Adventure in Ottawa Hospitals

Today, on the first official adventure for the blog, we are exploring the world of Ottawa Hospitals.

Now, if you are lucky you are not familiar with this exotic place. Unfortunately, in the past month I have become intimately familiar with two of Ottawa's best hospitals. It has been an adventure and I am here to share it with you. Take this as a guide, the inside scoop. In the last month I have spent over 2 weeks in these establishments and so I have explored them fully enough to give you the low down.

One thing you should know is, don’t fret, Canadian's favorite coffee shop is present in Ottawa hospitals. In fact, they get a ton of business since everyone goes there. No matter if you’re at the hospital for an appointment, for work, for health reasons, or for volunteering there's a Timmy's sporting person around every corner. Yes I am talking about Tim Horton's and I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of their best-selling locations. Now that we got the dilemma of coffee out of the way, let's move on to what you can expect of your stay if ever you were to have one at a hospital. Now this is a general thing of course. Depending on the reason you are in the hospital, the overall atmosphere will be different.

Both hospitals are very closely the same so I am just going to concentrate on one specific hospital and my experience there. I first got to that specific hospital after an episode I had. I started feeling “really off” and then it proceeded to me having super blurry vision and almost fainting all the while dry heaving along with a plummeting blood pressure. As I had had open heart surgery 2 weeks prior (the reason for the first hospital stay), there was no messing around. We went to emergency where they proceeded to ask me some questions and then put me in a waiting room. One hour later, what do you know, it happened again. On a side note, I never got that. I'm here in the emergency because I feel there's something really wrong with me and you decide to make me wait in a room full of other sick people. I know it's the way it works and that the triage people take the worst cases first and can't take care of everyone at once, but there's nothing worse  than sitting in a small waiting room when you feel like crap. It seriously sucks.

Anyways, they put me in a wheelchair and at that point I don't even recall sitting in it, just being freaked out of my mind. So in my case I'm gagging and seeing the world through a haze so thick I couldn't tell red from green and they wheel me to a room with actual beds and equipment. I must admit they did it fast and efficiently. When I got there they did vitals and all that, but I won't go into details since this might get too long and it's not that riveting. Basically it was just me laying there for a day and eventually being admitted to a room. 

So I'm just going to hop on to the next part of the adventure and something else you should know about hospitals, namely something called the insertion of the dreaded IV.

Now some people are good at punching an IV into an arm, it only pinches for a second and then it's over. Others, like the person I had on one occasion, make it a very painful experience. If you don't know, here's a picture of an IV, the part they put in you

 

The arrow points to the part that goes in your arm, The long pointy part. I ran out of space in my sketch but it's a bit longer than the Image. I had a nurse that put that end in the skin like normal. OK, no big deal, I was used to it from my previous hospital experience. But then she proceeds to take it out, poke it back in a bit, then take it out a bit more and poke it back in all in the same spot. Let me tell you, that kind of hurt! The lady was nice but I'm not sure she was aware of the pain she was inflicting. Once it's in it shouldn't hurt, even when they put in liquid it shouldn't hurt, feel weird perhaps but not hurt. If it does or if an air bubble appears on your skin while using the IV tell the nurse immediately since it's not normal.

Another little bit of wisdom for you, IV's are hella annoying. When you feel well enough to take in your surroundings that thing will become very annoying, it catches on everything and when you are plugged-in to it it limits your movement a lot. So if you’re ever stuck with an IV here are some tips... there are none. You just have to live with it, sorry, I know not very helpful but the truth.

Now I'm just going to hit a bunch of points you might find interesting about my adventure in hospitals, some points might be good to know if your ever unlucky enough to spend some time there and might be helpful for your stay. But they can be read by all.

1. Be prepared for bad food. Seriously the food sucks … a lot. Most of it even just looks wrong. If you’re sick enough it won’t matter but when you’re at that stage where your feeling conscious enough to be aware of things you notice it, trust me. My tip: ask friends and family when visiting to bring in some food. Something you might not know, there is (at least at the hospitals I went to) a fridge where you can keep food. Just make sure the food is not too unhealthy cause the nurses won't be shy to take it and throw it out or ban you from eating it if. And if you’re not the kind of person to have visitors then ask a nurse. Those fridges usually have extra jello, pudding, and usually some kind of bread which in my opinion is the best of the hospital food.

2. Medication sweats. Yep that happens some medication makes you sweat so much it feels like you’re in a tropical island under a noon sun and if it helps you picture that, just don't open your eyes because all you'll see is bland walls, an IV stand and a bed.

