On Tuesday I checked into the Hospital @ 1100 for Surgery @ 1300, a Hysterectomy. All was great in pre-op. The nurses were awesome, even the Doc's performing my surgery and the anesthesiologist were a barrel of laughs. Off to surgery I went without a hitch. A wonderful experience!!
Post-op...what a nightmare!! I remember being told before going into surgery since Med-Surg was full I would be taken to Obstetrics after recovery which was fine with me. The areas of the body being tended to were the same (LOL) so what the heck!! I remember being wheeled into my room and transfering myself onto the bed, which wasn't easy or pretty to say the least! The pad under me was pretty much dragged along under my butt where it remained very twisted and wrinkled due to my dragging butt. When I say it remained, I mean it remained. Every single movement on my part immediately after recovery was extremly painful. I was of course hooked to an IV pole by my left hand, O2 tubing via nasal cannula, and of course both legs were attached to the pressure wraps and tubes to prevent clotting. Thus, I was pretty much unable to move! At 1900 my two grown kids came into the room and as my son stood staring at my foley bed bag he began sobbing uncontrollably. My daughter began hugging him and yelling at me..."How could you have Cancer and not tell us, what is wrong with you??" Instead of OB I was instead taken to the Oncology ward and had not been told. It took many tears and my nurse to convince my kids I DID NOT have Cancer!! That noc a CNA came into the room to take my vitals @ 0100 and proceeded to tell me she was going to keep the B/P cuff on my right arm so it could take my vitals as ordered. I found out later that morning I was on Q4hr vitals and the machine never automatically went off. She had set the machine for 0800. So I laid in bed with the cuff tight around my arm keeping me awake, for no reason other than she didn't want to bother coming into my room @ 0500 for the required readings. I was finally able to have the IV and the Foley DC'd along with taking the wraps to both legs. As I was helped up I realized the immense pain on my backside was from the blood soaked pad that remained wrinkled under me for 17 hours. I asked for breakfast @ 0700 and after asking again @ 0800 and 0900 I finally had a dietary aide come barging into my room as I was exposed while my Foley was being removed. She was upset at being yelled at for not bringing the menu to my room @ 0700 and refused to leave until I gave her my order, all while I'm lying there exposed and embarrassed. By 1700 that noc I had had enough and was asking to leave. I had gotten up to go to the bathroom and d/t the bloody discharge running down my leg when I stood I began crying when I realized I had yet to be brought any clean linens, towels, anything. I had been 28 hrs post op and had yet to be offered so much as a washcloth and towel to freshen up with. Due to my crying the nurse immediately came and began apologizing, when I told her I was leaving. I wanted my Discharge papers right then. She left to speak to the Dr. who had requested I stay 1 more day when I talked to him. The Oncology Nurse Manager came to give her apologies and explained they had no way of knowing the CNA's had not done anything for me since they had been signing off on all tasks they were required to do for their shift. They had even written vitals down for times they never took them. I had been one big neglect case who ended up with two falsifying aides!! I made it clear to the NM I was leaving, what hadn't been done for me, the vitals not taken and everything I could think to blurt out in my 15 minute tirade before I left. I would NEVER allow my aides to treat anyone in my care that way, yet there I was, in pain and vulnerable, allowing them to give me the absolute worst care ever. The NM proceeded to tell me it was so hard to find good aides , and that due to all the cutbacks the CNA's were no longer to automatically bring fresh clean linens into all the rooms. Only if they were obviously soiled were they to be changed. My pad and sheets were so blood soaked the mattress was stained thru all the layers yet I was still not brought any. And yes the CNA did see the stains when he DC'd my Foley. I made the comment, "Now I can get up, wash up and get a clean bed, yet he never brought any linens to make that happen. Have hospitals become so focused on the bottom line that they no longer care about the treatment of their patients??? My surgery went well, I am now home for my recovery since Wednesday noc and am very grateful to be home. I pray I never have to be hospitalized again for I would most likely receive better care at the local animal hospital, they seem to have much more compassion.
