Heart Bypass Surgery

Thanks Annmarie for commentiing......why was I only left in ICU for three hours? I sure would like that answer also........I came down from surgery around 4:30 and by 7 my husband was told that they were preparing me to move down to the intermediate care floor and since I was doing okay he should go home and get some rest. So the exact time I was moved I'm not sure about....but it definitely was not more than 3-4 hours after surgery. It has been my contention that they moved me because I appeared to be doing okay (at least that is my guess) But looking back I now know that all that happened to me was definitely a cause for concern on the part of the hospital. There is a doctor in all hospitals that are called in on various cases (I now know this is the dr/lawyer who is following the problem cases) and he was by my side constantly. At one point when I had the tube in the throat in ICU he came in and woke me up and told me that my husband was causing problems by asking too many questions such as "why did they remove the chest tube so soon".......this doctor apparently was there to try and cover up or at the least make sure nothing appeared out of the ordinary etc........I couldn't talk but he asked me if I understood what he was saying......I nodded yes and he then went on to tell me to try and get my husband to calm down and not pester the staff with so many questions...........when I look back I again see how intimidated both my family and I were by those doctors and I now know that had I been better educated.....better informed I would have known to tell my husband what to look for in my care. NO ONE should be moved out of ICU until at least 24 hours have passed to insure no complications will develop........it makes me physically sick (headaches etc) when I think back on those days now knowing what I wished I had known back then..........and I know some say "get over it"......truly I have....I am loving life and enjoying every minute of it today... Ann.......I can truly understand your feelings of this surgery and the feelings of NEVER AGAIN.........I am doing what I need to to stay healthy but like you I build up the plague just because my body is prone to doing that.......I also exercise and do all I can.........but then I have days where I just throw caution to the wind and eat that pizza loaded with cheese...... I so happy if others can gain just a little bit of information that they can use to help themselves become better informed patients..........support groups are the best way we can help each other and if my computer ever crashes I'm in big trouble!!! This is my lifeline!! Oh.......as one who is on the computer a lot I have to admit I don't know how to delete all of the other posts so that the only thing that comes through is this post.......so please......someone who is more computer literate than I am please post so that we can all learn!!! Carol in Atlanta