Sorry for the few updates recently. I’ve spent A LOT of time in the hospital recently. Family comes before blog.
In fact, I’m sitting here in the hospital right now. They just took my grandmother away for brain surgery. (She just had hip surgery 3 weeks ago!)
Here are some things I think:
– Few know the pressure of getting this call ON SATURDAY NIGHT: "Hey, guys? Can you
develop a message from scratch & speak for me tomorrow morning?" Kudos to our pastoral team for really stepping into the gap. I absolutely needed to be with my mother & grandmother that night. Brian Gann worked into the wee hours with Tom Herzog on a message that was thematically the same, but his own. Those guys hit a home run for God!
– This new hospital facility is very well designed: 1 patient/room, close parking, short walks for everyone, fast elevators.
– There are so many GREAT people that work in hospitals. There are also many that should be FORBIDDEN to get within 100 yards of sick people.
– The communications systems in hospitals seem to be broken. There are many times that the left hand seems to have no idea what the right hand said to a patient. I can’t count how many times we’ve heard, "WHAT?!?! Who told you that?!?!"
– If you want rest, get OUT of the hospital.
– If you want to get out of the hospital, you’d better have someone with you as your advocate.
– If you are infirm, you need an advocate with you CONSTANTLY…24 hours a day. It’s an exhausting, and thankless, and abundantly necessary job. Few volunteers. Kudos to my mom. She’s been a warrior.
– I praise God I’ve never been patient overnight in a hospital.
She’s out of surgery & we’ve been given a positive report from the surgeon. Thanks so much to those who prayed!
I agree…EVERYONE in the hospital needs a patient advocate. I can’t believe how understaffed our hospitals are. When my grandpa goes into the hospital, someone from our family stays with him and documents everything (from temperature, medicine, to food that he eats) It’s the only way to ensure that he gets the care he needs.
We will continue to pray….
Tim – Diane is going through the same thing with her family this week. Her dad had 7 hours of heart surgery and 4 bypasses Wedensday.
We are praying for you and your family.
d