"It was hard to rate my experience with stars because there is a wide range of nursing care quality there from very poor to excellent. About 75% of the staff I encountered were very caring and professional but overworked. However, my room was behind the nurses station, and I heard many unprofessional conversations. I also received repeated conflicting information for many things such as how often to use the incentive spirometer (anywhere from 6 times a day to 10 times an hour - big difference), how much I should be drinking, and what to expect from a test.
They also are proud of their walking program and I wish I had understood what that meant. They want you up and walking right away. I was fine with that because I understood the importance; however, they are extreme about it. The first night, I had a very bad reaction to anesthesia and wasn't able to walk. I wanted to do what they recommended. I repeatedly tried to walk but ended up falling on the floor dry heaving. I was absolutely made to feel lazy and was told that I wasn't embracing my new healthy lifestyle about 18 hours after my surgery.
I started to walk hourly throughout the day and even in the middle of the night when I was awake (1am and 4am). I was told it wasn't enough. Regrettably, I took myself off of my pain medication intentionally because I wasn't measuring up to the walking expectations and I had difficulty with dizziness while walking on the medication. Finally, when I asked what specifically the walking expectations were, I was told that you are expected to walk continuously unless you have a good reason not to; and sleep was not a reason.
There LITERALLY is a competition to see how much they can get you to walk and it has been written about as a point of pride online. My surgical experience was individual and shouldn't have been part of a competition.
Of course, this is only my experience. Other people may have more success. If I hadn't had any problems with the anesthesia and pain medications and had been able to keep up with the walking expectations, I'm sure my stay would have felt very different. I think the expectations were unreasonable though and I wasn't handled as an individual. My husband wants to have the surgery too. It's a shame. We liked the doctor but will never go back to the hospital."
