{"id":85902,"date":"2025-10-28T08:05:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T14:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=85902"},"modified":"2025-10-26T08:18:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T14:18:03","slug":"debunking-myths-about-hospital-stays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/debunking-myths-about-hospital-stays\/","title":{"rendered":"Debunking myths about hospital stays"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_85907\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-85907\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-85907\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/09\/25144611\/inpatient_care_13-web.webp\" alt=\"Patients are encouraged to ask questions during their hospital stay. &quot;There are no bad questions here,&quot; Dr. Hardesty said. Photo: UCHealth. \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-85907\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Patients are encouraged to ask questions during their hospital stay. &#8220;There are no bad questions here,&#8221; Dr. Hardesty said. Photo: UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From always resting after surgery to eliminating all pain, some things you may have heard about hospital stays aren\u2019t true.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/evan-hardesty-md\/\">Dr. Evan Hardesty<\/a>, a hospitalist with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-yampa-valley-medical-center\/\">UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center<\/a>, debunks some common myths below.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: I don\u2019t have to bring any medications to the hospital<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The hospital is stocked with various medications, but if you have to come to the hospital and you have time to prepare in advance, it\u2019s always a good idea to bring prescriptions you take regularly with you so you can verify your current medications and dosages, and to have specialty medications, such as specific inhalers, on hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDefinitely bring your specialty medications, especially if you\u2019re coming in for a planned procedure that may result in a prolonged hospital stay,\u201d Hardesty said.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s also important that people bring any home medical equipment they use, such as a CPAP machine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you are taking non-prescription medications, or you use marijuana, be sure to tell your medical providers since other substances can have a big impact on how you do during surgeries. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/marijuana-and-anesthesia-why-tell-your-doctor-about-your-use\/\">Learn how marijuana use can impact anesthesia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: If I don\u2019t tolerate a medication, I\u2019m allergic to it<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Patients sometimes think that if taking a medication causes any symptom, such as nausea, that means they are allergic to it. That\u2019s not always the case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are expected side effects with certain medications, and you may not have tolerated a medication for many different reasons, but there\u2019s a difference between intolerances and real allergies,\u201d Hardesty said. \u201cKnowing the medicines you\u2019re allergic to is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An allergic reaction to a medication may result in serious side effects, such as difficulty breathing, throat closure or severe rashes.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: They won\u2019t let me eat at the hospital<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In most cases, good nourishment is an important part of recovery. But for people who have come in for surgery, or who have a condition that might require surgery, it\u2019s important to restrict eating and drinking until it\u2019s safe to do so.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor anesthesia and intubation purposes, we have to restrict your eating and drinking until we know it\u2019s safe for you to do those things,\u201d Hardesty said. \u201cIf you come in and there\u2019s a suspicion of stroke, until we know you can safely swallow, it\u2019s unsafe to let you eat.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: Hospital food is terrible<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Patients are sometimes given restrictive diets to align with specific health needs. For instance, someone who may be in heart failure shouldn\u2019t drink too much water. But many patients can enjoy UCHealth\u2019s top-notch culinary options.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a great food and nutrition services team, and they are very dedicated to providing food you enjoy and that\u2019s good for you,\u201d Hardesty said. \u201cAll of the staff eat at the hospital, and we all really enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: I won\u2019t get any sleep at the hospital<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Hospitals often have quiet hours when visitors are limited, lights are turned down, and efforts are made to encourage rest. But for patients who are in a more critical or serious condition, it may be important to check vital signs, take labs and administer medicines on a specific schedule, even through the night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hospital is for sick people. You\u2019re there for a reason. We do try to limit interruptions, but there are situations where someone is unstable and we need to check their vitals or have labs drawn, or we may need to perform neurological evaluations to monitor or rule out issues such as stroke,\u201d Hardesty said. \u201cWe want you to sleep, but you may not be able to get a perfect ten hours of uninterrupted sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: The provider always knows best, so I shouldn\u2019t question what he or she says<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When patients are active participants in their care, that often results in better care overall, so don\u2019t hesitate to ask questions or voice concerns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want medical care to be collaborative, and we want people to be involved,\u201d Hardesty said. \u201cThere are no bad questions here. If you have concerns, we want you to raise them. We want to do anything we can to make people feel more comfortable and help them understand what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: It\u2019s always best to rest after surgery<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For many procedures, such as orthopedic surgeries, research has shown it\u2019s best to get moving as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTen years ago, if you had hip surgery, you might rest for a week,\u201d Hardesty said. \u201cNow, especially with orthopedic procedures, a lot of the science supports early mobilization. Getting those muscles working and getting everything back into gear quickly has been proven to be more beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: Physical therapy and occupational therapy are there to make me suffer<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe know when you\u2019re in pain or uncomfortable, working with a therapist may be the last thing you want to do,\u201d Hardesty said. \u201cBut it\u2019s been proven that it\u2019s one of the best things you can do to get better faster.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t be surprised if you work with both physical and occupational therapists, as PT can help improve movement, build endurance and mitigate pain, while OT can help strengthen skills needed for daily life.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: I shouldn\u2019t let my health care provider put me in observation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>When someone is admitted for observation, they are often discharged in the next one to three days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of times someone might be able to go home, but we feel more comfortable monitoring labs and watching them closely,\u201d Hardesty said. \u201cYou can always have a conversation with your doctor on whether it is safe for you to go home and return for labs or follow up the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: I feel better after discharge, so I can stop taking the medications I was prescribed<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIf you were prescribed a course of antibiotics or steroids, you need to complete it,\u201d Hardesty said. \u201cNot completing it means risking having to go back to the hospital or having your condition return or worsen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Medications prescribed on an as-needed basis, such as those used for pain, can be stopped when they\u2019re no longer needed and then disposed of properly.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Myth: I shouldn\u2019t have any pain when I leave the hospital<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThere are health conditions that have a degree of chronic pain or conditions that take time to recover, so we never set the expectation that you\u2019re going to be pain free,\u201d Hardesty said. \u201cWe do want pain to be well-controlled at a level you can tolerate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was first published in the Steamboat Pilot &amp; Today.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From always resting after surgery to eliminating all pain, some things you may have heard about hospital stays aren\u2019t true. Dr. Evan Hardesty, a hospitalist with UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center, debunks some common myths below. Myth: I don\u2019t have to bring any medications to the hospital The hospital is stocked with various medications, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2163,"featured_media":85907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[338,235,4836,276,65,63,702],"class_list":["post-85902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-allergy-care-and-immunology","tag-emergency-care","tag-inpatient-surgery","tag-nutrition-services","tag-pain-care-and-management","tag-pharmacy","tag-surgical-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Debunking myths about hospital stays - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From medications to mobility, there are common misconceptions about hospital care. 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