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Post by angelas on Apr 15, 2007 8:54:35 GMT -5
Yes that is exactly how things are up here. Right after surgery you spend some time in a general recovery where they are checking your vitals and all that - thats the room I wake up screaming in! Then they move you to another general recovery where theres about 6-8 beds lining each wall - and its general recovery for everyone having anything done in day surgery... I remember last time when I was trying to walk down that neverending walkway to the bathroom a lot of the people were staring at me... they had had surgeries on their hands or knees or whatever... it was totally uncomfortable. Atleast I was aloud to have a visitor there in that room with me, but for any privacy we would have to close those curtains. I tend to sleep A LOT after surgery, so I saw what I did, but never had to worry about being awake the whole time... It's weird cause it all seems like a foggy dream to me! ahhahaa!
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Post by karen80222 on Apr 16, 2007 12:46:22 GMT -5
Same thing here -- except NO visitors!!!!! I do NOT care for that one bit!!!! My bf said -- make sure you barf on someone in the first 15 minutes & they'll get you outta there quick -- HA!!!!
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Post by angelas on Apr 16, 2007 13:11:08 GMT -5
your allowed to have your bf there with you though aren't you?? Jeff will be my only 'visitor'... though he's not allowed to help me with anything while I'm at the hosptial - not even a trip to the bathroom!
ahhaha! ya - just barf on the first nurse you can when you ask for another blanket!! HAHAH!
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Post by karen80222 on Apr 16, 2007 14:49:58 GMT -5
No -- no visitors at all -- that's the weird thing! I mean my bf will sit with me until they wheel me into surgery, but after ....you stay in the big room & I won't see him again until he's pulling the car around. I do NOT like that at all -- makes me like 5000 times more nervous & I get really scared waking up by myself & the more awake I get, the more upset I get if no one I know is with me. Oh -- I'm see A LOT of crying!!!! Seriously -- has ANYONE heard of such a thing? ?
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Post by angelas on Apr 17, 2007 11:45:57 GMT -5
I know that for me I go into a recovery room for about an hour and then into another recovery for another 2 - the second one is where I'm allowed to have 1 person with me
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Post by christineann on Apr 17, 2007 12:32:08 GMT -5
Karen, I'm so glad your doctor was sympathetic.
It may make you feel more at ease to remember that no one can keep you against your will. If you want to leave, you can leave. You don't give up your rights when you walk in the door of the hospital.
I had my lap at an outpatient surgery center. A nurse was available to help me with any problems I had and that included walking me to the restroom. She held my arm so that I wouldn't fall while I was shuffling, hunched over, across the floor.
Maybe you could find out what the nurse-to-patient ratio is in the recovery room. With my lap, there seemed to be a 1-2 ratio, very good. With my knee surgeries, there seemed to be one nurse covering the whole room and I got ignored. So it probably varies.
Best wishes!
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Post by karen80222 on Apr 17, 2007 13:38:12 GMT -5
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Post by kb on Apr 17, 2007 22:16:00 GMT -5
Yeah u can definitely leave.
Its called discharge against medical advice though, if u just walk out they cant actually stop u, but if u allow them to give u all the reasons why u should stay first and still want to leave, they might get u to sign something and ur free to go.
However if u do just walk out its called absconding, so the police can be called if its considered too dangerous for u to be gone.
Least thats how it works in Oz, have had patients demand to leave hospital who really would die if they left, the docs explain that to them clearly, but still are free to go.
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Post by angelas on Apr 18, 2007 9:23:51 GMT -5
I have no idea if thats allowed here! I've never heard of anyone doing that! Is the reason you'd want to leave so badly because you just want to get home to be comfortable?
