This post has a lighthearted yet informative look at Coping With Hospital Routines After A Heart Transplant. Hospital routines are 24 hours not 8 am to 6 pm. This means that you as a patient will experience three replicated or repeated work shifts in one 24 hour day.  

Hospital Routines After A Heart Transplant

Hospital routines are 24 hours not 8 am to 6 pm. This means that you as a patient will experience three replicated or repeated work shifts in one 24 hour day.  

Nurses Rounds 

Nurses are required to take your “Obs” (observation of temperature, blood pressure and pulse) twice in their shift. To meet this compliance many nurses would start and finish their shifts with Obs. So do not be surprised if you have your Obs taken within 20 to 30 minutes of each other as nurses change shifts. This can potentially be disruptive as there may be a different nurse for each patient in your ward and observations for four patients can occur multiple times during the night.  

Nurses Shift Change

When there is a shift change you will find there will potentially be a lot of loud conversations as nurses do handover (nurses will inform the nurse on the next shift of patient conditions and requirements). 

At St Vincent’s Hospital the wards are very old and dated. You will find that there is no door into the individual 4 bed wards. This means that at night there is no door to close to reduce or block out the hospital noise. View the post on WHAT YOU NEED FOR AN ORGAN TRANSPLANT  for a list of items you may need in your “Go Bag”. Earplugs or noise reducing headphones are Go Bag essentials.

Doctors Rounds

The doctors and Doctor Teams usually come around early in the morning. You may find that a team of Doctors will appear all of a sudden. They love it when you ask and make an effort to remember and use their names. I once had an Intern Doctor who was always so thrilled that I used his name. He told me I was the only patient to do so and that as an Intern he felt visible. With all hospital staff I attempt to use their names. It has always brought positivity into my hospital experiences.  

Routine Tests

After a Heart or Lung Transplant you will have regular tests during your hospital admission. These tests may include Cardiac Ultrasound, Cardiac MRI, Bronchoscopy, CT scans and chest X- Rays. These diagnostic tests ensure your transplanted organ is happy, healthy and not showing signs of early rejection.

Pathology Collection

As a Heart/Lung Transplant recipient, most mornings you will have your blood collected. You will get to know when to expect them to come around. You will learn to avoid bathroom visits and the temptation to enjoy a hot cuppa at these times. No matter how good you are, it is hard to multitask during blood tests. 

Cleaners

The hospital room is cleaned each day. However, you may find that the weekend is less predictable. I learnt to avoid showers around the time cleaners were expected.

Meal and Drink Service

You will quickly come to know regular meal times including morning and afternoon tea service. It is good to make a mental note of the time as each ward is different depending on the proximity of the kitchen. 

Take the opportunity to get to know the catering staff as soon as possible. When you are in hospital for a few days or weeks or are a repeat admission it is great to have the extra care and support from staff who know you well. 

You may need to ask for the tray to be positioned closer to you if you are bedbound. Perhaps you need extra water. It helps to have a relationship or connection to the catering staff.

Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Dieticians  

After a heart / lung transplant you will see a variety of staff attached to the Transplant Team. The Physios will get you out of bed and moving around. They will get you to start doing short walks and simple squats using a chair or the bed.

During a heart transplant the sternum has been broken and rewired. You will not be able to support your weight using your arms for 8 weeks. The Occupational Therapists will assess how you are able to sit on a toilet, sit on the bed or a chair. They will assist you on the best technique to get in and out of bed without using your arms for support. They will also give you other techniques on how best to avoid damage to your healing sternum.

The Dieticians will assess your muscle wastage and overall health. They will alter the hospital diet to suit your nutritional needs. See a future post on Medications for more about diet related information.

Please share your experiences of hospital routines using the contact form below.

As always

Love and light

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