Surgery in the United States, I feel shocked!
My elder sister is 74 years old and is a Chinese American. It has been 30 years since immigrating to the United States in 1990. Because of various special reasons, so far alone, in Chinese terms, he is an lonely old man.
The doctor recommended her to undergo knee replacement surgery due to severe wear and tear of the knee joint. For this reason, the two of us quit our job in Shanghai and rushed to the United States to take care of her. According to the idea of a layman of mine, changing the knee joint must be sawing off the original bad bones and replacing it with a new stainless steel joint... In fact, knee replacement, also known as knee resurfacing, refers to the use of The surgical method replaces the articular cartilage damaged by the disease with artificial cartilage.
This is a very beautiful hospital located in Leonardtown, a beautiful town in Maryland on the east coast of the United States.
A hospital can only be regarded as a small hospital. If it is in China, it can only be regarded as a district hospital at best, or just a town people's hospital.
On April 3, 2018, the hospital asked the patient to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 in the morning because it was the first operation today. For surgery in the United States, there is no need to be hospitalized for various examinations in advance, and all preparations are completed one week before the outpatient clinic.
At 5:30 in the morning of summer time, the day is just before dawn, and the whole hospital is quiet.
Preparing in the operating room, after completing the registration procedures, we are waiting in the lounge outside the operating room...
The sisters all rushed to visit my sister. I don’t think my sister is nervous at all. She told me that the operation in the United States is not painful... I was a little puzzled. …"
Around 6:30, my sister entered the operating room.
The operation starts at 8:00 and the TV screen shows that the operation is complete
The time to enter the recovery room is 9:57
By 10:59, family members are allowed to visit.
Preparations are being made in the operating room. After the registration procedures have been completed, we are waiting in the lounge outside the operating room...
The sisters all rushed to visit my sister. I don’t think my sister is nervous at all. She told me that the operation in the United States is not painful... I was a little puzzled. I was thinking, "Hold your mouth, wait and see... …"
Around 6:30, my sister entered the operating room.
The operation starts at 8:00 and the operation is completed on the TV screen
The time to enter the recovery room is 9:57
By 10:59, family members are allowed to enter and visit.
At the beginning, people have not yet awakened, and their eyes are a little blank...
The first sentence everyone asked was: "Does it hurt?" The answer was also very simple: "It doesn't hurt..." I don't think the anesthetic has passed, it shouldn't feel right now, and you'll be "humming" in the afternoon... …
It was about to take medicine, and the nurse actually brought a glass of ice water. This is absolutely unimaginable in China. All medical medicine books say "Warm water is delivered."
Around 12:00, it’s noon and lunch time, and the food delivered from the hospital.
Standard American meal: mashed potatoes, corn kernels, steak, salad, a piece of bread... The most important thing is a glass of white water with ice cubes!
According to China's practice, at this time, it should be "pigeon soup" or "black fish soup" delivered by family members. However, there are regulations in the United States that patients cannot eat any food delivered from outside the hospital.
After the meal, it was only two hours before the operation was completed. I chatted with everyone in the recovery room without any pain... I think it will be very painful in the afternoon, right?
It’s about to be sent to the ward, room 2219. The hospital asks family members to wait in the ward first. All the work in the ward is done by nurses, and family members are not allowed to intervene.
Spacious single ward, well-equipped living room...washing utensils provided by the hospital! Everything!
The patient came... What surprised me the most was that the nurse brought another big bucket of ice water! A full 1000ml, and mainly ice cubes, can ice water relieve pain? I'm really surprised. You must know that the outdoor temperature is still below 10°C... The nurse in the operating room and the nurse in the ward are doing handover procedures. I think it should start now, but I don't think my sister has any painful symptoms...I'm very strange. In China, the afternoon of surgery should be the most painful time for the patient. It must be the effect of the painkiller, but this medicine is also amazing and the effect is really good.
It is required to do lung function exercises every hour during the first day of the day to prevent the occurrence of pneumonia. I have never seen this in China.
The doctor came to inquire about the situation. He squatted and talked to the patient in this way. He couldn't see the "protruding" that we are familiar with. I'm really touched……
Two o'clock in the afternoon, which is four hours after the operation. The hospital asked the patient to get out of bed and walk around. The first time he asked to walk 100 feet... it was about 30 meters. I was very surprised, how is this possible? I have also looked up on the Internet, and Chinese doctors generally require 48 hours to get out of bed.
You must know that the patient is still having a catheter inserted and is undergoing an infusion... I can't see how painful my sister is at all. A colored belt on the patient’s waist is fastened to prevent falls. The doctor’s hand is always on, but he will never come to help you. You must rely on your own activities to complete the 100-foot distance. The corridor of the ward was completed 100 feet back and forth in one breath...
