February 2013 Moms

Visiting a sick person in the hospital?

My grandfather is in the hospital right now with cancer.  I would like to go visit him but one of my friends thinks I should try to wait for him to be released because of the germs in the hospital and being pregnant.  Are you all avoiding hospitals?   

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Re: Visiting a sick person in the hospital?

  • I'd use hand sanitizer maybe and just don't walk near coughing people. That's what I'd do. I'm such a germaphobe haha but I thinkkk it will be okay. Vitamins help too!
  • If your grandfather has cancer, he is probably on a floor dedicated to cancer patients.  The aseptic or cleanliness for this floor would be higher due to cancer patients having a lowered immune system.  So there should be no worries.  If you are still concerned, just find out from your grandfather if he has extra contact precautions and avoid the ER.
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  • I visited my dad in the hospital for several days. I also visited my mom in the ER (she landed in the ER for sever dehydration). Hospitals are yucky, especially the ER. I hate hospitals (who doesn't?) but I didn't get sick or anything. It's really a personal choice. 

    PS - I planning a natural birth at a birth center so that tells you how much I dislike hospitals.  

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  • I would just make sure they are not currently treating him with any radiation before visiting him, because if he is the doctors may advise you to stay away.
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  • I work in a hospital with the more "general" sick people (pneumonia, flu, etc.) and so far I haven't gotten sick even with a cold. I think you'll be fine. You could always wear a mask to shield yourself from people coughing and sneezing and there's almost always hand sanitizers available right outside of the patient rooms.
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  • I work in a hospital, so no, I'm not avoiding them. As long as you have a healthy immune system you should be perfectly fine. Just make sure you wash your hands when you leave.
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  • I would go and be as careful as you can. I left the hospital after I had my son with a nasty cold. But I'd bet my immune system was compromised at the time. Maybe?
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  • I'd go. When I was pregnant with DD, I went to the hospital to visit a relative. Just wash your hands/sanitize afterwards. 
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  • The only thing I would worry about is if he is on a cancer unit. There will be patients up there possibly recieving treatments you shoudn't be around i.e some will/could  have radiation beads implanted. Also alot of hospitals will not let pregnant nurses work on these units, and for good reason. I would check on that and also see what if any treatments your grandfather is recieveing.
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  • Thanks ladies!  I ended up going... I just couldn't stay away
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  • I understand it is a hard decision.  We found out my grandmother was dying from cancer (never knew she had it) during my last pregnancy.  I ended up going to the hospital several times.  I even took DD to see her once she was transferred to hospice.  ( I called the hospice center to verify this was ok, and there were no other patients there that could get her sick)

    Actually, at the time she was sick, I was pregnant, so was SIL and 2 of my cousins, and we were all there.  They all have 3 healthy happy sons right now.

    And I am sorry to hear your grandfather is sick.

  • I work in a major hospital daily and am on all floors including mostly ICU and trauma, I can assure you that on your end you are definitely ok. I would however, stay clear of any room that has isolation precautions due to MRSA or CDIFF. These are contageous and you would not want to be exposed to that. Make sure to wash your hands often and after you leave the room to visit your grandfather. Hope this helps!

     

    Jennifer

  • No, especially since your grandfather isn't in there for any infectious diseases. Just be mindful about washing your hands and not putting your hands in your mouth (which everyone, pregnant or not, should be doing anyway). I work as a home health aide and am in nursing school in hospitals and community health center sites every week. I have all my vaccines and practice common sense. I wash my hands a ton, either with soap and warm water or the antibacterial gel.
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  • I saw that you went. I'm glad, because, as many said, hospitals shouldn't keep you away, just wash hands and use hand sanitizer. 

     I work in the ER where we don't know what our patients have when they come in, you just have to use universal precautions.  I did have to tell the doctor I was pregnant last week though when she asked me to culture a possible herpes/shingles lesion. 

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  • They don't put patients with compromised immune systems (cancer) anywhere near contagious people for their own safety. Cancer patients are more vulnerable to getting sick than pregnant people are so they don't risk them getting sick. I would go, but don't touch his equipment (IV poles, etc) on the small chance that there would be chemo residue on it and wash your hands in a non-patient bathroom on your way out.

    My DH just finished chemo and these were the precautions I took. I was advised not to use the toilets near the cancer patients since chemo residue can be in those bathrooms. So I just left the cancer center and washed up in a bathroom off that wing. 

     

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