3. Talking about beds. They are so uncomfortable! I'm not kidding. They give you killer butt aches when I was inexperienced in the art of maneuvering (I will divulge my secrets shortly) My butt hurt so much that it surpassed the incision pain from the surgery. Ya, that bad. Butt pain, it really hurts. So with all that it will come to no surprise that sleep is sparse. Sleep comes in two ways. One, you’re exhausted to the point where you just collapse into sleep after hours of being awake and staring at the ceiling, trying not to have a panic attack and being consumed by the boredom that is doing nothing for hours while everyone around you is seemingly sleeping when you can't. Two, you take a sleeping pill (I have not done this because I'm a stubborn head and hate taking medication, but it's an option). I;m told that the pills work quick and efficiently. There are the days when you win the hospital lottery and you actually sleep but you never will get a full night’s sleep. Even if you somehow manage to fall asleep, something or someone is always waking you up at the hospital. Whether its the blood tests at 3 in the morning (it happened to me) or them checking up on you by shinning a flash light in your face at midnight (again, it happened to me) or waking you up to give you more medication when you have just fallen asleep. Other things that woke me up are my IV beeping for 20 minutes in the middle of the night until someone came to fix it, morning blood tests, then other tests that wake you up 10 minutes after you just fallen asleep from being woken up for the first morning tests. The only good part about the beds is the fact that you can move them up and down by reaching the small button on the side of the bed, but reaching it is a problem of its own.

Here are Maya's butt ache prevention techniques. First, be aware that there is no fool proof method; for example, my butt is currently aching slightly because I've been sitting here typing for a while. But these tips will help. While in bed and experiencing butt aches these are your options.:
Change the position of the bed. Everyone has a preferred position that will be the least painful. Jiggle your booty every once in a while or as soon as you experience butt pain, it will help slightly. Next is turning from side to side. I know for me resting on my side hurt for the longest time so I couldn't, but if you have the mobility definitely do it. And the last thing is if you’re in good enough shape, to get up move a bit or simply sit in a chair. Now here is what you should do if you have butt pain while sitting in the chair. Simply move forward and backward in the chair. If you have difficulty moving like I did for a while, simply ask a nurse for a padded blanket for the seat of the chair and then it's much easier to slip forward and backward. And that's really all you can do. Sometimes there's no escaping the butt pain and when that happens, know that you’re not alone. Reader, I've been there and it sucks, especially when you have all the other stuff that hurts and lots of things on your plate that do not take to butt pain kindly.

4. When at a hospital here are the typical things to be aware of. Most people are in here for a reason and in my stay I have experienced, coughing, nausea, pain, palpitations, dizziness, etc. And what they do for that is try to find the problem that brings in the millions of the tests, some quite uncomfortable. Be ready for never ending tests because that's the thing. If you’re in here they will never stop!!! There's the morning blood test and pressure test and temperature and heart rate test. Then there's the other tests to find out what is wrong. Basically they’re endless and after a day or two I just came to terms with it and by now I don't actually mind it. In fact it's something that makes the boredom go away for a second even if it is unpleasant (I will talk about this more later). Lots of needles is something else you should expect and come to terms with. While typing this, I have like 15 needle holes in my arms, not to mention the IV. By this point I just feel neutral about them. 

What I don't feel neutral about is medications. I'm one of those people that hate taking medication. When I have a headache I wait till it becomes a migraine before taking Tylenol. They give medication here for this and that for pain, to prevent blood clots, stool softeners and many more. Take my advice, even if you’re like me and hate taking medication, take it. There's no need to be miserable on top of everything else going on in your life if you’re in the hospital. But I also recommend you make them point out each individual one to make sure they are right. Ask questions. Everyone makes mistakes and you want to make sure they got it right. They never made a mistake with mine but there has been occasions when there was 2 or three extra pills for pain or whatnot that I did not need at the moment and so after questioning them I found out I did not need to take them so I didn't. Remember to always keep yourself informed about these things and if they don't check the identification bracelet before doing a test that's a no no. Confirm with them to make sure.

5. Boredom. You will get bored to the point where blood tests and others tests will actually be welcomed because at least you are doing something. I know that's bad, but after a couple of days in a hospital it becomes the reality. Face it, there's not much to do here. But in case you ever are in a similar situation, here is a list of what you can do to pass the time. Eventually these things will grow repetitive and you will go back to the boredom square one but hopefully these will keep you entertained for a good amount of time:

You can read, draw, write, watch TV, phone and text people, surf the internet, and, when your well enough, walk in a circle around the floor. That's it. That's the extent of things I can think of right now. So as you can see if you are a person that likes to get out, being confined to a floor a in a hospital is not the best

6. Neighbours. Most of us, while staying in the hospital, are going to be staying in rooms with other people. In my case, I was lucky and was put in a room with only one neighbour. The two neighbours I had during my stay in the hospital were vastly different but they did one thing the same. And that is make noise. I'm sure they think of me the same way and the truth of it is there's no avoiding it. One neighbourh snored really, really loud. The other makes little, I don't know, gasps every so often. Every neighbour will have different needs than yours which means that you need to be prepared for some talking or lights being on in the middle of the night while they get the care they need. Also be prepared for different sleeping habits, roommates being up till 10-11 and awake at 6am. This enforces point number 3. Not sleeping well. But when frustration comes rolling in remember this: 1) You are probably as annoying to them even if it doesn't feel like it. 2) They also need care and deserve to be cared for and do what they need to do. 3)  In most cases there really nice people, focus on that.

