"Awesome place. I felt right at home, safe & cozy. If the graveyard nurses spoke better English that would of been a plus, but all in all it was great. No major complaints. After moving on the the Lucerna, I missed my cozy room at the hosp. "
"My first impression of Dr. Kelly was that he was a very knowledgeable surgeon, comfortable in what he does and that he is really there to see you through this. My impression of his warmth and genuine concern for his patients grew every time I was visited by him. Dr. Kelly's office staff was great. The majority of the nurses spoke English, and only a few who worked at night, did not. The nurses, work very hard to tend to your every need, and were on it 100%. Trish, who is an assistant there, works the longest hours of any assistant I ever met, and she has such a huge heart and is able to answer any basic questions you have.
Dr. Kelly is open & honest about what his concerns are for your health, safety, during and after surgery. He shared info with me concerning my surgery, which I appreciated. There was nothing I didn't like about Dr. Kelly, he is a sweet heart, a good soul. Dr. Kelly will tell you straight up this is a life changing surgery and wants you to know there is responsibilities that come with any procedure. I rate Dr. Kelly a 10. There really is nothing negative to say about him, he is that awesome. He even brought his little boy over to meet me and spent quality time with us getting to know us and making me feel comfortable. He shared information and stories from his own life which also a special touch. His surgical competence and bedside manner is second to none!! I live in Alaska, that is along way to travel just to be disappointed and I wasn't. If I have to pick only one area for improvement it would be that all the nurses speak English, at night, after surgery, when your really out of it, it is a little challenging to play sign language w/ them when trying to get info across to someone one simply doesn't know what your saying.
I had a nurse who tried 4 times to get my IV inserted, but wasn't able to get it going, b/c I have tiny veins, when DR. Kelly entered the room & saw this, he called for another nurse, Alicia and she got it on the first stick, thank god! DR. Kelly was quick to see I was in pain and immediately dealt with the situation so I would not suffer. The hospital was clean, warm, and felt very safe. When I slept my first night at the hotel, (upgraded to the Lucerna) I wished I was still at the Florence Hospital, b/c it was so cozy and I felt really safe there and the aftercare there was amazing. My husband was able to sleep in the same room as me, he was given a full size bed w/ blankets and pillow and showered there as well. He was given a meal ticket for every meal he ate at the hospital, most were good, he said, some he didn't care for, but mind you my husband enjoys meat & potatoes and greasy cheeseburgers and fries, so go figure. That wont be found on this menu, sorry. They gave me a take home bag of meds and juices and jello's. They should include more jello. I still have some of the gatorade they gave me, it's in my frig. I tried to find more jello in town, but wasn't able to, so that was a little bummer. I am fully stocked now. Also they give one small box of pain meds. I would of liked 2 boxes, just in case, I have one pill left, and I am 1 week post op, and took a little bit of ibuprofen this morning, b/c unless the pain is really bad I am saving my last pain pill for that moment. The Driver Ricardo, is a trip. He & my husband really hit it off, I think. We tipped him, I don't know if that is expected, but it is how we do things, so we gave him $20 going in and $10 going out. Take cash with you, the ATM's charge and as my husband said can be a little confusing. The experience with Dr. Kelly was most memorable, and I am so glad he did my surgery. What a wonderful person. What a wonderful Dr.
My husband was not for me to have surgery in the first place and then when I said I wanted to go to TJ, he was really against it. After he met Dr. Kelly, his whole view on my safety changed. He realized just how "LUCKY" I was to have a surgeon like Dr. Kelly and said no Dr. had impressed him more than Dr. Kelly, and my husband has had some good doctors in his life, but he believes Dr. Kelly is above them ALL. I agree.
I am a blessed person. I have no major pain and have lost 10 lbs since my surgery. Looking to loose more in the weeks & months to come. Thank you Dr. Kelly for giving me the opportunity to regain my happiness. It's all about the simple things, as I told Dr. Kelly, like the desire to tie your shoes with out struggling. That's a goal of mine. "