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Post by karen80222 on Apr 18, 2007 12:48:37 GMT -5
No -- it's not so much that I just wanna go home & get comfy. It's that for my last 2 laps (2 different hospitals), they were early -- around 7 am & I was in recovery by 9 am. I was fully awake (well, as much as you can be) by at least noon. But -- they wouldn't let me leave til I could pee. Unfortunately, they stop the pain meds 45 minutes before they think you should be ready to go. Well -- both times I had to wait up to 9 hours after that to leave! I had to beg them for more pain meds -- yes, I know I can't leave now for 45 minutes, so they were pretty stingy. They got pretty cranky -- and I cannot blame them -- cus I was keeping them overtime. So -- they finally dumped me in other areas of the hospital (once in ER & once in the maternity ward) so night shift nurses could watch me until I pee'd!!! Talk about COMPLETELY miserable! So -- I hope my dr will keep up her end of the bargain to let me go without peeing-- of course with the promise to go to the ER for a catheter if I don't go by 10 pm. Which -- trust me -- when you really gotta go but can't .....well -- you guys know it can be MISERABLE!!!! So anyway -- that's why I'm still worried about it. I'm worried the dr will forget her promise & I'll be stuck back in the same situation -- or checking myself out against advice -- I am scared to do that!!! Now of course, if my dr told my bf or me that she was close to a ureter or my bladder or something that could have damaged that system -- oh heck yeah, I'd stay! But if I know it's just a problem with the anesthesia, then I want out!!!! Sorry for rambling -- I'm not stressed about being put under, or even being cut on (well, a little) -- my biggest stressor the the pee thing -- I think I need to get a grip!
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Post by angelas on Apr 18, 2007 14:48:07 GMT -5
Oh my god!! I had no idea they were doing that to you!! Even though I am not allowed to leave until I pee I have never been refused any pain meds!! That is INHUMAINE!! No wonder you want to leave Karen!! I would too!!! It sucks that you've had those types of experiences cause nothing I say could really make you feel less anxious about it! Just remember that I'll be laying there looking into those bright lights the same time as you - hoping to god I can feel my bladder!! What time is your surgery at again?
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Post by karen80222 on Apr 18, 2007 21:29:27 GMT -5
HA! I know -- it's like ..... I'm not even sure I have a bladder at that point! My surgery is at 10:30 am Mountain Time. I think we will probably be under at the same time -- well, if they haven't kicked us out first -- HA!!!!!!
I hope things will be different this time!!!
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nic
New Member
Posts: 8
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Post by nic on Apr 24, 2007 7:10:00 GMT -5
Hi guys,
I had a really rough time after my lap. I didn't pee and no-one seemed to even think of asking me if i could and checking that i did before i left (including me - being my first one). I ended up going home at about 7pm that night..throwing up my tablet meds the hospital gave me once i got home, then going straight to bed and sleeping soundly. UNTIL the morphine wore off and i was in horrendous pain. I needed to pee but couldn't. I was practically screaming in agony and woke up my mum. She called the hospital and they were shocked that the day surgery nurses had let me go home without peeing. They said - try running the taps in the sink, the bath and the shower to see if that would help. If it didn't, then i'd have to go back to the hospital, they'd get my dr out of bed and she'd put a catheter in. The nurse on the phone had a look at my chart and said "well she hasn't had that much fluid, so she shouldn't need to go that badly". Oh how i wish she could have felt a slight amount of pain i was in. Finally, in the end, i just relaxed and did pee. It wasn't pain free, but i did feel better afterwards. Turns out that, i needed to get my pain under control first because that's what was causing me to contract all of my muscles down there. Note to self!!! haha
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Post by karen80222 on Apr 27, 2007 11:16:17 GMT -5
I'm finally back from surgery!!! Well -- 2 surgeries!!! Long story short -- apparently my right tube was twisted up very badly & covered with endo -- she got what she could & straightened it out....well, maybe from all the coughing after surgery -- she had to go BACK on Saturday when I was screaming from pain -- it had twisted again!!!! Not quite sure what she did -- she explained it to my bf but it made no sense -- but I'm finally recovering!!!!
I did get to leave without peeing -- BOTH TIMES -- hooray and as soon as I got home -- I did! But -- I also got the "I couldn't get it all" in some of the upper regions like around my diaphragm...so I'm pretty disappointed. AND -- the ovary that has caused nothing but problems for 3 years -- she left it in!!! Again -- not very happy! But -- on the positive side -- I am in much less pain than I have been! I am having trouble breathing and a lot of pain in my right lung that I'm going to see the dr today for -- but hopefully that's nothing!!!!
I will write more when I'm feeling better!!!!!
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Post by christineann on Apr 27, 2007 22:26:07 GMT -5
Karen,
Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
What a bummer that you had to go under twice! I'm sure it helped your mental and physical health to be able to go home after each one rather than hanging around in the hospital until all hours of the night waiting to pee though.
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