Hospital roommate etiquette

[NikitaZee]

Wow...really? I've visited people in dozens of hospitals in the NY area, and have never once seen any of them in a private room.

The one exception was the time my Mom was in isolation because of the MRSA she contracted...contracted while she was hospitalized for something else entirely, I might add. Also, I work in HR and have yet to come across a group insurance plan that would cover hospitalization in a private room. If that's part of your insurance plan, that's a wonderful benefit to have.

I am afraid of this! Are there any extra precautions I can take to avoid getting MRSA?

 

[krcit]

Wow...really? I've visited people in dozens of hospitals in the NY area, and have never once seen any of them in a private room.

The one exception was the time my Mom was in isolation because of the MRSA she contracted...contracted while she was hospitalized for something else entirely, I might add.

Also, I work in HR and have yet to come across a group insurance plan that would cover hospitalization in a private room. If that's part of your insurance plan, that's a wonderful benefit to have.

They put my mom in a private room. I honestly think it was to pacify us because the ER screw up that ended up almost killing her. We didn't request a private room because we would have to pay the difference

 

[LexiC123]

I am afraid of this! Are there any extra precautions I can take to avoid getting MRSA?

I'm not a medical professional, so I can't really advise you. To this day, we have no idea how my mom contracted it...it was mentioned that it could have been transmitted by someone who had handled her IV, but there really is no way of knowing for sure.

The only thing I can think of is to make a point of asking, during your pre-surgical testing and/or preparations, about what precautions the hospital and staff take to safeguard against such things. It couldn't hurt for them to know that this is a serious concern you have.

Wishing you the best of luck on your surgery...

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Be respectful with visitors. Make sure they adhere to the rules regarding the # of people allowed and are quiet.

If you watch TV late into the night make sure it is turned low.

Make sure the bathroom is clean and unclutterd.

Otherwise you should be good.

Good luck.... I have only had to share once while I was in the hospital for a week. I had the worst luck right from the start with a woman my age and her husband who insisted on sleeping over every single night. Initially it was bad because when I got to the room he was sleeping IN MY BED because it was more comfortable than the fold out chair thing! So I was in pain in the hallways waiting forever while they had to strip and reclean that side of the room. Then he moved his sleeper chair to the foot of his wife's bed instead of at the side because it was "too tight" for him - but he ended up blocking my path to the bathroom completely because I was on the window side. Everytime I wanted to go I had to call a nurse to come wake him up and move him out. I had to go a lot too since I had given birth 6 weeks before and was experiencing my first "aftermath"....

The next day I had to wait an hour to get into the bathroom to shower as his wife showered first and then when she came out and I could go in he went in, shut the door and spent the next hour showering and doing his thing. He used my towel, washcloth and the shampoo and soap that was for me.

Just peachy... lol After a few days she left and they moved in an elderly lady that really stank of BO, farted a lot and moaned constantly. She was an improvement

 

[mhsjax]

Wow...really? I've visited people in dozens of hospitals in the NY area, and have never once seen any of them in a private room.

The one exception was the time my Mom was in isolation because of the MRSA she contracted...contracted while she was hospitalized for something else entirely, I might add.

Also, I work in HR and have yet to come across a group insurance plan that would cover hospitalization in a private room. If that's part of your insurance plan, that's a wonderful benefit to have.

Yep, most hospitals here have all private rooms. And yes, insurance will cover it, if that is all that is available. I don't know about where you live, but I have billed insurance for years and they will cover it, if no other option is available. IF there is a sami private room, you pay the difference, but like I said that is a rare situation here.

 

[LovableGluttons]

If you can afford to pay for a private room, do it!

I'm an RN and spent a week in the hospital in Dec 2010 for a big GI bleed (ulcer, I'm a nurse, go figure).

I was put in a room with a woman with dementia who was incontinent alot and screamed and cried a lot. She came from a nursing home and had no visitors.

After the third night, I prowled the halls, sat outside the room, even in the bathroom, anything to get away. My roommate couldn't press the call light on her own and would just start screaming when she wanted something.

I told the charge nurse to either move my roommate to a private room near the nurses station or move me. I told her I knew I was not improving and that poor soul in my room was the reason why.

When she would soil her bed, it would sometimes be hours before she was cleaned. I had nausea from my ulcer and this just made it so much worse.

The replaced her with a fresh post op bowel obstruction woman who vomited a lot. No one would come empty her emesis basin, so I'd do it. She was also promised a linen change if she sat in a chair for a while. She was left there three hours with no pain medicine. I changed her bed for her and went to the nurses station and offered them the chance to get her back in bed before I did it.

Who do you blame? I can't blame the staff, they were run ragged. I never saw people sitting around goofing off. They just ran and ran for the full 12 hours of their shift.

My husband and I have an agreement. From now on, we pay the difference for a private room. I can't be a patient, just a patient,when I'm in the hospital and someone needs help.

I also can't cure dementia and I was frustrated because there was nothing I could do for that woman.

