"Valley Hospital was an amazing place to have my VSG. All the nurses were sooooo nice, and really listened to my concerns. The patient care assistants were all so friendly also! Any time I pushed my call button, there was a response IMMEDIATELY, any time of the day. WOW. They got me up and walking the NIGHT of my surgery. They were so lovely, patient, funny, kind! Their names were Ellen, Marielle and Coleen, and a male nurse whose name is slipping my mind but he was so respectful during my belly assessment, gently covering my private areas with a sheet prior to beginning.
All the rooms were singles on the surgery floor! That was a relief! You didn't have to worry about bothering a roommate nor they (and their guests) bothering you. Along those lines, another wonderful surprise at Valley was that it was so QUIET! Having been hospitalized on previous occasions, and dealing with the nurses laughing and chatting and other patient's instruments beeping all day and night, this was NOT the case at Valley! And this was with a privacy screen in front of an OPEN door. This was very beneficial to my recovery.
The only negative was the two respiratory therapists. One came in in the middle of the night, and without introducing himself or apologizing for the intrusion, turned on the light and demanded to know where my C-PAP was. I told him I didn't have a C-PAP. He checked my name and I thought that would be the end of it, but he insisted on drilling me, "Do you know what a C-PAP is?" I said yes, but I didn't need one. He then asked me if I knew what sleep apnea was. I said yes, and that I have never been diagnosed with sleep apnea. He then left without another word, turning off the light but not returning my privacy curtain around the room door.
The other respiratory therapist came during the day time hours and also didn't introduce herself and so I thought she was a nurse and asked for her help with my compression boots. She said she would ask a nurse for help. She then located the spirometer on my bedside table and asked if I knew how to use it. (A nurse had shown me how briefly earlier.) I said "I think so," and then she said, "good," and left the room without so much as a "goodbye." I will certainly be checking my bill to see if these respiratory therapists charged for these "visits."
If you live in Northern New Jersey and are lucky enough to have access to Valley Hospital, also consider having Dr. Beth Schrope, Director of Valley Hospital's Metabolic and Weight Loss Surgery Program perform your surgery. She is also on the surgical staff at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital across the Hudson. Here's the website: http://www.valleyhealth.com/obesity_surgery.aspx
Good luck in your journey!"
