After a nine day study, I have concluded that the most vital piece of equipment in the modern hospit

...hospital is

... The blanket warmer. That wonderful cubby that yields toasty warm blankets for chilly folks and cold toesies. :nod:

I guess this is my way of saying that back in January I spent a few days in the hospital being treated for cellutlis and a couple of wounds that opened up on my lower left leg. I am doing better. The wound is slowly healing after being drained ( a seroma) and am now going weekly to the local wound care center for compression wrappings.

Dang, my leg itches....

I would have posted earlier but I felt like crap and coherent thoughts were hard to come by. :lol3: (As if they ever have been... )

I think the kitties missed me (hard to tell sometimes) but Ari has been sleeping with me more.

Jan, I hope you heal up quickly. You've had a bad run of it health-wise lately.

Glad you are home and doing better!

The blanket warmers are nice, but it generates a huge waste of clean linen that needs to be laundered, driving up the cost of hospital stays. 

I'm in Canada and the cost of being in the hospital is "free".  Well, not really. We pay higher taxes, part of which goes to the cost of our health care which means we don't have to pay for hospital stays etc.

When I was on a hospital ward that had a blanket warmer on the ward, the amount of flannel blankets that I saw being used as "hot water bottles" or for one night only (because after it was cooled off, the person didn't want it anymore because it wasn't warm), was astronomical. In the morning there were some patients where I ended up putting 5 and 6 (sometimes more) perfectly clean, still folded flannel blankets into the laundry hamper.  That eats into the ward's yearly operating budget. The more money spent on things like laundry means that there is less money for staffing needs.  That used to make me so mad!  Most of the wards got rid of the blanket warmers because it was a huge waste of money.

10 years ago it was calculated that a complete linen change on a bed, with just the basic linen (2 pillow cases, bottom sheet, top sheet and bed covering) cost $75.00.  That takes into account the water, the detergent, the electricity, the labour costs from the person stripping the bed, the people washing, pressing and folding the laundry and the people transporting it back to the wards.   The price was higher if the laundry was done off site because you had to take into account the truck driver's wage and the gas for the truck.  Today the cost would be much more.

The high cost of laundry was the reason hospitals here stopped doing complete bed changes every single day and only changed what was dirty/soiled. People don't change their bedding everyday at home, so if they are there for extended stays and the linen is still clean, no need to change it more than once per week, unless like I said, a sheet is dirty.  The reason they put those "soaker pads" on the bed is to help keep the linens clean and decrease linen changes.

Oh Jan, I'm SO glad you are home and feeling better! I have two words for you....DON'T SCRATCH!!! 

Hi Jan!  I enjoyed a toasty blanket or two when my DD was born!  I don't know if it was the room or just an after effect of the medications I was on but I was shivering with the sheet and one blanket.  My nurse brought me another and ahhhhh..... I went to sleep after that!

Glad you are starting to feel better!  My Grandpa has been going to a wound clinic for a blister and cut on his foot (neuropathy) for nearly 2 years.  He gets annoyed with going.  I think mostly because he hates having problems with his feet period.  He says from the knees up he feels great; esp for a 90 year old!   Plus 2 years of it has been a trial too. 

Glad you're home and feeling better (except for the itching!). Warm blankets are truly wonderful when you're not feeling well.

There's a woman at work who had cellulitis and she actually had open skin sores from it. She was in pretty bad shape for awhile, but not bad enough that she had to be hospitalized. Her leg would get very sore and then spots would open and ooze. She had that leg bandaged for months from the disease. Thankfully she's doing much better now.

I'm glad you're doing better, too.

Oh, Jan! Awww. Glad that you're getting better - even though it's "slowly". And, right..... don't scratch! Hope you continue to heal! Sending all sorts of your way!

Gotta love warm blankies!!!

Jan, there's something wrong with the picture in your attic!

Laurie, You mean that crudely drawn crayon stick figure?

Warm blankets are the best! Jan, I hope you feel better soon my sweet friend! Thinking of you!

gemlady said:

Laurie, You mean that crudely drawn crayon stick figure?

Click to expand...

Well, that might explain it! :nod:

Hope you feel a lot better soon, Jan!

I wonder if our cats would enjoy blanket warmers hehe

I have on occasion on very cold or snowy nights put some fuzzies in the dryer for a little bit for the babies..

Nebula said:

I wonder if our cats would enjoy blanket warmers hehe

I have on occasion on very cold or snowy nights put some fuzzies in the dryer for a little bit for the babies..

Click to expand...

I used to have a waterbed and the kids loved sleeping on my bed in the winter.  When I got a regular bed I also bought an electric blanket.  They loved that too.  None of my kids like to sleep under the covers though, but they love the gentle warmth from the electric blanket.

I haven't been using the electric blanket though. It's been too warm at night.  But luckily they still cuddle with me, lol

I so agree with you (and what was it about january..I landed in hospital too!).  I loved the warm blankets!  Wishing you a speedy and smooth recovery (best thing is being back home, isn't it!)

Glad you are feeling better , Jan. Hope you continue to improve.

Jan, what are we going to do with you!.

Lots of healing coming your way

Rosiemac said:

Jan, what are we going to do with you!.

Lots of healing coming your way

Click to expand...

Hug me ,and squeeze me and call me George...:lol3:

Had my weekly appt with the wound doctor and he says I may be able to get rid of the compression wrappings in a couple of weeks.

Good news...wishing you continued smooth recovery.