Hospital Visit
This past week my wife had to go to St Al’s (a local hospital) for a procedure where she had to stay overnight. We were both nervous with our worst fears as we walked in the front door of the hospital at 5 am Monday morning.
As we walked into the main entrance, we felt that we had entered the 21st century of hospital care. The revolving from was spacious. The entrance had the front desktop to the left and a giant water fall to the right. Colors, shapes, and sounds (or lack of it) was designed to make you feel nothing more than comfort and ease.
We walked down a short hall to the elevator where wall and pictures contained colors of browns, tans, along with soft greens. The room we waited in before going to the preop room had a gas fireplace. Beside the waiting area was two vending machines, opposite them was free coffee and ice water.
In the pre-op room’s ceiling had alternating tiles portrayed an upward look from a pine forest and blue sky beyond. The clock, on the wall, lended to the whole feeling of warmth with its’ rich wood frame. The pre-op nurse, anesthesiologist, Chaplin, and doctor all spoke in soft caring tones. I could not think of anyone who would not feel relaxed and assured about being good hands before having surgery of any kind.
Five hours later I meet my wife in her private room. The per op nurse was there, making sure my wife was comfortable. She turned to me periodically to reconfirm that the operation went well, and recover would be speedy.
36 hours after walking into the hospital door, my wife was wheeled out in a wheel-chair, to our van. If my wife had gone through the same surgery, 15 years ago, she would of have stayed in the hospital for a week or more.
48 hours later after my wife was home, we both felt that what was an scary, necessary experience, We felt that the whole process could not of have been done differently. It was a time of warmth and healing.
