Hearts Bring Families Together

We spent many hours in the waiting rooms at a specialty heart hospital on two separate occasions recently. A family member needed open heart surgery in a distant city and another member needed a heart catheterization 10 days later at the same hospital. My husband and I traveled each time to be of support and spent four days at a hospital that specializes in heart surgery, vascular surgery, lung surgery and all procedures dealing with the human heart. We had the privilege to be part of the supportive family members present on these days.

A heart hospital waiting room is the witness to many different emotions and behaviors. Different families were present in these waiting rooms each day while their loved ones had heart surgery, heart catheterizations, and other heart and vascular testing in nearby rooms. Since open heart surgery takes a minimum of 5-7 hours to complete and ICU's restrict visitors, we spent a lot of time observing, being present and supporting each other in the waiting rooms. We shared funny stories from the internet to break up the tension we were feeling. Family members present with us were treated to our favorite stories from Maria Roth, Tom Lund and Donna Cavanaugh for some great laughs!

The television droning in the background was usually ignored. The many different families present were quiet and well-mannered. Everyone was respectful and mostly talking in low tones. Older and younger family members were present with young children present on the weekends. Loving concern was evident in the voices if complications were happening. Tears, anxious glances and worried phone calls took place. Loving support and quiet reminisces were shared. It was also family reunion time for many large families with sharing funny family stories and laughter! Family's related the latest family news! Hugs and kisses were in abundance.

The drama of unexpected bleeding for our family member after heart bypass surgery happened the evening of surgery. The nurse called the waiting room and wanted his spouse to come to his room now. The nurse had alerted the surgeon and the patient was being prepped to return to surgery. We told the nurse that we were praying for the patient, the surgeon and also for her in all that was required for her to do to get him ready for surgery again. In the meantime, we were escorted to the Quiet Room (the only private waiting room with a door) located outside the ICU. We emailed, texted and phoned distant family, asked for prayers of support, and precision and wisdom for the surgeon at the end of this already long day.

The ICU nurse soon ran back into the Quiet Room; she was sweating, short of breath and talking quickly. She wanted us to know that the second surgery had just started. At the end of her 12 hour shift, she would still be charting for several hours after getting our family member ready for surgery.

The bleeding area was quickly clipped and stopped in surgery and the surgeon soon talked to us. The surgeon's youth and fatigue was very evident, as well as his compassion. The patient was doing very well and we soon visited him in ICU. We were reassured and went back to the hotel to try to sleep! The remaining hospital stay was uneventful with discharge home three days later.

During the heart catheterization of a different family member recently, we were again in the same waiting room at the same heart hospital. A good outcome was the answer with NO heart blockages this time! Different family reunions continued in each of the waiting rooms. Family stories were again being shared for all to have a good laugh.

The drama of open heart surgery has been well-documented on many television shows. While we were there, a Code Blue was paged overhead one evening. Everyone in the waiting rooms realized that a life and death drama was happening in ICU. People were wondering if it was their family member who was being coded! Not everyone knew that the nurse would be phoning the spouse or family of the patient who was coding; with that realization, many concerned faces relaxed with relief.

The quiet loving support of families gathered together in the waiting rooms are part of the flow of each day at heart hospitals. The many families were attuned if there was a new family present in the waiting room and would ask "How are things going?" They would sit, talk and listen in support. Families would offer support and reassurance by mentioning the fine reputation this hospital has and that they were so glad their family member was here!

Each of these waiting rooms has seen all the possible dramas of life and death in a heart hospital. We were witness to the support of loving families and the anxiety of a Code Blue page. We were very grateful that specialty heart hospitals exist in our family's region, and that precious life may be prolonged with the many advanced treatments offered here! It was wonderful to witness the loving support and resilience of families, when social workers and chaplains weren't always present. "Love is all there is" is especially true in this heart hospital.

Personal experience of time spent recently on two occasions in the same heart hospital waiting rooms with family members.