I feel bad for patients; a hospital is not a pleasant place to be at (and maybe a little for nurses and doctors to who have to stay in the same environment). No one ever said, "hey let's go something fun today. Why don't we walk around the hospital?" After spending the whole day in one room, my clothes, my hair, everything started to feel like the hospital. I can't imagine what's it to like for long-term patients or those who have chronic illness to be in a hospital all the time. I rode up in the elevator with a lady who exclaimed resignedly, "it feels like I live here." Especially for MJ who had a broken leg and can't walk out of the room at all, get fresh air, move her body, change the air she breathes, it has to be extremely difficult.
The orthopedic wing (leg injuries, diseases) of this hospital we are in at least has this principle of the 4P's: position, partner, potty, pain. Those are the 4 main areas the patient has to focus on: being in the right position, being a partner in the treatment process, potty, and manage the pain, and there was plenty of that for MJ this past weekend. Just constantly in pain......it's no way to live. No wonder there are chapels in hospitals, not just for those who are visiting to pray for the patients but maybe for the patients themselves to find the strength to continue living, since they are constantly being threatened with unbearable pain. It's tears-inducing, scream-causing pain that comes unexpectedly, arbitrarily, and at any time. And to combat that pain, the only thing offered was narcotics, specifically oxycodone, which I did a double-take when I heard it the first time because it sounds exactly like what it is on the news: an opioid that if taken excessively, puts users at risk for addiction and eventual death, the cause of the significant opioid crisis in the U.S. Can't take too much for fear of addiction, can't take too little because it's painful as hell. Between a rock and a painful place, an extreme Goldilocks dilemma.
Position- Since MJ had a leg injury, she had to make sure her leg is in the right position to be healed, which means not moving it. I am one of the most fidgety people in the world who always needs to change position and move my body in some way, so immobility might be worse than just the pain. Even a slight bending of the leg or knee in the wrong way or facing the wrong direction might cause pain later or slowing of the healing process. And MJ complained of muscle spasms all weekend, where her muscles were cramping but she couldn't do anything about it. Really quite difficult for a husband to watch without being able to do anything.
Potty- MJ went by days without having a bowel movement, which is distressing but also understandable because she's not eating anything ahead of the surgery, not eating much after the surgery because of painkillers, not digesting well because she's not moving.... .everything about being in a hospital is not healthy, yet it's what we need to do to get healthy. Potty is difficult especially without being to move. I've gained some appreciation for being able to use the restroom without restriction, because a patient is not, and it's embarrassing to ask to use the restroom.
Partner- I'm still not completely sure what partner means, I think it has to do with the nurse partnering with the patient, but it is actually really important to have a spousal partner present as well! To do little things like feeding the patient, charging the patient's phone, putting shower cap on (remember, patients can't shower, especially immobile patients). But mainly just a source of moral support. to combat this dreadful situation together. And this is all before surgery, which MJ needs 2 of.
This past weekend has granted me much more appreciation about what it's like to be a patient at a hospital. Those 4 P's are no joke.
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