"It took a lot of insistence and persistence from me to convince my doctors that something was really wrong. After 3 months I was finally diagnosed with Hodgkins disease. I was so happy to have a diagnosis that I overlooked how serious that diagnosis was." - Hayley, Dunedin
- Ask friends to visit and bring food
- Put a heating pad on the intravenous (IV) site; it makes it feel much better
- Offer the nurses lollies and other sweets; they’ll love you for it
- Get to know the night nurses well; they will save you from insanity
- Bring your own clothes, pajamas, a robe and other favourite stuff from home and make the hospital room your personal space
- Borrow some time waster activities – borrow a Game Boy, books, a walkman/discman, videos, art equipment
- Make a visitor poster for visitors to sign and leave messages
- Take pictures of people that come to visit – this can be fun and nice to look at when you leave the hospital
- Stand up for yourself to ensure you get what you want
- Unplug your phone for when you really want to sleep
- If you are not feeling well or don’t feel like visitors, pretend you are asleep.
|