 

[Poohforyou]

I've had surgery a few times and always had a roommate. I kept the curtain closed between the beds because I felt like crap and really just wanted to be left alone. If you're on a surgical floor chances are your roommate will be like you and spend most of the time sleeping or being uncomfortable. I have to say my last hospital roommate was really sweet but I could have done without the parade of visitors in the room all day long.

 

[MIGrandma]

Surprised to see so many hospitals still have semi-private rooms.

Our hospital built a huge tower addition a couple years ago, ALL private rooms now for patients and they are nice, big enough for a roll-away bed for a parent if needed to stay with a child. They all have a love seat and recliner, and lots of room. Really, really nice.

I thought that with the privacy laws they have now, it would be standard for hospitals to only have private rooms.

I've had stays in the hospital 5 times and never really enjoyed having a roommate all that much, but it was not horrible most of the time either. The last time I was in I actually knew my roommate so we did enjoy chatting. The time before that I was only in overnight (thyroid surgery) and my roommate was a very elderly woman who screamed and hollered all night. I was so glad to go home the next morning. It's nice to know now though that if I ever have to go into the hospital again I won't have to worry about having a roommate.

 

[M5ward]

One of our local hospitals is all private rooms and the other is primarily semi-private rooms. In November I was admitted (to the second hospital) from the ER for a septic infection caused by a kidney stone. My first roommate (who came in right after I was settled in) was a non-sleeper. I had been in pain for two days and was completely exhausted; she turned her TV on and turned up the volume. She proceeded to ring for the nurse every five minutes to complain about one thing or another. It was a constant parade of nurses or aides who (patiently) answered her calls. I guess they could tell from my expression that I was very tired and getting frustrated; they told her it was time to go to sleep, that she needed to be considerate of her roommate; and she told them she didn't sleep at night and that she had rights too. They finally moved me (about 1:00 AM) to a room where the curtain was drawn. This was fine with me; however, that roommate only was there the first two nights. My next roommate was a lovely, very old (90's) woman who couldn't hear. The next two days..and nights..were nonstop yelling; by her visitors, doctors, and nurses; at all hours..stone deaf, certainly not her fault, but..wow!! In March I had a lung biopsy at a hospital in Philadelphia. I was pretty out of it most of my stay, but the rooms on the thoracic unit were all private; much better.

 

[aprilgail2]

What's the big deal about using the bathroom? My 10 year old daughter has been in the hospital several times, and I always used the bathroom in her room. I'd spend all day with her so she wasn't alone, and I really only left to go get food. The nearest public bathroom (that I remember) is on the ground floor near the cafeteria and gift shop, I can't imagine going all the way down there to use the bathroom.

That is against hospital rules here- bathrooms are for patients only!

Good luck.... I have only had to share once while I was in the hospital for a week. I had the worst luck right from the start with a woman my age and her husband who insisted on sleeping over every single night. Initially it was bad because when I got to the room he was sleeping IN MY BED because it was more comfortable than the fold out chair thing! So I was in pain in the hallways waiting forever while they had to strip and reclean that side of the room. Then he moved his sleeper chair to the foot of his wife's bed instead of at the side because it was "too tight" for him - but he ended up blocking my path to the bathroom completely because I was on the window side. Everytime I wanted to go I had to call a nurse to come wake him up and move him out. I had to go a lot too since I had given birth 6 weeks before and was experiencing my first "aftermath"....

QUOTE]

OMG- the last time I was in the hospital my room mates husband tried to stay- visiting hours ended at 8 and when he was still there at 930 I called the nurse and they told him he had to leave, he said no and security came up and made him leave!! No way was I going to sleep with some strange man in the room!!!

I felt sorry for my moms room mate last week- They gave her a different type sleeping pill than she is used to and between the sleeping pill and the pain pill it caused her to sleep walk. She walked to her room mates side and the room mate woke up to see my mom staring blankly at her! Then my mom walked down past the nurses station and tried to get out the doors into the elveator- they shuffled her back to her room and put an alarm on her bed which her room mate said was going off all night long because my mom kept trying to get up!

 

[Beachbumpirates]

OMG, when I was in for my hysterectomy, I got stuck with the roommate from hell. The phone rang constantly (for her) and she would not answer it. She was a PITA for the nurses all night long too. I finally quit answering the phone (I'm serious-- constant phone calls and ringing) and she says, "Aren't you going to get that?" and I said, "I'm not your answering service, I just had major surgery here!" She got pissed but I didn't care at that point. They moved her out the next night. Much nicer. Just remember to take care of yourself first!! Pull the curtain. You need to recover. You can be friendly but don't be a door mat (like me!) Hope it goes well.

OMG - was her name Marge? I too had a hysterectomy in February and had the roommate from hell! Same thing, phone ringing, visitors all hours of the day and constant moaning to the nurses, screaming in the middle of the night (almost gave me a heart attack) - she was rotten. What I found out was had I notified my nurses immediately and if another room was available they would have moved me. My advise - speak up! If you find yourself in that sort of situation dont do what I did and keep quiet. You deserve a quiet environment!

 

[castmember19]

Using a restroom in the hospital room is against the rules? I have never even heard of that or ever seen a sign or anything. I've used the restroom in rooms while visiting plenty of times before, and have had people use my restroom when I was in the hospital.

