Hospital is never the best place to be, but there are a few things you can do that will improve your visit. 

1. Take a small mp 3 or 4 player or CD player into the hospital, with soft music and a pair of tiny earphones. This is one of the finest ways of helping to 'tune out' the noises of the busy hospital wards, especially at night.


2. Take a teddy-bear or other small cuddly toy. If you don't understand and have time, read this article. If you don't understand and you don't have time, just do it. Then when you are alone and in need of comfort, you will have your furry companion to turn to.


3. If light bothers you, take a mask like the one they hand out on overnight aircraft trips. Don't forget to tell the night-staff that you are going to wear it! It must be quite a sight, to come across a patient lying in bed in the semi-dark, wearing a blindfold and earphones, and cuddling a teddy-bear!


4. Request the doctor, and anyone who will be with you in the early stages of your wake-up from anaesthetic, that you 'don't take facts in well' at this point, and please would they explain when you are properly awake?.


5. Make friends with others in the ward. They need your encouragement. At the same time being open about your diagnosis will help to make it real for you. It is easier to deal with an issue that is "real" than something abstract.


6. Share your feelings, your fears, your questions, with the Lord. If prayer is a new concept to you, forget the fancy words and phrases. God understands the language of the twenty-first century. Just talk. Be absolutely honest with Him. He knows you better than you know yourself.


7. Read. Read anything which occupies your mind. Read something which you can relax and enjoy. Read something that will uplift you. If you are not able to manage a book, try a magazine, and most important, read your cards and the messages from people.


8.  Insist on explanations before procedures are done. Determine to be well informed. Take an interest in everything.


9.  Determine in advance not to be part of "the statistics." You are unique. You are not a statistic. In any case, there are no statistics about your life.


10. Sleep is important. Now is not the time to do battle with insomnia. If you are not able to sleep, ask your doctor for medication to help. You will be better able to cope with your treatment, diagnosis, and tests if you have had a few hours sleep.

© Shirley Corder 2011

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