When you are in the hospital, there are certain things you should know about having visitors.
Having visitors in the hospital can be a good idea, but also a bad idea.
Things to think about when having visitors:
1- You should make sure your visitor is old enough that he/she would not get too scared about the tubes, wires and other medical stuff going on.
2- Make sure the visitors understand these things: you are not in danger because of all the tubes and medical stuff going on, the doctors are doing everything they can do, you might be tired, be aware of what the patient can and cannot do, etc.
3- While visitors are in the hospital, make sure they watch what they say. Patients can be in a very fragile state and even something tiny that someone says can really cause a problem -- that is the last thing a recovering patient needs.
4- Make sure your visitor does not bring any food or drinks into the hospital room. Many patients are likely not allowed to eat or drink, so it is just mean if you bring food or drinks into the hospital room.
My general rule of thumb is to never ever have visitors until you are feeling better. I usually wait about three days so I am feeling better and look better before people visit. If someone comes to visit you and you feel sick and just want to rest, then what is the point of coming to visit? You also do not want someone there when you are in pain and look really sick because that might scare them and make them think you are actually more sick than you really are.
Another idea: One thing to do in order to make sure visitors and family members stay connected would be to use a caring bridge, a blog or a big email chain. This would make sure that everyone knows what is going on, and that everyone feels better about the patient.
For more information: you can also look at the Sibling Section for information specifically on siblings visiting and a personal story of mine.
Having visitors in the hospital can be a good idea, but also a bad idea.
Things to think about when having visitors:
1- You should make sure your visitor is old enough that he/she would not get too scared about the tubes, wires and other medical stuff going on.
2- Make sure the visitors understand these things: you are not in danger because of all the tubes and medical stuff going on, the doctors are doing everything they can do, you might be tired, be aware of what the patient can and cannot do, etc.
3- While visitors are in the hospital, make sure they watch what they say. Patients can be in a very fragile state and even something tiny that someone says can really cause a problem -- that is the last thing a recovering patient needs.
4- Make sure your visitor does not bring any food or drinks into the hospital room. Many patients are likely not allowed to eat or drink, so it is just mean if you bring food or drinks into the hospital room.
My general rule of thumb is to never ever have visitors until you are feeling better. I usually wait about three days so I am feeling better and look better before people visit. If someone comes to visit you and you feel sick and just want to rest, then what is the point of coming to visit? You also do not want someone there when you are in pain and look really sick because that might scare them and make them think you are actually more sick than you really are.
Another idea: One thing to do in order to make sure visitors and family members stay connected would be to use a caring bridge, a blog or a big email chain. This would make sure that everyone knows what is going on, and that everyone feels better about the patient.
For more information: you can also look at the Sibling Section for information specifically on siblings visiting and a personal story of mine.