I am not a Nurse but...

be active in helping to plan your care, and do as much as you can to get better.

Most problems are caught by the patient or family so you'd be helping a lot if you served as our "safety net", and of course we can't fix anything without your cooperation.

Plus, pointing out when someone does something you appreciate- we love compliments from our patients.

brubert, that is very kind and considerate of you to be thinking about the nurses feelings during YOUR surgery, but if i were you i wouldn't worry about it. just the fact that you are even thinking about what you can do to alleviate your nurses' work load tells me that you are an awesome patient. just concentrate on having a good recovery and i'm sure every thing else will fall in place.

Have a quick recovery. Realize that you WILL feel better even when it seems like you have a "Oh gosh what did I do ?" moment or two. Just be courteous and speak out when someone is doing you wrong(including your physician)

You already sound like the kind of patient who makes the staff's job easier, just by having a positive attitude.

Don't be afraid to tell someone you are in pain, even if you have a PCA. They don't always get the dosage right the first time, and if you can keep any discomfort under control, you'll recover faster.

Good luck, I'll be thinking of you. :)

Wow my kind of patient, candies and cookies!!! They always win me over with food. You can get away with murder if you feed me LOL.

I hope you have a smooth procedure and quick recover :)

BTW, not to sound ungreateful, but why not consider bringing fruit or other nutritious food gifts :imbar ...if you must. It is so difficult to eat healthy at work and the well intended sweet gifts make it even more difficult

Thanks for being so thoughtful!

Thanks for the good thoughts and the great idea about the good snacks!!

First of all, good luck. I wish all of my patients were like you! Everyone has given such great advice. Tell your nurses when you have pain, do lots of deep breathing, and coughing after surgery, (use a pillow to splint your tummy when you cough, or sneeze, or anything like that, it helps alleviate the pain.) The treats are going to be very much appreciated!!! The best way we can help you is for you to tell us when something is wrong, so don't be shy to tell the staff what you need. They're probably going to want you to get up soon after your surgery, it sounds like torture, but the sooner you move around, the sooner you'll feel better. I really hope everything goes well for you.

I am going into the hospital tomorrow for surgery. I want to know what I can do, as a patient, to make your job easier and my stay more comfortable. Just so you know, I am having a hysterectomy and yes, I already have bags of candy and some cookies to take for my WONDERFUL caregivers!! Thanks for any information you can give.

Keeping you in my thoughts tomorrow morning. My hysterectomy went so smoothly I was up and around in no time.

Take care and come back and let us know how it went, OK?

:)

Thanks guys!! Hey, just did the enema thing, how long til it works? OH man..

Best wishes for an uneventful hospital stay and complete recovery! Everyone else here covered it pretty well before me.....Good luck!