Good Idea or Bad Idea?

[Ross]

In one of the threads recently, Dave brought up having cards to hold up and let hospital staff know what we want when we have no other way to communicate.

Hank brought up something about it and I've toyed with the idea. He was thinking of having cards made up to either use as a fundraiser or to give to those about to have surgery. They would sport the VR.COM logo and have our "Needs" listed on them.

I would like everyone to think back to their surgery and tell me if you think these things might have been a help to you. I know in my case, yes they would have but I wonder if it holds true for the many others that have a normal surgery and recovery.

This is a list of things compiled from Dave's suggestions and a couple of my own. I would appreciate it if you have any further suggestions that you let them be known.

1. Need Suctioned
2. Need ice
3. Raise/lower the bed
4. Unstrap me!
5. Call my Wife (husband)
6. Need bedpan/urinal
7. Please stay close by, I may need help
8. I Feel nauseated
9. I want to talk to my Doctor
10. I'm in pain/need medication

Feel free to add to the lists or suggest some improvements etc,.

 

[Kathy]

Ross,

What a great idea! I taught hospitalized children and some of the students whom I currently teach are unable to communicated due to neuro-muscular complications. We are currently training students to use augmentative devices (rather sophisticated dedicated computers) to communicate with symbols. Prentke-Romich of Wooster, Ohio manfactures the most commonly used device.

http://www.prentrom.com/

In the ?old days? I made my own communication boards. (I still do, because it is hard to come up with funds to support technology.) You make a grid and put comments/questions in each block and illustrate each very simply. I often use manilla folders and laminate them (to protect from bodily fluids). The person points to the appropriate symbol/ phrase. The advantage of this kind of system is that a person would not have to shuffle through cards. Also if the person is unable to point the caregiver may point and elicit yes/no responses. If the person is unable to read or does not speak English, the illustrations are helpful.

Here are a few examples:

http://www.portacom.bc.ca/page3.html

http://www.ecasd.k12.wi.us/departme...sources/aug_comm/ready_mades/ready_mades.html

Kathy

 

[Ross]

Thanks Kathy. It's just an idea that is being toyed with.

For most of my stay in the hospital, the cards would have been useless because of being restrained. Once the restraints were off though, they may have come in handy. I had the trach tube and ventilator that wouldn't allow me to speak and I had to hope someone could read lips. Of course, no one could. I find that the most frustrating of all things.

My feeling is that while I wasn't a typical surgery patient, these cards may not be the best thing but may help someone.

37 views and 2 votes. Since when don't people like to vote in polls?

 

[hensylee]

Ross, I think they are thinking about it some first - and letting others vote before they do - so they can see how the wind blows. I was your first vote this morning, but I didn't post. I voted no because it wouldn't have helped me. If I was awake I could speak. If I'd had a sign that said 'wake me up' it might have helped but nobody knew I didn't need to be sleeping that much! Well, maybe they just didn't care, because sleeping I was no problem - awake, I would've been someone needing care that maybe they didn't have time for. I do think there's definitely a place for signs because several of our members have come in and said they'd have given anything for a pencil and paper - THEY NEEDED SIGNS. They are probably in the minority, tho. But as for me, personally, a sign would not have helped.

Ok, y'all, come on in and give a vote - you don't need to leave your identity, you know.

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi Ross,

I think the idea has some merit. But mostly for patients that have to live with the ventilator for an extended period of time.

In my case, I was off the ventalator within hours of surgery. So by the morning after surgery I could communicate my requests verbally. The cards would not have been of any help to me. I was sedated most of the time. The one time I awoke, and my wife realized I was OK, they put me pack under for a while. The next time I woke, in the middle of the night, they removed the ventilator.

Rob

 

[Nancy]

Joe was mostly out of it and the cards wouldn't have been of use. And when he finally came to, he didn't make much sense. The vent was out before he became lucid.

His nurses were there 99.9 percent of the time anyway and took care of everything that was needed. I was there much of the time also and watched what the nurses did, not because they needed monitoring, but because I found it interesting.

They checked each machine and the readouts every few minutes, checked his catheters and the drainage, then wrote everything down. There was intense monitoring. These are the best of the best nurses.

 

[Les]

I was lucky my first AVR I had an ICU attendant who knew basic chemistry. My hands were restrained but I could "write" H2O in the air with my finger and the guy knew I wanted a sip of water or ice. Agree with Rob, cards would be great for extended periods.
_______________
Les AVR '93 / '95

 

[Ross]

You are all thinking like I am. For the normal recovery, there wouldn't be a use for them. Not many, but a couple of us, could have used them. To be honest, I don't even know if I could've brought up the proper card for what I wanted. I was pretty screwed up.

I think maybe we shall go back to the drawing board and think of some other ideaers.

 

[wweir]

Ross,

Great idea.

In addition to the cards I remember when my Uncle was placed on a ventilator because he was suffering from respiratory arrest (non valve related) and he was unable to speak. The hospital, Westchester Memorial in White Plains NY, had a board in the ICU area that allowed me to point to a letter and my uncle could blink, say twice, when I pointed to the letter he wanted. This way he could spell out what he wanted communicated. It was a God-send, believe me.