7. Smell. You will come to smell if you are not mobile enough to move. They will give you a wipe down with a facecloth or make you do it yourself but trust me, that doesn't cut it. The day when you’re well enough to take a shower is a glorious one. Then there's the hospital smell, you know the one I'm talking about, it smells of disinfectant and a specific kind of soap. Another smell you will encounter is a nasty one. In my case my neighbor is not mobile enough to move so they use a diaper and a rolling toilet. They dispose of this in the washroom and let me tell you the smell is gross! So many smells, some worse than others, but you will most likely encounter them all.

8. Service. When you are in the hospital you are left alone most of the time and your safety net is the call button. This button is usually located at your bedside and with one press it will send a message to the nurse to come see you. Usually they come pretty fast but I've had times, today specifically, that it took 20 minutes or more for them to come. Granted I'm not in critical condition which is probably why it took so long. Be patient is my motto, breathe through the pain if there is some, they will eventually come. One problem with the call button is that it is placed for easy access when you’re lying down. But if you are seated in your chair it is almost impossible to reach it. Just be creative with this one, move your chair closer to it or tie it higher on the bed, there's many options.

There's also a food service. Yes the food is usually bad, as talked about above but, hey, when you’re hungry you will sometimes eat anything. Be cautious with the food trays. The food delivery people are not chatty and expect the bedside table to have a spot cleared for the tray. They will come in, ask your name, deposit the tray, and leave they don't like waiting with it while you clear the table so make sure you know when food comes and have it cleared and if you need help ask the nurse. One side of the tray will be hot sometimes, so much so that it burns to touch it, so when placing the food tray to your liking use the side that has cold food like juice or jello or bread. It's a handy tip because the people usually just drop the tray on the table and you will have to move it. After you’re done eating comes the annoying part, what to do with the tray. There's not really anywhere else to put it so it's stuck there taking all the place. Put it on the

floor you might say? Well I personally cannot bend to the floor or pick up the tray in my state so that is not an option. If someone walks by just ask for help. That's my best advice.

I know this has been a long post but there are two more things I want to talk about.

The first thing is what to expect of a typical day at the hospital (this is what I experienced).

7:00am wake up for blood test and then awake for the rest of the day or morning because you can't go back to sleep and if you do...

7:30-8:00 woken up for blood pressure, temperature and heart rate by the nurse that is replacing the night nurse.

8:30 breakfast is served.

9:00-12 waiting, boredom, maybe some more tests if they weren't done in the morning.

12-5 waiting, free time, boredom. You might see a doctor and do more tests and they might check your vitals depending on how you’re doing.

5-8 waiting, nothing

8 wanting to sleep but knowing you will be woken up at 9 or 10 for medications

9 woken up for medications because, let's face it, your exhausted and you somehow fell asleep.

9-10/11 trying to fall asleep while people are still bustling around and the big lights are on.

12-3 am still trying to fall asleep if unlucky.

7am it starts again

So this might sound bad but it's actually not that bad. I didn't include visits and talking with people if you get the chance as well as maybe actually enjoying the free time. But this is about what my stays at the hospital were like. Luckily, I have awesome parents that were very often there so I got to chat with them.

The last thing to talk about is going home anxiety. As much as you might grow to dislike the place and want to get out to the real world again, most people will feel nervous about going home. A place where there is no doctors and no one there in case of emergency. I felt this even if I really wanted out of the hospital. I am assured that this anxiety is normal. It stayed with me for a couple of days but eventually you will settle into your normal routine like I did and it will all be fine. What reassured me is that help is a phone call away and the people I live with are a yell away. So if you ever experience this, take it from me, it will get better and help is always close by. And if something does happen like it did for me a week after I got home, just call for help and you'll be fine.

So this is what my adventure in Ottawa hospitals were like. I hoped it was entertaining and that you learned a bit about it. Just want to mention as it is my first post that all images that look hand drawn are in fact drawn by me just so you know. :). And now I will leave you until next time with more adventures. Big or small.

Welcome

Hello all Welcome to my blog. let's  jump right in.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I want to travel the world. I want to take the the unbeaten path to see other cultures and sights. To go to ancient places full of history and to new places full of technological advancements. My dream is to travel to new places and see the world but the sad thing is getting there takes a lot of work,time and money.

Where I'm going with this is that one day I will travel a lot. But getting there will be an adventure. Instead of waiting and not doing anything about it I'm going to treat each step of the journey and every new experience as an adventure. I'm going to put myself out there and try new things and I'm going to document it all on this blog. I will share my journey to world travel and all the adventures in between. Because and adventure can happen anywhere, in your hometown, in the city next to yours anything is possible if you give it a little leap and let yourself be open to new things.

And that's exactly what I'm going to do starting...... now!