Sadly There will be no No Noordam Live--DH in Hospital

See if they agree to letting him out of bed to sit in a chair. The sooner he moves around, the better. They always try to get surgical patients moving to avoid pneumonia and to start getting strength back.

BEST Wishes to you both. You are doing great, Terri. You're holding up wonderfully.

See if they agree to letting him out of bed to sit in a chair. The sooner he moves around, the better. They always try to get surgical patients moving to avoid pneumonia and to start getting strength back.

 

BEST Wishes to you both. You are doing great, Terri. You're holding up wonderfully.

Thanks, Sail.

It is now time for a shower then breakfast I am going to the 9 am Mass at the Church across the piazza and then it will be time to go to the hospital. The visiting hours are really strictly enforced. I was going to go to St. Peter's today for the Pope's blessing, but that will have to wait for another time.

Terri

So sorry to hear that your DH has had to have surgery. Best wishes for a quick recovery.

Our thoughts & prayers are with you both during this difficult time. Wishes for your husband's recovery & a smooth return trip home in the near future.

I will keep you both in my prayers. Hope his recovery will go well and you will soon be able to get back to the comforts of your own home. Thank goodness the hotel is taking such good care of everything that they can possibly do. So sorry you were not able to take your cruise.

Diane

Keeping you and your husband in my thoughts and prayers...know how hard it is to be in another country and hospital...we were in MVA in St. Thomas many years ago...hospital was really lacking....

Stay strong and hoping you will be able to bring him home soon...what criteria is needed to get him life flighted home? We were not seriously injured in accident but cruising companion had to be flown home...he had surgery that day in the hospital..and plane came to get him around 7 that night.

Oh, Terri, I just saw this and am SO SO sorry! There's been some excellent advice posted here, and I do hope you're able to get him out of that hospital quickly. Lots and lots of prayers headed your way.

I am so sorry to hear about the hospitalization, yet am relieved he was able to get the care he needed. Thoughts and prayers are on the way.

I don't know if you have these number. But it does list illness and a cause to call. US embassy in Rome

http://italy.usembassy.gov/acs/emergency.html

I am praying that your DH can get out of bed today and at least sit in a chair and maybe take a few steps.

Oh Terri, I am so sorry to hear this.

I imagine your life is really hectic right now with all the cancellations and new arrangements that have to be made. It is so nice that the hotel is treating you well and most of your cancellations are being done easily.

All my wishes for a quick recovery for your DH.

Thank you for all your advice. At this point I think we are okay. I am back from the hospital because I was asked to leave when visiting hours were over. No if, ands, or buts. Time to leave. 12 noon to 3 pm and then again 5 pm to 7:30 pm. Since the Hospital is about a half hour away from the hotel, it is not worth it for me to go back and forth twice and there is nothing around the hospital, not even a restaurant.

So I stay until they throw me out.

I had a madman for a taxi driver going back to the hotel this afternoon.

The bottom line. My husband looks fine. He is alert and feeling oh so much better. He will be discharged tomorrow morning about 11 am. I have to be there at 10 am.

The only pain he has if from the incision. He is walking around, talking. They have taken out the IV and he is doing well. He does have a roommate now.

I know I should have done things differently, like get in touch with the American Embassy, etc., but when it's an emergency, you do what you need to do quickly and sometimes do not think logically. Now I think the situation is under control.

I have cancelled all tours. Only two have held me to payments. So be it. I will know for the future who to use and who not to use. Lessons learned!

Again I thank all of you for your good wishes and prayers and advice. It is nice to know there is such a supportive community here.

Terri

Terri,

Very happy to hear that your husband will be leaving the hospital. I hope that you can get home fast as his health will allow. Please keep in touch with us here on CC and let us know how both of you are doing.

Prayers being sent to you. God bless both of you.

I told Jim of all the prayers and good wishes from the CC community and he sends his appreciation.

He does not participate in CC and sometimes tells me that I spend too much time here, but he is certainly impressed with outpouring of support we have received in the last few days and wishes to send his thanks.

Terri

So glad he is improving and gets to be discharged tomorrow:):):)

 

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I know I should have done things differently, like get in touch with the American Embassy, etc., but when it's an emergency, you do what you need to do quickly and sometimes do not think logically. Now I think the situation is under control.

 

I have cancelled all tours. Only two have held me to payments. So be it. I will know for the future who to use and who not to use. Lessons learned!

 

Again I thank all of you for your good wishes and prayers and advice. It is nice to know there is such a supportive community here.

Terri

Terri,

You did FINE. You are taking excellent care of your DH and you are holding up great.

You got your DH the care he needed, he is recovering, doing well and being discharged. It might have been easier on you with some Consulate help but you will never know that. It may not have helped at all.

The only thing that matters is your DH is recovering and you will be able to get him and you home.

Continued good wishes all goes smoothly for you both.

 

Terri,

You did FINE. You are taking excellent care of your DH and you are holding up great.

You got your DH the care he needed, he is recovering, doing well and being discharged. It might have been easier on you with some Consulate help but you will never know that. It may not have helped at all.

 

The only thing that matters is your DH is recovering and you will be able to get him and you home.

 

Continued goXod wishes all goes smoothly for you both.

Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Terri

Glad to see things are looking a bit brighter and hope you have a safe journey home soon!

