Spending The Night

We just read an intersting article reprinted from the NY Times about the value of having a patient advocate.

It rang true. There were times I noticed things before the nurse's did - like when his arm was swelling up. Or when I encouraged him to take pain medication when I could tell he was in the mood to be brave.

I'm convinced you really do need a patient advocate, besides your doctor and yourself. This is especially true at 3am, when the doctors are tired and the hospital is short-staffed.