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Preparing For The Next Emergency
Thinking about and preparing for the next bad thing to happen is considered pessimistic and paranoid, but when you are living with Pulmonary Hypertension you kind of have need to stay prepared for the next challenge. Hopefully we don’t dwell on the fear of the future but we might keep a bag packed and ready for the hospital. I always did this because the unexpected hospital stay was stressful enough without having to quickly pack a bag and try to remember all the things we might need. In addition to the overnight bag I kept a list of all the things that couldn’t be packed that needed to be grabbed before we go. Does anyone else keep a hospital ready bag or have other ways that you prepare for the possibility of an emergency?
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2 Replies
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Colleen,
it’s funny that you mention this because my nurse at the hospital and I were just talking about this today. I was complaining about the “smell” of the hospital sheets. They just have such a gross, almost sour smell of the detergent used on them and it’s such a smell that I have grown to be aware of and even end up smelling it days after going home. I feel like it’s just on my body after leaving a hospital. In saying that, one of my “go to” to bring to the hospital is a blanket and sheets from home and a pillow from home to avoid that nasty plastic material pillow that makes me super sweaty. I’m sure anyone with hospital experience knows exactly the pillows I’m talking about. I wasn’t prepared for this last hospital stay and I usually do keep a bag of all of this with me when I go, but it was more of an emergency so my mom and I just quickly grabbed the essentials but I knew that I was missing A LOT from home. We only live an hour away so it was easy for my mom to go home over the weekend and grab my computer etc. The first few days without the essentials that make me feel more “at home” were rough!-
Brittany, yes, I know exactly what you are talking about! I never thought to bring our own sheets but both my son and I bring our favorite blankets and pillows. When Cullen had PH he was in grade school and I worked across the parking lot at the church, so I found it handy to just keep a bag in the car so if he had an emergency we didn’t have to stop off at home first. When he got listed we were told to always keep a bag packed and ready for when he got the call. That was a little more complicated because we live in WA and transplant would be in CA which would take more than one bag, but we had the concept down.
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