 

[Cinderella94]

I'm 16 and have been in the hospital more times than I can count. I'm typing from my room on the surgical floor right now, actually. I had a roommate once for 1, maybe 2 nights-as soon as they wheeled me in there, I said "please move me to a private room as soon as one opens." I do not ever want a roommate in the hospital, ever ever ever.

I want my privacy, please.

 

[Poohforyou]

Using a restroom in the hospital room is against the rules? I have never even heard of that or ever seen a sign or anything. I've used the restroom in rooms while visiting plenty of times before, and have had people use my restroom when I was in the hospital.

The hospitals I've stayed in have signs saying they are for patients only. Lots of times there are containers on the toilet to measure output after surgery plus other equipment in there. I think it's just easier on the patients and hospital staff not to have things disturbed by others. On the floors I was on there were visitor bathrooms by the elevators.

 

[krcit]

Using a restroom in the hospital room is against the rules? I have never even heard of that or ever seen a sign or anything. I've used the restroom in rooms while visiting plenty of times before, and have had people use my restroom when I was in the hospital.

Really? Every hospital I have ever been in(stay or visit) has a sign that the bathroom is for patients only. I would never use the bathroom in someone's hospital room. I did use my mom's when she was in a private room because she couldn't use it but when she had a roommate, no way.

 

[castmember19]

Really? Every hospital I have ever been in(stay or visit) has a sign that the bathroom is for patients only. I would never use the bathroom in someone's hospital room. I did use my mom's when she was in a private room because she couldn't use it but when she had a roommate, no way.

I asked my mother just to be sure, thinking that maybe I just wasn't observant of a sign or something, but she said no. No signs. No rule as far as we have ever known of.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I've never had a roommate at the hospital, actually.

After my surgery last year, I was put in a single (huge) room. Only on day 4, when I was walking a lap around the floor, did I realize that most rooms were semi-private. Who knows why I got the nice big room all to myself Since I was there awhile, had some issues, and had lots of visitors, it worked out great!

I visit people on occasion who share rooms but most hospitals are single rooms now, it seems. Makes sense with all the privacy laws that are in place!

OP, following my surgery, I felt run over by a truck. I could barely speak for several days, didn't get out of the bed, moved very little. The last thing I would have wanted to do is talk to someone else. I would have had a family member pull the curtain and keep to myself. Just see how you're feeling when the time comes.

 

[honugirl]

I've never had a roommate. I've been lucky to choose my hospitals wisely. MD Anderson was all private rooms. For my next major surgery I was choosing between UCSF (NO FREAKING WAY!) or University of Utah. I choose U of U and had a fabulous experience.

At U of U, it's set up for a patient's family or friends to stay with them. They had a lovely full pull out couch for my BFF to sleep on that was really comfortable! And she used my bathroom too...!

If I absolutely HAD to share a room, I'd get a lightly scented body spray to freshen up the room plus a portable DVD player/Computer to play movies on. All my hospitals had wifi, so my computer was a Godsend! I also brought shorts and t-shirts with me and my very comfy Mickey Mouse slippers. Then I could feel OK about moving around the ward without embarrassing myself. i tried to keep visitors to a minimum and nobody sick could visit me, even with a cold. This meant neither my mom or dad could come because my dad had a cold and my mom had been with him the whole time and couldn't tell if it was allergies or a cold. I also tried to walk as much as I could because it kept my pain to a minimum, got me out of my room and helped me heal faster.

Good luck!

 

[Feralpeg]

I've been hospitalized several times. Only once did I have to share a room. The curtain remained closed the entire time.

I felt so bad for the other lady in the room. I had undergone a complete hysterectomy. The medication they were giving me made me sick. Every time I moved, I got sick. This went on for two days. That poor woman had to listen to this over and over. I apologized to her and she was so sweet. She had had the same surgery, but not the same problem.

What got to me the most was when my roommate changed. My first roommate got to go home. They brought in a woman in her 70s. She had a hysterectomy. By that evening, she had visitors and was up and about. I didn't stop getting sick until the third day and was still running a temperature. I didn't want any visitors. I felt like a complete surgery failure!

 

[tlbwriter]

All I can say is thank God that the hospitals that My Dr's use are all private rooms. I could never share a room with someone else. I did that as a teenager, I won't do it now.

I agree. I had a roommate when I had surgery as a child, back in the stone age, but ever since then I've always had a private room. And I've never visited anyone in another city with a semi private room (what a ridiculous name - as someone said upthread, it's simply UNprivate) either, so I know it's not just our local/regional hospitals that have moved to all private rooms. Given the infection and privacy concerns I'm surprised there are still so many hospitals that require you to share a room with a stranger.

Also, I work in HR and have yet to come across a group insurance plan that would cover hospitalization in a private room. If that's part of your insurance plan, that's a wonderful benefit to have.

Apparently, if all of the rooms are private, my insurance covers it.

The hospitals I've stayed in have signs saying they are for patients only.

I don't think I've ever used the bathroom when visiting someone in the hospital, but I know our local hospital don't have those signs, and after my last surgery my husband spent the first night with me and he used the bathroom in my room.