Staying with spouse at Mayo general surgical unit Jacksonville

That is a difficult question to answer, @sueand. I suggest you call the Jacksonville hospital and ask that question.

Thank you for your help.

There should be room. I had 3 abdominal surgeries at Jacksonville.. 2013-14-15 ... and my husband stayed in my room overnight. .. each night and one was for 3 weeks. There is a sofa that makes into a comfortable bed. You cannot shower there. It is best he have a place to go for showers and for break time.

Thank you! What did your husband do about showers etc? Did he rent a hotel close? Would you mind sharing which one was easiest?

@sueand My husband is retired Army. We have a travel trailer and stayed at Mayport Naval Station. They have two rv parks and 3 cabins. It takes somewhere between 20-40 minutes to get to hospital and find a parking space. We have a full size extended cab pickup to pull the trailer so have to find an parking spot it will fit.. usually not too far. For those with motorhomes there is a parking lot for them, but no overnight parking. I have no idea about hotels other than one connects to the hospital and one is across from the hospital. You may want to contact them about accommodations. I think they have something a out it at the Mayo web site .. at least a number to call.

My husband does not like the food there. There is a Subway not far away that he walked to. He also brought some soups to heat in a microwave.. not sure where the microwave is.. maybe the cafeteria. Some nights he did not go back to the trailer.. he just sponge bathed. I never used the shower in my room. I had to sponge bathe. The way the shower is in the bathroom it will get a lot of the floor wet even around the toilet. I am putting a photo up that looks much like the room I stayed in. The bathroom is under the clock. My surgeon used the dry erase board on the closet a lot. You can see the sofa and there is a recliner too.

thank you so much! this really helps a lot. Wishing you all the best!

I am glad I could help you in some way. You will meet nurses and nurse's aids of many nationalities. I was pleased with most of them.. even at the best of hospitals there are some that need to do their jobs better, but you will find very few of them at this hospital. Hopefully it has not changed since 2015. I go for a check up and probably endoscopy around May. Not sure when I will make the appointment for.

Oh, I forgot to mention you can order your meals from the patient's room if you like the food. I know I ate at the cafeteria at sometime, but I cannot think of what I ate or if I liked it. I was on feeding tube in 2014-15 and I only had some pureed food in my room which I only ate a few bites of.. and I cannot even remember what it was now. Things can change a lot in few years.. so maybe the food is more likable to my Southern husband. Last year on the way home from me having an endoscopy he stopped at What A Burger 😁

@sueand did you know that you can also contact Mayo Clinic free Concierge Services for tips on accommodations and more?
You can contact them by email, phone, chat or in person during business hours:

* Phone: 507-538-8438
* Live Chat: https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide
* Email: concierge@mayo.edu

You can also read more recommendations posted by Connect members in this discussion:
- Lodging in Jacksonville, FL https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/lodging-in-jacksonville-fl/

I'll also be interested to hear what your husband decides to do and how it worked for you.