My experience with Jerusalem Hospital in detail, and some tips too!

[flowerlovingirl]

We went to San Diego Sunday night and stayed in the "Ramada Airport". I think it was called the "Ramada Limited" on the sign on the property. I found it on priceline and it was about $70 for one night. It is very convenient to the airport, has a fridge and microwave in the room, and is right across the street from the Bay. We met Monday morning outside the JetBlue terminal, and were driven without incident in a Jerusalem clinic van straight to the clinic/hospital. The clinic is the size of a smallish storefront from the outside. It is in a strip mall and if I hadn't been informed of that I'd have been alarmed. They make a copy of your passport in the front lobby and you fill out very minimal paperwork here. They do blood work on everyone. Everyone is then given blue shoe covers to put over your shoes, and then you go upstairs. A cardiologist asks you more questions, listens with a stethoscope to your heart and lungs, and then runs a maybe 10 second EKG. You go and sit a little longer and when your name is called you go into an office and answer more health questions. From there I got changed into my gown (don't wear jewelry because you will have to remove it for surgery) and had an IV started. I had the lowest BMI of the group, so I went first. I walked into the surgery room, they asked me my drug allergies, and that is all I remember until I woke up in the recovery room. You walk from the recovery room back to the room you will sleep in. Our group was small, so they let my husband spend the night in the bed beside me. They fed him while he was there too. The rooms were very narrow. They kept the IV fluids going all night. They take your blood pressure frequently. You get pain meds and nausea meds routinely. I couldn't find Gas-Ex strips to bring with me, and they seemed confused when I asked for some. The staff has limited english. The next morning I was waken up to go to the hotel. There was one lady who went to the recovery house, and an ex NFL football player who went to get x-rays and then back to the airport for him. The hotel was very nice, only $55 a night including all fees and taxes, but no fridge or microwave here. And very limited access to meds. They came and got us around 5 to 6 PM that night and we went back to the clinic/hospital for routine antibiotics. I was very dehydrated because I had kept nothing down all day. I was also running a fever and my cheeks were so bright red that my husband said they were almost purple. At the clinic, they rehydrated me with 1500 mls of IV fluids, gave me antibiotics, and meds for nausea, pain, and acid. I felt better so they took us (me and hubby) back to the hotel. I woke up part way through the night feeling like I was making more saliva than I could swallow, and stayed up a while spitting into a cup (this happened the next night and last night too). I was given this purple bottle of NASTY tasting stuff and was told to wake up and start drinking it at 0700 for the x-ray to check for leakage (maybe try holding your nose while you sip, sip, sip). They were over an hour late from the time they told me they would come. But come they did, along with everyone else who had a procedure. You had to finish drinking this 8 oz. bottle of contrast, and then you went in for your x-ray. Once you were in that room, they give you another cup of clear fluid to take like a shot drink and take the x-ray. It made me barf after the x-ray. We went from there to the recovery house where they removed everyone's drains, bandages, and IV's (which are capped). I went from there back to the clinic and took a different van back to the hotel. Three of the other ladies left from there to catch their flights home. Once back at the hotel, I felt up to walking to a restaurant next door with my husband where I got a cup of hot tea. I was able to drink it slowly, only an ounce or two though, a teaspoon at a time. That made me sick again so we walked back to the room. My husband had some mints with him, and I thought sucking on one might make my stomach feel better. BAD idea. After sucking on it a few seconds I was violently heaving. The clinic staff called a little while later that day to check on when to pick us up in the morning for our return flight. I told them I was feeling bad again. They asked me if I still had my IV. I told them it had been removed earlier in the day. A different person speaking better english got on the phone and asked if I'd like for them to come and get me and get the IV restarted. Of course I said yes! So I got a repeat of the night before, but this time I didn't have the fever. They took me back to the hotel, and I felt good enough to walk farther with my husband than I had the day before. I had another period of waking and having to spit that night. The next morning, they picked us up at the appointed time and took us to the airport. There is a special "medical services" lane they drive in so you do not have the long wait to go back over the border. At the airport I asked for a preboarding pass, so my husband and I were amongst the first to get on the plane. I had some nausea in the airports waiting for flights and connections, and also some on the planes. Not as bad as previously. We got home late, but that was OK. Now, I will tell friends and family what I chose to do!

[FlowerGalTX]

Sounds like quite the ordeal, Julie! Glad you are home safely and now can take some time to rest and heal.

