Hello Angela and Jim,

My prayers and sympathies go out to you for your ordeal.  Thanks for sharing.  My husband just went through a week in the hospital for surgery and recovery from an intestinal blockage.  He had scar tissue that bent the intestine shut from extensive surgery 20 years ago for colon cancer.  He has had no further recurrences of cancer and this blockage came on suddenly and unexpectedly.  I know what you mean that you have to stay with your relative or loved one, because everything is happening so fast and my husband was almost unconscious with pain in the middle of the night, and violently ill.  We are not with an HMO because of his previous medical condition and have paid dearly through the years to stay on Blue Cross, (self-employed).  So instead of spending money on vacations, remodeling, new cars, etc. we pay for the PPO medical plan every month.  Even so, while he got mostly good care, the callousness of some of the staff (especially the 11:00pm to 7:00am shift can be chill!
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everal things happened such as not receiving the nutrition IV's for several days after surgery, hand infiltration from an IV that moved out of the vein and caused his hand to swell up, not being rehooked to very crucial equipment after bathing for some hours, and left to lie in his sweat soaked bedding all through the night because no one would answer his request for clean, dry bedding.  The day staff was more responsive, but you can't always stay with your loved one 24 hrs a day, at least I couldn't.  He demanded pillows and ice for his swollen infiltrated hand and was initially refused that request, finally a technician got the things he asked for and he taped his own hand up on a hand lift so it could drain during the night.  Over all he was diagnosed and had surgery in time before his intestine "died", so it didn't have to be cut out and resectioned, just unkinked and freed from scar tissue.  We are thankful that God is watching out for us, in spite of the medical system!
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do have to watch everything that is happening to your loved one in the hospital and also, I plan to comb over every bill that comes in to make sure there are no overcharges and match them to the explanation of benefits.  We are in a scary time socially, and I am thankful that Angela and Jim came out as well as they did, considering the life-threatening illness you described.  I don't mean this scripture flippantly, but I kept thinking about the proverb this last week, If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.  You two must be superman and woman.

God Bless You and all the Doves,
PK