Is this a normal hospital experience?

[Flowing Brook]

Saturday even. I started having some excruciating pain in my right side.  I got to where I was sure it was my appendix so I went to the hospital. I had to wait two hours for a cat scan which seemed normal since they had a car accident patient that was more critical than I was. However I never met the surgeon that was going to do the surgery.  I met two doctors that were going to be assisting the surgeon.

When I got out of surgery. I was only out for about an hour and a half and still groggy when the nurse told me a soon as I could walk, eat and use the bathroom I could go home. She kept standing over me like I was supposed to get up so I said maybe with some help I could go to the bathroom. I ended up walking there on my own.  After coming out of the bathroom I stated that I did not yet feel up to walking and went back to bed.  I started hurting and could not get up as much as I wanted so I asked for some help to sit up. My dad was in the room and immediately came over to help me sit up. When he asked the nurse to help me sit up she declined stating that when I got home I would have to do it by myself.

I declined pain medication because I was not feeling pain and did not want to take it unnecessarily however about two and a half hours later I was all but screaming the pain was so bad.  The nurse said " I knew this was going to happen." I appreciate they let it be my choice whether or not to take pain medication however I felt they should have explained to me that if I did not stay on top of the pain it would get out of control once the stuff they used for surgery wore off.

The dr. wanted me to stay until after supper since I had thrown up breakfast.  The nurse however acted rude when I told her what the doctor said and told me that patients did not usually eat twice when they were in the hospital for what I was in for.  I told her I wanted to go home at noon because she kept acting like I should be out of there already however when I tried to leave she told me to stay until 2:00.

I So anyways does this seem like a normal hospital stay?  I just sort of expected to talk to the surgeon before surgery and see my cat scan.  Is the way the nurse acted normal? I have never been in the hospital before and thought it seemed a little strange. Just curious!

[MedicMom]

They usually won't show you our cat scan. An emergency surgery coming out of the ER probably won't meet the surgeon, though they usually come in briefly to meet you but it is just a few seconds. He was probably on call and wanted to get your surgery done as soon as he was able to arrive. As far as the pain meds, she may have assumed you just didn't want any.

[swellmomma]

The not showing of the CAT scan is normal.  YOu should have seen the surgeon since you can not make informed consent to the surgery without doing so imo.  The nurse needs to be reported she was a b*tch and completely unprofessional.  So no it was not a normal experience but becoming quite common.

[Guest submarines]

Sorry about your experiences. I think the nurse was rude and unprofessional. I'm afraid this is "normal" in many places, but it shouldn't be. I had a horrible experience after a surgery where the nurses also insisted I walk right away, refused to listen that I was dizzy and off balance, and I fell and injured myself. 

[Um_2_4]

I also went ER and immediate surgery for appendix. I met the surgeon on the way to OR (like in the hall way, they were in a hurry with me, I guess it was serious). I did not see the CAT but talked to the DR who told me, "this is the prob and you are headed to surgery NOW". They didn't want to wait for DH (a friend took me in while DH stayed with my 8 week old twins LOL). 

After surgery, I had a great nurse and went home that evening (on my choice since the babies were nursing and little). They would have let me stay 24 hours.

The push to walk is common though. I saw that even after my CS with the twins when I was in MUCH worse pain. The 12 hours after my CS I had a GREAT nurse seriously. The rest of my stay, nope, horrible nurses. at the 30 hour mark after my CS, DH went home to stay with the older 2 and I was alone for the 1st time with the twins. I rang because I needed to put one baby down and get the other one to feed and needed help (with holding/reaching the bassinet), well, the nurse was pi@@ed I asked for help in the middle of the night !!

I think some people got into nursing for the wrong reasons.

[gracesteacher]

I had emergency surgery for a tubal pregnancy where the tube exploded basically.  Prior to them figuring out what was going on I had a bad ER dr and bad CT tech who was great when he saw I wasnt faking.  I was taken up rather quickly to the OR and met the entire staff they told me what they were going to do and several of them checked on me after the surgery.  The girls on the women's floor were amazing.  and yes told me even if I dont like taking pills and think that I am fine to take pills for the next few days. 

[JustEm]

Depending on how busy the er was that day and how much of an emergency the surgery was I don't think it was odd you didn't meet the surgeon.  The nurses behavior to get you up and moving was not odd, it ensures a better recovery in most cases.  She should have told you about taking meds before pain get worse. I would say she was rude.  I would think long and hard about reporting her though.  Do you think she was rude because she was rushed and busy or because that was just her normal behavior.  Those are 2 very different things.  Even the best nurses have bad days.  Those reports can wave heavily on her job when reviews come up.    I like to give the benefit of the doubt unless is completely clear that this is just her normal bedside manner

[Flowing Brook]

Depending on how busy the er was that day and how much of an emergency the surgery was I don't think it was odd you didn't meet the surgeon.  The nurses behavior to get you up and moving was not odd, it ensures a better recovery in most cases.  She should have told you about taking meds before pain get worse. I would say she was rude.  I would think long and hard about reporting her though.  Do you think she was rude because she was rushed and busy or because that was just her normal behavior.  Those are 2 very different things.  Even the best nurses have bad days.  Those reports can wave heavily on her job when reviews come up.    I like to give the benefit of the doubt unless is completely clear that this is just her normal bedside manner

 

Yeah I was not planning on reporting her.  My sister came to the room to visit me and was going to and I told her not to. I was just wondering if it was normal or not.

[dbmamaz]

'normal' as in common or 'normal' as in standard procedure?  Some hospitals and some staff just seem to enjoy lording their power over vulnerable people, and some actually seem to want to provide good quality care.  There are competent and incompetent people, and mean and nice people, in every walk of life.  

[PeacefulChaos]

Not seeing the CT isn't odd.  I've never seen any of mine.   :)

Not meeting the surgeon isn't necessarily rare in an ER case.  Would be nice, but not a huge deal, especially since you still got to meet some of the surgery staff.

The nurse was just rude.  While some of it is normal - getting up to move on your own, etc (I had to move myself to my other bed when I was transferred out of my c/s recovery room to my regular room, a couple of hours after my c/s with both Astro and Pink.  Link I had general anesthesia, so it was way different.) - some of it wasn't.  Her attitude was definitely unnecessary.  I can actually see her not mentioning the pain meds just from a misunderstanding - she may have thought you just didn't want any, or thought you would already know to take some before the pain set back in, etc.  Who knows?  But like I said, the attitude was not cool.  :/

 

Oh, and I forgot to add that I wouldn't call it normal.  Some people are just rude.  In all the hospitals I've visited, all the nurses I've had, all the times I've had something done/going on, I haven't encountered more than one or two nurses who were rude.  

[AHASRADA]

Dh had an emergency appendectomy about 10 years ago. He stayed in the hospital for 2-3 days after and was on a morphine drip for the first day. He wasn't allowed back to work for 2 weeks, I think (desk job).

 

I gave birth almost 3 years ago, no complications, but they let me stay in the hospital for 3 days simply because baby wasn't nursing well (I was fine).

 

Maybe it would be different now, but yes, your experience does sound extreme.