, a one-cup coffeemaker, and a small pantry. There is an exercise room and children?s playroom on the first floor.
The apartments are located right outside the hospital. We can look out our window and into the window of the cafeteria on the other side of the tennis court. We ate there tonight and found that they have a very large selection. There is also a Little Caesar?s, Mr.. Pita, Java City (which has great fruit smoothies), a gift shop, newspaper stands, and a pharmacy inside the hospital. The apartments have the cafeteria menus for the week at the front desk. Also, as you walk into the cafeteria, they have samples of what the specials look like.
There is a parking lot next to the apartments to park your car. Your room key also gives you access to the parking lot.
All-in-all, we feel very safe and secure staying here. I think the boys feel a lot better about our stay here also. This is an ideal setup for anyone who is not familiar with the Detroit area. The apartments are only $45 a day and Arleta from Dr. Menon?s office made all the arrangements. Note: Our flexible spending account that we have through Medical Mutual will cover that expense. Check with your insurance company.
Note: Our plan is to stay until the catheter is taken out plus they recommend two additional days after that. They would like for you stay for the duration, but you don?t have to. We had a friend who had his surgery on Thursday and went back to Ohio on Sunday (he had his catheter taken out two weeks later back home by his local urologist).
Sunday, May 15, 2005
The boys left early this morning to head back to Lancaster. Bill has to spend the day prepping for tomorrow?s surgery (liquid diet, etc.). Our son Todd and daughter-in-law Lisa are coming up this evening and will be here for Bill?s surgery. I had to call Lisa to bring me some buns. I brought sandwich makings for me, but forgot to bring any bread. Although there is plenty of food on the campus, I didn?t want to waste what I brought with me. We were advised not to wonder off campus to go to the grocery. If that?s the only thing I forgot, we are doing pretty good.
Some of the items I did bring: paper towels, paper products (plates, bowls & plastic cutlery), a microwave pan, clock radio, zip lock bags, dishwashing liquid & dishrags, extension cords, hair dryer, air freshener or scented candles. I did bring a small cooler for: milk, butter, eggs, cheese, Bob Evans mashed potatoes, Jell-o cups, and some lunch meat for me. One thing I did do to save on packing space: I pre-measured the tea and sugar and put them in zip lock bags and put them in a pitcher, along with the dishrags and some coffee in zip lock bags.
I tried to bring small amounts of groceries and paper products. Your husband could help carry things in, but he will not be able to help carry things out after surgery. I put the boxes out in the hall to be picked up with the trash, and sent the cooler back with the boys, so we are now down to our suitcases on wheels when we leave.
The apartments supply plenty of bedding, towels, washcloths, and trash bags (they pick up trash and used towels/linens outside your door once a day).
We have been able to hook up our laptop and Playstation/DVD. The TV is limited to just a few stations, so we brought games and DVD movies to help kill time. We also brought lots of reading material.
Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:45 a.m. and I plan to spend the night in Bill?s hospital room. We may be a long way from home, but we can feel the love and prayers that have traveled with us.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Bill was taken into surgery at 11:00 a.m. They told us it would be about 2 hours before we heard anything. At 2:30 I asked the receptionist if I should be concerned. Shortly after that, Dr. Menon came in to tell us that Bill was in recovery and had been there for a while. The doctor had another appointment he had to attend to before he came down to talk to us. He told us all went well and they accomplished everything they had planned. Dr. Menon took Todd, Lisa and I down to the chapel on the first floor and prayed with us. He then took us up to the third floor to see if Bill?s room was ready. We were able to wait in there for Bill.
Dr. Menon was in to see us before he went home for the day. We had a very pleasant conversation with him. He assured me that I was very safe staying at the apartments, but warned me that I should not leave the hospital complex at any time.
The hospital appeared to be very short-staffed. The night shift nurses checked in on us regularly and made sure we had lots of water since Bill was supposed to drink lots of liquid. They also brought me in a pillow and blanket since I was staying overnight. During the day, we were on our own with very little assistance.
Note: The pre-op staff was very helpful and reassuring.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Dr. Menon came in and appeared to be upset that we had not been up and walking more often. We had been told to walk frequently, but Bill was hooked up to a monitor, IV, and catheter and we thought we had to be under nurse supervision to unhook all this stuff. As it turns out, we were supposed to unplug the monitor and walk every hour. Duh! This was not made clear to us. Once we knew it and Bill was able to walk every hour, I could see a huge difference in his recovery. It was still very hard for him to get out of bed, and I have a bad back and probably should not have been doing what I was doing, but, again, we were on our own.
Edith, Dr. Menon?s nurse, came in to give us instructions on the changing and cleaning of the catheter and completed our discharge instructions
We had three concerns about our stay at the Henry Ford:
1. Bill was supposed to drink lots of liquid and no one brought any in to us during the day shift on Tuesday. I filled up his cup frequently from the water fountain.
2. We got no assistance in getting him out of bed and making sure that he walked on a regular basis. I helped Bill but should not have with my back problems. What do people do who have no one with them?