Walter

 

[ccrawford]

Ross - At St. Mary's, they ask you how your pain is on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is worst.They then adjust your meds accordingly. This would be nice to add to the card idea. In my case, by the time I was lucid, I was detubed. How bout "Remove the d___ Foley !"

 

[fyrfytr]

Good Idea!

Good Idea!

Hey Ross,
I think that it would be a good idea for the people who are on the tube for an extended period. But like me I don't think I could of used them with my hands being tired down.

Dave
______________________________
Surgery: 4/21/03
Aortic Aneurysm Repair
AVR, with a St. Jude Mechanical
Heart Center of the Rockies

 

[Perrster]

Keep those creative juices flowing!

Keep those creative juices flowing!

Hey der, Ross:

Must be one of those creative idear days, huh? Or, is it possibly just because the Earth and Mars are aligned?

I can't specifically vote whether or not the cards would work as I can't remember (CRS!) much about my ordeal. So I'll take a neutral ground and not vote.

Here's an idea...you could contact someone in a local Mended Hearts organization. There are 15 local chapters in Ohio. They do many person to person patient visititations (as compared to the internet) and would be happy, I'm sure, to share thoughts about your idea.

www.mendedhearts.org

Regards,

 

[Mara]

Great idea Ross,

How about
I have to sneeze, where's my pillow?

How are the pets doing?

Get me some real food, this hospital junk stinks!

No more Oxy-Contin, it's making me sick!

Can I go home yet?

I'll give you my car for a drink of water --- this one should only be used with the recovery room nurse.

 

[Gnusgal]

OW! Mara, sneezing with the vent tube in? The mere thought is painful!

As for me, about the only card I would have loved to have had would be "UNTIE MY HANDS NOW!" I hated being tied down. But other than that, I don't remember any suction, don't remember anyone giving me ice or water with the tube in, and generally wasn't lucid enough to have figured out what to ask for. I remember "talking" to myself a lot, though.

I'm sure for those who are on the vent for extended periods of time, this would be a great benifit. As long as they had their hands free to look through the cards, and can get to the cards, and could see past the end of their nose to look at the cards (hated not being able to wear my glasses in ICU)... You get the idea.

 

[LoraW30]

Cards sure would have been great when I had my last replacemnent surger. ( I just passed the 3rd year mark yesterday). I was awake most of the time I was intubated and at one point I couldn't get any 02 into my lungs. I felt like I was suffucating. It took what felt like ages to get the nurses attention and then somehow let them know I couldn't breath. That was probably the scariest moment of my life. Thanks to well trained and experienced nurses, my tube was cleared quickly, but just thinking if I'd had one of those cards............

 

[RCB]

Why not!

Why not!

You know the more I think about this card thing, the more it makes I think it is a wonderful idea.
1. if you don't awake, till after the tube is gone and don't
need the cards- count yourself lucky, but don't say those of us
who had bad experinces shouldn't have the cards available.
2. if a pt is aware of the cards when they go through the
night-before-procedures, it might make them feel more in control
and less fears.
Just the feeling of not being able to communicate was the scarious thing to me. I remember being awake and the CIU
nurse was working in the room, asking me if I was okay.
I motioned I was fine. Then while she was working, some sort
sharp object slid down the bed and was pressuring my head by
my eye. When I motioned to her with my free hand to my head,
she just said "just relax Mr. Baker everything is fine." Then she tied my hand down and shot something in my IV and I was out.
The next morning when I was again awake, they took out the tube and the first thing I asked for was a hand mirror. Sure enough, I had a small red mark in my head. I ask the nurse(a
different one now) what it was and she said it looks like something has pressing on this area. Because young minds might
be reading this I won't tell you what I said, but her response was
"Well, aren't we in a good mood today"

 

[Gnusgal]

I didn't mean to imply that others might not benifit from the cards. Nor, do I think, did others. But the poll question asked if cards would have helped ME. And in my particular situation, it would not. But every person's situation is different. Your point about a feeling of control is a good one. In that respect, it would probably very much help people who are nervous about it. I know there were times that I wanted to motion that I was choking, but with my hands tied, I couldn't. I don't know that I could have used the cards.

 

[RCB]

Okay, Lets work on the idea

Okay, Lets work on the idea

Gnusgal,
There is really no disagreement here. If I understand what you are saying is that cards would have worked for you if one of the cards had said something about trouble breathing and you would have been able to signal that card with your hands tied down. That's how problems become solutions- we can solve this.
If your problem was resolved, cards or some system may have worked for you. Kathy seems to to have a practical solution-
put the cards on a board and some how signal them. I' m sure
that there are better minds then mine that could come up with the right approach.
Furthermore, perhaps Ross could have phrased the poll more precisely. Well, he's a tough guy- he can take the heat. You know not every piece of equipment is used by everyone who has OHS, but that does not mean it should not be there if it would have help only a certain portion of the pts.
I'm for a signaling device- be it cards or a Mine-meld like on
Star Treck. I think if Bill Gates or Warren Buffet(or maybe Jimmy)
had to spend some serious "tube time", this problem would be solved