Husband in hospital christmas day

patchwork_cat

With regards to his smoking - I will use a well known phrase (with a bit of poetic licence) He has started (to quit) so he'll finish!

skylight

Have you asked the nurses?? I assume he is on a ward with others on Christmas Day and if you are in hospital that day its for a damn good reason - therefore with heart conditions would crackers and their bangs be a good idea?

The nurses could tell you what he should be avoiding food wise so you can tailor which treats to bring in as I guess his diet is being closely monitored.

That leaves Christmas hats, battery operated lights, books, puzzles, wordsearches, MPs player, Mp4? - could you download some films onto it if you have one that he could see properly? And the charger to go with them of course. Visits from all his family; you could co-ordinate so that everyone arrives at different times so he is not left alone on the day but everyone is still able to do their own thing around that.

RacyRed

A little Christmas tree and a set of those battery operated lights might cheer him up?

The Nintendo DS idea is a great one, is he likely to be fine while you are with him but really feel lonely when you are gone? If so, the DS would be ideal. Or maybe you can find/borrow a small portable TV for him? Although I think you have to pay (a small fortune) for TV service in hospital these days if my recent experiences are anything to go by, about £5 per day :eek::eek:

As for the anti smoking brigade - do you drive pollution free cars? Do you run your homes on solar or wind power? If not, please look to your own habits before having a go at others. And don't say "it isn't the same" because it darned well is, we just choose to bury our heads in the sand about it for the most part. But it so much easier to have a go at those "current" social pariahs, addicted smokers, isn't it. :mad:

euronorris

3v3 wrote: »

Maybe. But that wasn't what the OP asked about

Sorry, but what one wants, and what one needs are two very different things.

The OP and her husband, whether they like it or not, need the advice that has already been given by others. The best Christmas present they could both give each other is good health, as said by another poster. And now, having being 'forced' to stop for however long, is the perfect time to do it. He'll already have gotten over the worst hurdle by the time he leaves the hospital, so why not continue?

That said, I won't say anymore on the subject as it is most likely wasted breath.

In response to the OP's original query - Books, puzzles (including word ones, and physical ones), boardgames, his fav magazines, part hats, crackers (if allowed), silly santa hats, etc etc. Anything and everything to make him smile, and keep him occupied (and therefore not thinking about smoking so much).

Errata

The hospital will give him his Christmas dinner, but it won't be prepared with love in the same way as his wife's will be. Canteen dinners never are, nor could they be. So.....check with the nursing staff that taking him his dinner will be ok, and forget the crackers - loud bangs on a cardiac ward are not a good idea.
Wishing the OP and her OH a peaceful Christmas.

As a very, very reluctant ex-smoker, my message for the smoking police is ......... it's not about you!

euronorris

Gillyx wrote: »

On the other hand though my Grandpa (Who I never got the chance to meet) gave up smoking the minute he had his first heart attack, but it still got him in the end, prematurely too, so would he have been better just to carry on as he was? Who knows

No, I don't think so.

Whilst it may not have increased his life, giving up certainly would've improved his quality of life.

You don't realise just how bad smoking makes you feel until you give it up. Same with overeating on junk food.

I've been there, it's hard, and he'll probably have lapses every now and then (I know I do at times), but it CAN be done and he'll feel sooooo much better for it.

Buttonmoons

Well I doubt the OP is going to come back to this thread!

I don't see how anyone can judge, he smokes, as far as I know its still legal and there is no way they will ban it (as they make SO much money from it) the NHS can spout out as much nonsense as they like about encouraging you to stop smoking, but the government would be up the creek without a paddle, if everyone just stopped smoking.

Obviously he has a heart condition and SHOULD stop, but it is incredibily difficult to stop.

Many people have addictions of many kinds, not everyone is able to overcome it.

euronorris

RacyRed wrote: »

As for the anti smoking brigade - do you drive pollution free cars? Do you run your homes on solar or wind power? If not, please look to your own habits before having a go at others. And don't say "it isn't the same" because it darned well is, we just choose to bury our heads in the sand about it for the most part. But it so much easier to have a go at those "current" social pariahs, addicted smokers, isn't it. :mad:

No, I don't own a car. I can't afford one. When I am in a position to get one, it will be one of the newer eco friendly electric ones.

Solar and Wind Power - again, no. I don't own my own property, so it is not an option for us at the moment. But again, once we are in a position to buy our own house, we will be installing solar panels (if not in place already).

But neither of the above makes me more qualified, or better placed etc to advise someone to give up smoking. How I treat my own body, or the planet, does not make the advice any less valid. It would just be coming from a hypocritical place.

mountainofdebt

Personally I'm fed up of running the gauntlet of patients smoking just outside the doors whenever I've been to a hospital.

Gillyx

mountainofdebt wrote: »

Personally I'm fed up of running the gauntlet of patients smoking just outside the doors whenever I've been to a hospital.

When I go to any of my midwife appointments I'm greeted by a group of pregnant ladies smoking at the door, it's always nice to walk through that cloud and stink by the time I get in to the hospital.

Despite the fact there are big "this is a no smoking area" signs?