How are you doing with the nausea now?

[Sunflower]

Wow, what an ordeal! Take care, and congratulations on being sleeved!

[GA_Girl]

Glad you all are home safe! Sorry you have the nausea! I was nauseous right after surgery. I dry heaved that night but was OK the next day. I just had to walk the gas off. So far I'm down 30lbs with ZERO effort. No cardio or gym yet so you have something to look forward to. Good luck!

[mi_mariposa]

Wishing you a speedy recovery and hope you are starting to feel better! Welcome to the Losers bench ;-)

[kitty]

Thank you Julie for the details of your experience. It will help those of us who are awaiting our surgery date! Hope you are feeling better now! Do you feel like since you stayed at the hotel instead of the recovery house that you dint have access to the medication you needed for nausea? How are you feeling now? Do you at this point have any regrets? Godd speed on your recovery and healing!

Thanks Kittty

[flowerlovingirl]

Thank you Julie for the details of your experience. It will help those of us who are awaiting our surgery date! Hope you are feeling better now! Do you feel like since you stayed at the hotel instead of the recovery house that you dint have access to the medication you needed for nausea? How are you feeling now? Do you at this point have any regrets? Godd speed on your recovery and healing!

Thanks Kittty

Well, I was generous when I said it was limited access to meds. The ONLY way to get them when you stay at the hotel is to go back to the clinic. All meds there were through the IV, although they did give me a shot to help me sleep the first night. They don't send any pills with you to self administer. A lady who stayed at the recovery house said they were able to give her meds there, including more heavy duty drugs like phenergan and morphine (not that I needed that last one) . The phenergan would have been nice............ I would suggest you get a script for orally dissolving Zofran or topical phenergan to deal with nausea, available in generic. That way if you need it at any point you could take it.
I am feeling better each day, and am able to consume greater quantities of fluid each day. My big issue now is gas build up. I am pretty noisy because it just rolls around and around. I told my family to record my abdominal noises and play them on the front porch for halloween for that creepy sounding background for the trick or treaters!!!
And at this point I don't have any regrets. The numbers going down on the scale seem to reconsile the difficulties, in my opinion.

[donewithdieting]

I'm leaving on the 7th to San Diego. I have one question. ( I posted it somewhere on another thread but I forgot which one) Is there a lockable place ( like Locker for your luggage? I'm going light but it is a concern.
Thanks and I will see you on the loser bench soon.

[kitty]

Did you do the pro-op liquid diet for 2 weeks. Did you cheat on it at all? Please be honest, I am having a really hard time not eating anything at all.

[UK Tim]

Great report, thanks. Did you get a safe or something to put your valueables in?

[flowerlovingirl]

I'm leaving on the 7th to San Diego. I have one question. ( I posted it somewhere on another thread but I forgot which one) Is there a lockable place ( like Locker for your luggage? I'm going light but it is a concern.
Thanks and I will see you on the loser bench soon.

I never saw a locker. I felt that everyone was trustworthy and respectful of persons and property, so I didn't feel it was an issue.

[mysleeve2011]

Seems like they moved you around a lot. Glad you are safe and back home. Speedy recovery to you!

[flowerlovingirl]

Did you do the pro-op liquid diet for 2 weeks. Did you cheat on it at all? Please be honest, I am having a really hard time not eating anything at all.

Thank the Lord I only had to do 3 days. The day before I started clear liquids,I went to GNC and bought some unflavored protein powder. I added that to my sugar free Hawaiian Punch. I was also a fan of jello. I'd use 2 small boxes but only put in the water for one. It made a stiffer almost "finger" jello, so I had that sensation of biting into something. I drank bottled juices, and broth. The night before the surgery I drank a delicious bottle of pineapple juice while my husband ate at a taco stand. At the clinic, I don't remember them asking me when was the last time I ate or drank anything, though. So, did I cheat? Not in my opinion!

[UK Tim]

Innocent but stupid questions: a). Why liquid only before the op, and b). What is Jello?

[flowerlovingirl]

Great report, thanks. Did you get a safe or something to put your valueables in?

I never saw a safe. You can ask if they have one if you really feel the need. Hmmmmm..... There is an Office Depot right next door. Maybe they would have something cheap and portable to lock up those things if you feel so inclined to go buy it. I guess I could have given my stuff to my husband, but I did not feel the need.