All the activities of the patients in the hospital here are not allowed for their family members to intervene. They are all done by nurses with various functions, including going to the toilet and taking a bath. The division of labor of various functions is very strict, and they are all distinguished by clothing.
At about 4:30 in the afternoon, the surgeon in charge was called Cox. He was in his 50s. I heard that he had performed thousands of cases of this kind of surgery. He came to visit the patient after the operation. He has done three knee replacement surgeries today. indivual. Although I don't understand anything, I can feel the doctor's wit and humor, as well as a sense of responsibility for the profession.
The disinfection alcohol tank at the door of the ward is automatically ejected by induction, requiring the staff to enter the ward once and leave the ward once. This is also available in Chinese hospitals, I have seen...
My sister told me that the nurse in the hospital once said: "If the patient has any pain, it is our responsibility as a nurse..."
The patient was asked to get up and wash by himself, and a special nurse was watching...that colorful belt is a must
The keep quiet sticker on the wall of the ward corridor is very vivid, and I can understand it even if I don’t know English. This is more humane than the big and blunt "Jing" on the walls of Chinese hospitals. Because there was no pain and no need for our family members to intervene to do anything, we didn't see a family member staying with us at night, so we went home early in the evening of the operation.
Indeed, I think humanization is the biggest contrast and difference between Chinese hospitals and American hospitals. There are too many patients in China and the medical workers are very hard. These are all facts, but if we can do better in some details, the doctor-patient relationship may improve. I sincerely hope that our hospitals and medical workers can learn a little from their counterparts in the United States and truly be "people-oriented"!
The next day, April 4th, because I got up almost in the middle of the night yesterday, I got up late today. According to my sister's request, I didn't need to go to the hospital. It was almost noon, and we rushed to the hospital.
When we went there happened to be a beautiful lady, a social worker, talking to the patient. Understand the situation of patients after surgery, whether there is any pain and need for help. Social worker, English translation as social worker, is a staff specially equipped by the hospital to do "ideological work" for patients. In current terms, it is probably the "After-sales Service Department".
Because the urinary catheter is no longer needed, when you need to go to the toilet, just ring the bell, and a special pink-clothed nurse will come to help. Because there is really no need for family members to do anything. As usual, tomorrow is probably the day to be discharged from the hospital. We both left the hospital early before lunch and went shopping by ourselves. While we were shopping for food in the supermarket, we suddenly received a call from my sister: "...I will be picked up by car and discharged!"
Because I completed the training of walking 200 feet and going up and down the stairs in the afternoon, the doctor thought I could be discharged from the hospital. I probably counted it on my hands. It was 4:00 pm on April 4th, and it was only about 30 hours before the operation was completed. Oh, my God, it’s like a miracle. I think if this operation is done in China, not to mention the pain, it may be just under 30 hours now, right?
Because of the rush, I forgot to take pictures until the nurse in green clothes took the patient to the gate of the hospital in a wheelchair. When I parked the car in the aisle, I thought of taking a picture...
"Thank! (Thank you)"
"You are welcome! (No thanks)"
The hospital has regulations that a patient cannot act alone while in the hospital, even if your discharge procedures have been completed, so you must have the patient put the patient in the car by the nurse...
Thanks! This is my truth! Thank you doctor! Thank you nurse! thanks…
I love my own country, and I very much hope that my motherland can become strong as soon as possible. However, I am very worried about the current articles and speeches on the Internet, and even dislike the blind exaggeration of some media. Our country has a weak foundation. In recent years, there has been great development in technology and construction. This is a fact and deserves recognition, but we should not show off, promote ourselves, or even praise ourselves with great fanfare. As a Chinese, it is natural to expect the culture of one's motherland to shine in the world, and to expect the motherland to be strong, prosperous, and prosperous. This is a natural emotion, but based on the current facts, we are advanced in many respects today. The gap between the countries is by no means like what some irresponsible so-called experts and scholars and some media bragged about, there is no gap or even more.
A country's technology and culture, including medical care and education, can not be strengthened by chanting slogans or boasting that it is the best in the world, but by step-by-step steadfast efforts and gradually accumulated. I think our fundamental goal is not to replace a certain country and lead the world, let alone catch up with someone in time to reach the world’s first place. Our fundamental goal should be to let all Chinese people "learn something and get sick." There is medical treatment, and the elderly have support."
One last sentence: Many friends have come to ask about the cost. I'm sorry, most Americans have medical insurance. The cost is directly settled by the hospital with the insurance company. Of course, the bill will be sent to the patient for verification, so I really don’t know how much it cost. Probably the bill will be sent in a month...
