Sofia Hemmet: My Wonderful Hospital

Given that the surgery I had last Monday was my first experience of spending a night in a hospital, I don't have anything to compare it to, but I will say, as first experiences go, this was a good one!  The hospital is about a 15 walk from our house so after I packed my little bag, we wandered up there.  I decided to speak English throughout this experience so I didn't have to work so hard on understanding everything.  When we arrived at the ward, I meekly asked, "Is this where I am supposed to go?"  And the nurse said, "Yes, let me show you to your room."  And we walked down to this quaint and beautiful room, which immediately set my heart at ease.

Big, private bathroom with shower, sink and toilet just off to the side. Lovely window as well.

The room was wired with wifi so I got my phone and iPad all set up for post-op.  She then proceded to explain to me that they wanted me to shower and use this special disinfectant soap, which by the way, I had to use at home the night before, and then put on the hospital clothes and get into bed.  It was so great to be in my room before the surgery!  I unpacked.  Set things out how I wanted them and Doug knew exactly where I would be once I got out of recovery.  I then took the shower and got into my new outfit.  From there, they took vitals, asked me about medicines, talked with me about the procedure, etc.  The nursing student attempted to put the IV into my hand but split the vein.  That hurt quite a bit but I felt bad for the student.  She is trying to learn and I wanted to support her.  Still, I was glad when she had her supervisor place it in my arm.  Very smooth!  Eventually it was time to say goodbye to Douglas and head to the OR in the basement.  Once there, I met my anesthesiologist and other nurses that were going to be taking care of me.  My surgeon finally came in and I barely recognized her with her surgical garb on!  Then they wheeled me in, told me I'd be a little dizzy, told me I'd be a lot dizzy and the rest is history.
Upon coming out of the doze zone, I was freezing cold and a bit afraid to move, but I wasn't in pain and was thankful for that.  After not too long they wheeled me up to my beautiful room, offered me something to eat and drink, and let me rest.  I was so thirsty.  Doug came not too long after that with a beautiful blue hydrangea for the room.  I slept rather peacefully through that first night and awoke to a lovely Swedish breakfast, beautifully served, including a great pot of coffee!  The surgeon came in early on Tuesday and told me a bit about the surgery.  She was happy I was doing so well.
Later in the day, I finally got out of bed and eventually wandered out to the ward balcony where a warm, sunny afternoon greeted me.  I sat out there for a couple of hours, enjoying a cup of tea and the warmth of the sun.  The day went by with the wonderful nursing crew attending to my every need.  I was released Wednesday morning at 11.00 a.m.
I am so grateful for the care of the staff, my attentive Dr. who said to call her any time with any question or concern, and the beautiful hospital where I was privileged to have my medical needs attended to.
Oh, and the bill so far?  $0.00.