Hospital Experience

April 7: My stay in the hospital lasted 6 nights. It was the first time I've ever stayed in a hospital. Overall, it went well. But I learned if you need sleep, don't look to get much in a hospital. With every shift change, the techs checked my temperature and blood pressure. In addition to that, they checked blood sugar levels at least once a day and drew blood every morning. The wake up call at about 5:15 am each morning was to have some blood drawn - not a pleasant way to wake-up. I found the hospital to be generally very noisy especially at night. I moved three times during my stay. The first night I was in the intensive care unit. Then, the next afternoon they moved me to the 15th floor where I stayed one night. Finally, bed space opened up on the 17th floor which is where the Urology patients were located and where my doctors wanted me to be. I was lucky enough to get a window spot and had a good view of downtown Seattle and regions south. My first roomate on the 17th floor was recovering from pneomonia and complicated by a weak heart condition. He had a rough night and next morning became unresponsive. The medical emergency team was called to our room and they transported him to intensive care. Never a dull moment. When it came time for me to leave, I was all too happy to get out of there.