I hate hospitals

[rabbitearbandicoot]

Well, just to bring those interested up to date.

My wife went into hospital last Thursday to have her operation. We were told it was to relocate the tube that runs from kidney to bladder OR to cut out the area of blockage in that tube.

She was asked to come in by 11:00am. I rang at 7:30pm to see how the operation went. "She's just gone into theatre."

At 10:30pm the Doctor rang me - we have just finished your wife's operation - it was very challenging - we had to get the Manager of Surgery in to give us a hand.

The surgeon told me that "the bowel is very fragile" and when we opened her up, the bowel split, so we had to do a bowel resection too. This is the third one she has had - first was semi-planned after her bowel was pierced during a colonoscopy, 2nd was to fix the problems caused by the first - and now a third. Just how much bowel has she got left?

She is in the Intensive Care Unit on all sorts of drips etc. She is nil-by-mouth for goodness knows how long.

Poor woman - can't take a trick.

Hopefully they won't make too many more problems.

[rabbitearbandicoot]

Thanks All.

Where would I ask about the Rehab? At the hospital?

[azureline**]

Good morning, hope Sue is feeling better and home soon. You should be able to get that info re rehab from the social worker, just ask at the nurses station.

[purple.cow]

 Just how much bowel has she got left?

You can continue living a fairly normal life with next to no bowel and your wife is not the Lone Ranger on that score so you should be celebrating the fact that she's still alive and be thankful for it.

Your desire to hate hospitals is a waste of time as your wife would most probably be dead long ago if it wasn't for their efforts and skills.

Whatever first created the problem wouldn't have been the hospital's doing, they're only trying their best to fix things up and keep your wife alive, so try thanking them for it instead of whining about them for a change.

[debra9275]

Geez , she is having a rough time rabbit, hope she is on the road to recovery now

[azureline**]

Hard to be at home alone with the boy too, I expect, hope it's not too much longer Rabbit, have you got any puppies left?

[kengillard]

geez moorna......Welcome backX-(X-(

[purple.cow]

geez moorna......Welcome backX-(X-(

So, now you're mad at me for sticking up for the poor sods of doctors and nurses who have been doing their level best to save Rabbit's wife's life and give her some degree pain free existence etc. are you?

While I understand his feelings concerning his wife's position regarding her health condition I do not accept that he is running those kinds of people down, or the services they provide by saying how much he hates them when they are the only thing standing between his wife and a pine box at a funeral home.

Rabbit needs to remember that.

No matter how things turn out, doctors and nurses do their best while under constant pressure from all directions, so they deserve our thanks and respect for their skills and care.

[the_hawk*]

I spent two weeks in a surgical ward in April and had to remind a number of nurses and a couple of doctors of infection control and hygiene.

Some seemed to forget about washing hands and wiping the cannula before inserting the IV drip and thats even more important when its a Pic line.

A couple of nurses were so bad with repeatedly breaching correct procedures I refused to allow them to touch me.

I understood the risks and not shy about protecting myself and speaking up if someone isn't doing the right thing, its the ones that don't know what should be done or cant speak up or not confident enough to challenge the staff that are more likely to end up with infections.

Rabit where I was the doctors did their rounds first thing in the morning around 8:30am thats the best time to talk to them, not sure about where you are but they went around in a team with a consultant and a couple of interns tagging along.

[rabbitearbandicoot]

Hard to be at home alone with the boy too, I expect, hope it's not too much longer Rabbit, have you got any puppies left?

Actually, and I am a little ashamed to say this, but it's easier for us to manage by ourselves - nowhere near as much work and we just do as we like to a certain extent. 

No, the pups were all sold by the time they were 4-5 weeks old. Of course, they were not delivered until 7-8 weeks.

[rabbitearbandicoot]

moorna12 wrote:"You can continue living a fairly normal life with next to no bowel and your wife is not the Lone Ranger on that score so you should be celebrating the fact that she's still alive and be thankful for it.

Your desire to hate hospitals is a waste of time as your wife would most probably be dead long ago if it wasn't for their efforts and skills.

Whatever first created the problem wouldn't have been the hospital's doing, they're only trying their best to fix things up and keep your wife alive, so try thanking them for it instead of whining about them for a change."

How are you Stephan? Yes, I know they are trying their best.

This problem first came up after she had the skin cancer cut out of her ear. The cut became infected and here we are.

As you will note above, this infection is NEW - ie since she has been in hospital so where do you think she got it from?

And, Yes, I have reason to thank hospitals:

1. My youngest son was a meconium birth baby - caused by ... wait for it - the Doctor who insisted she be induced but who couldn't make it to the hospital in time for the delivery - a nurse who gave Sue a shot too late in labour and the baby went into shock. His whole life is stuffed and ours too.

2. Four years ago, Sue had a colonoscopy - they punctured her bowl - sent her home and she almost died from septic poisoning.

3. They got her back into hospital and operated to fix the problem - saved her life Yes but who caused it in the first place?

4. Three weeks later she was having stomach pain and went back to hospital - again they opened her up - why? to fix the problems caused by the first operation which was to fix the original bowel puncture.

5. This latest time she went in to have a skin cancer cut out of her ear - caught an infection and has been in and out of hospital ever since.

6. Three years ago I went in for a colonoscopy - they punctured my bowel - I had to have an emergency colectomy and was in hospital for 4 weeks.

7. My mother had a picc line put in - they ruptured the veins in her neck and chest and she bled into her chest - her whole left side from the neck down went purple.

8. My mother had a endoscopy - over the next few weeks - she slowly bled to death.

9. I could go on ....

So, Yes I am less than enthralled with hospitals, but the original comment was more tongue-in-cheek than what you are trying to make it. Most people hate the dentist and will say that - it doesn't mean they really hate 'the dentist' does it?

I KNOW hospitals help a lot of people and we couldn't do without them. I KNOW the nurses and Doctors work hard and long hours and they do their best. But it seems we have had more than our share of problems that are 'very rare and only happen in 1 / 1,000 operations'.

Anyway, PEACE!