Happy to hear things are progressing satisfactorily and that your DH is feeling better. Hope the trip home is good. We're all thinking of you, I'm sure.

Thank you all for your well wishes. All this year I have been using the Rosetta Stone to learn Italian, the language of my heritage. Little did I know how handy it would be, and also how little I know!

I did find out that medical care in Italy is FREE. What a relief. We will fly home on a regular flight. No need for an evacuation, but I will order a wheelchair for him.

I don't know when we will come home. The latest is that he may be discharged on Monday or Tuesday. Then I have to deal with American Airlines to change our flights and upgrade us to First Class. i think we deserve that. Anyway, it was supposed to be my big birthday cruise!

 

I am trying to keep strong. It is hard. Some of you have been through worse. Just let me tell you. Think of the worst hospital you have been in. Then let me just say that this is the best that Rome offers and it is worse than the worst I have seen in the states. I won't go into detail but the ER was a nightmare. This is where the Pope goes for care so they tell me. Poor Pope Francis, and he's such a nice man.

Terri

Where is he at? Gemelli?

Oh Terri,

 

How horrible to read this.

I am so sorry to hear your DH required surgery so far away from home but happy to hear he is doing well. Take good care of him and you and please know many of us are sending our prayers and best wishes.

 

Let us know how you both are doing.

Best wishes.

 

What sail said. I am so sorry Terri. But Noordam will be there when he's all better.

Where is he at? Gemelli?

Yes he is at Gemelli. I have since learned that there are two sections to Gemelli. One for the paying customers and then the rest. I didn't know that.

Gemelli has a suite reserved for the Pope.

I don't feel sorry for him any more.

My husband's room is stark. This morning for breakfast he said he got a bowl with broth and crostini. That was it. No coffee. Nothing. Was never served lunch.

No soap, toothbrush, toothpaste. you get a towel. That's it.

People come with everything they need. When the man showed up in the bed next to Jim, his wife had a suitcase with everything he needed. We were the unknowing ones. I brought pajamas for him today, but I didn't know anything yesterday.

In the emergency room he remained with his clothes on. No hospital gown, nothing.

The hospital room is very plain. Just two beds and a table and two chairs. They say that is the best hospital in Rome. I can only imagine the others.

The nurse never comes in to see how he is.

I guess as Americans we have come to expect much more in health care and we are very fortunate to have it.

Terri

So glad to hear he is up and walking. In an American hospital they would have had him up on the first day, but this is good and you can now fly back home. Thanks for keeping us up to date with his continuing progress.

I know how hard this can be as my DH landed in a French hospital a few years back, and of course I don't speak french but we managed to get thru it with help from some wonderful french people who could speak a smidgen of english.

I hope your husband is discharged as scheduled tomorrow and makes a quick and full recovery. I'm sorry you both are having to go through all of this and have missed your cruise! I know you can't/shouldn't name the excursion companies who've refused refunds but perhaps when you have more time you could recommend the others on separate threads in the ports-of-call boards?

What about calling the embassy/consulate tomorrow a.m. and seeing if they have someone who could help with translation? Even if it's just translating discharge instructions and medical records? Important for follow-up care by both you and your regular doctor(s).

On this side of the pond most large hospitals either have translators on-site or available by phone, who are familiar with medical terms in at least two languages. From your description of Gemelli's other facilities (or lack thereof) maybe that's not an option there, but you never know.

At any rate I'm glad your husband had the surgery he needed and seems to be recovering well.

I hope your husband is discharged as scheduled tomorrow and makes a quick and full recovery. I'm sorry you both are having to go through all of this and have missed your cruise! I know you can't/shouldn't name the excursion companies who've refused refunds but perhaps when you have more time you could recommend the others on separate threads in the ports-of-call boards?

 

What about calling the embassy/consulate tomorrow a.m. and seeing if they have someone who could help with translation? Even if it's just translating discharge instructions and medical records? Important for follow-up care by both you and your regular doctor(s).

 

On this side of the pond most large hospitals either have translators on-site or available by phone, who are familiar with medical terms in at least two languages. From your description of Gemelli's other facilities (or lack thereof) maybe that's not an option there, but you never know.

 

At any rate I'm glad your husband had the surgery he needed and seems to be recovering well.

Thank you for your advice. We already have a plan of action in place. I will ask for the Italian Medical Records. When we get home, we will make an appointment with the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida to have my husband fully checked out and bring the copy of the medical records with us. They have international services there. I know they will help us. We are both regular patients there, so this is not our first rodeo with them.

I think as far as Gimelli's doctor's, he had a very competent surgeon, who spoke English well enough. Some words left something to be desired.

As for the tour companies:

Every tour company has graciously agreed not to charge us. Some took a little longer than others to answer. The one company that will charge us is doing so at my request. if they do not charge us, the rate goes up 20 euros each for the six other participants. I set up the tour and solicited the others. In fairness to them, I have asked to pay our share so theirs does not go up.

I cannot wait for tomorrow to be over and have my husband back here with me.

It's 11:30 pm here and I have had another exhausting day. I had to pack all our things today because we have to move to another room tomorrow. This room is a duplex suite and my husband is not allowed to climb stairs. So we need a one level room.

Will update again tomorrow after we return from the hospital

Terri