This may seem obvious, and is even mentioned by the nurses themselves, but you sometimes don’t know what you don’t know. Don’t be shy to ask anything. Unless you are nurse yourself, you likely won’t know anything about how to take care of your bandages, gauze, etc. Asking the nurses is the best way to take care of yourself. Also ask multiple nurses; they all seem to have different tricks that they have found makes the patient more comfortable.

You may have been lucky and will be able to sit with comfort at the dining table. I thought I would be able to, but then after that first meal, I was thankful I was shown the ledge in the sunroom. This is a perfect spot to put your tray down and eat while standing. Sure it’s not comfortable either, but it was better than trying to keep your balance and minimizing pain while eating on the inflatable donut.

If your surgery is on Monday, then you will be admitted to Asclépiade on the Wednesday. The patients from the previous week will still be there but will be leaving up until Friday. This is a great time to meet some new people but also learn about their experience at Asclépiade and some of the tips that they may have figured out during their stay.

Once you leave CMC and are brought over to Asclépiade, they change the catheter bag to a catheter valve. While this does give you some control over peeing, it still causes some grief and in my case, a little pain. The trick for me to reduce the pain, was to close the valve just as the flow started reducing. If I didn’t, then I would get this stinging sensation similar to if I had a UTI. They do allow you to go back to using a bag which needs to be emptied regularly also. This is common as a couple of the patients that were there when I was, switched to the bag.

The catheter that is in place is not enjoyable but it also is likely not going to be a perfect seal either. When you use the washroom the first time, be prepared for some leaking from around the catheter and through the packing. This will be a little scary and bloody at first but it is nothing to be concerned about and is quite normal. The problem is, if you are not well positioned, it does make quite a mess. The good news is that when the packing and bandages come off, it is much easier to be removed as the pee has softened up the bandages.

There are physical signs in the washrooms that are pretty clear that you should not be pushing while using the washroom and it’s very obvious why early on. To reduce pain, spend some time and relax on the toilet. The stool softeners are great to help things to move easily. The staff will keep an eye on your bowel movements until you are able to go. They will keep stepping up the treatment until you are able to go with little pain.

The stay at CMC and Asclépiade are intended to be relaxing and comfortable, but if you are a side sleeper and can’t sleep on your back, it is very difficult to sleep well. The packing and bandages make it nearly impossible to sleep any other way. After the first night at Asclépiade, I spoke to one of the nurses about it and found out that what they do is take a blanket and roll it up so that you can put it under one side. This allows you to sleep on a bit of an angle and you feel like you are sleeping on your side. This is what allowed me to sleep from that night on. Note, there is sleeping medication also available which I’m told is very effective but must be taken before midnight.

You are required to get up and walk around at least 3 times per day while staying at Asclépiade. If the weather is nice and you can get outside, enjoy the garden. I also found out several days in that you are allowed to walk around the whole building which is about the perfect distance without getting too uncomfortable. From the parking lot, turn right and take the sidewalk to the front of CMC. There is a little alleyway past the driveway which takes you past the employee courtyard and then back to the garden area. It’s a nice little walk. If you would like to go to the park that is across the street, you are required to sign a waiver and then sign in and out on the registry.

In the booklets that are distributed there are comments about the visiting hours. They state that the hours are 9am-8pm at CMC and 2pm-8pm at Asclépiade. When I arrived over to Asclépiade there is a posting on the wall that stated the visiting hours for Asclépiade was 9am-8pm. This might not always be the case but it sure did give more flexibility for when my wife could come and visit, especially on the weekend.

In the sunroom that is adjacent to the dining room on the main floor, there is a fridge that has many juices (including prune juice). These are replenished regularly but they will run out sometimes by the end of the day. There is also water and the ice machine for the ground floor. This area is also where you will find food for breakfast in the morning. Coffee is available a few minutes before the breakfast is ready and there is hot water for tea nearly all the time. The breakfast is simple but the fresh fruit is amazing.

It’s not really communicated but there is a white board at the dining table that shows when the meals will be served. They are pretty regular from day to day. There is also an announcement that comes over the room phones to let you know that lunch and dinner are served. The meals that are served there are wonderful and have a home-cooked feel to them. I was never disappointed. A couple of the patients that were there were a bit concerned about vegan options but they too were satisfied.

The first day that you arrive at Asclépiade you are just getting things figured out and so are a little busy with the change. The activities on day 3 and 4 start to slow down. These days are meant to be relaxing and there are not many changes. This can be hard if you don’t have support or things to do to entertain yourself. Be prepared for these days and don’t get discouraged. The really good stuff happens on days 5 and 6 so you have something to look forward to.