3. Edith indicated that it was very important to clean the catheter area at least 3 times a day, but no one even looked at it during our stay at the hospital.
We decided to walk over to the apartments instead of waiting for a wheelchair. We stopped off at the pharmacy to pick up our prescriptions and we were on our way.
Our first adventure with the catheter was changing from a day bag to a night bag. It had looked so easy in the hospital but we soon discovered that I was not a natural nurse. We muddled through and he was able to get some sleep. I was totally exhausted and emotionally drained by the time I tucked him in bed for the night.
I am so glad we already have our appointment to take that catheter out on Monday the 23rd.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Bill has had his first shower and a bowl of oatmeal this morning (the first solid food he has had since Saturday). He feels like a new man. It is also easier for him to get up and down in the bed. At first he complained about the catheter pulling when he walked. He found that wearing briefs helped hold the catheter in place when wearing the day bag so it did not pull. Also, the elastic band would slip as the bag filled up. We found that taping the band to the leg helped.
If you have a hobby that is easy to carry, it would be wise to bring it along. I like to do puzzles, so I brought one with me and set it up in one of the bedrooms. It?s become someplace I can escape while he is napping or reading. The sun was shining today, so this afternoon I put on my tennis shoes and went for a walk. I picked up a couple of fruit smoothies on my way back. Today is sooooooooo much better than yesterday.
Andrea from Dr. Menon?s office called to check on Bill.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Bill was able to venture out today. We walked over to the hospital cafeteria and gift shop before it started to rain. I think I have him hooked on fruit smoothies.
I can see that it is going to get a little boring around here killing time until Monday. It is supposed to be warm and sunny over the weekend so I plan to do a lot more walking outside. I may set a couple of chairs on the balcony so Bill and I can enjoy the weather. I also have to find the other way into the cafeteria before the weekend. Keith and Sarah (friends who were here about a month ago) told us that the hospital is locked up over the weekend, so if you walk around to the other side of the cafeteria and push a button, the security guard will let you in.
Friday, May 20, 2005
I found the magic button to get into the cafeteria, so we are all set for the weekend. I?ve mentioned the cafeteria a couple of times, but never mentioned the cost. So far all the ?specials? meals have been $4.75 and under. If you don?t want the meals, you can get a la carte items also. They have soups, salads, sandwiches, desserts, fruit, and cereals, as well as the daily specials. The prices are very reasonable. Again, there are copies of the weekly menu both at the apartments and at the cafeteria.
Bill passed another milestone necessary after surgery?he had his first bowel movement. That?s probably TMI for some of you, but a very important part of his recovery.
It was pretty outside today so we went for another walk over to the hospital. I have to walk a little slower for Bill, so I went out again later for a power walk by myself with a promise to return with a fruit smoothie.
I told Bill today that he could be a real poster child for RLRP (robotic laparoscopic radical prostatectomy). He?s done so well.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Okay, forget the magic button. We pushed it today and the guard told us we still had to go around to the front of the hospital. It was a pretty day, so that was no big deal. In inclement weather, that?s going to be a nuisance. We got our food and waited for someone with a pass key to go out the locked door, and we just followed them out.
Note: The hospital was open until 2:30 p.m. It was after that when we went back over to get dinner that we couldn?t get in the usual door.
Today was lots of reading, puzzle work and walking.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
We slept in today and are moving a lot slower. We know today is just going to be killing a lot of time until our appointment tomorrow morning?more reading, puzzle work and walking. This is the hardest part of the stay, but we are still convinced it is all going to be worth it tomorrow if he gets the catheter out. Bill can?t even discuss the possibility of leaving that catheter in for another week.
The hospital was open when we went over at noon today. We loaded up on lunch and fruit smoothies so we wouldn?t have to come back after the hospital locked down again.
Monday, May 23, 2005
Bill is catheter free and cancer free! We had our appointment this morning and got all good reports. If he has no problems between now and Wednesday morning, we are headed for home. The real shocker is that he appears to be totally continent. Wow! He really is a poster child for RLRP. He was given a copy of his pathology report and a report describing the actual surgery, which we will share with our local urologist.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
We are back in Lancaster, OH and it feels wonderful. Bill is doing well after the 4-hour drive. We stopped a couple of times on the way home so he could stretch his legs. He was also able to prop his legs up on a cooler that we put between the front seats. We have an appointment with his local urologist on Friday to bring him up-to-date on everything. Bill also has to have his PSA tested every 3 months for two years.
He has become a soldier in the battle against prostate cancer. He asks everyone he runs into if they know their PSA numbers. His PSA was not high (3.1), but he knew it had only been 2 a year before. Two doctors had told him not to worry about it. Had he not been persistent, he would never have caught the cancer so early.
SUMMARY
It was a long week and being so far away from family during all this was hard, but we both agree, we would do it again. It is a small price to pay to be able to walk away cancer free.
The toughest decisions to make are what procedure to have and where to have it done. If you do make the decision to go to Detroit for the RLRP, I hope this journal gives you a little information to help you prepare for the journey. |
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