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Childbirth

Sent home from hospital after c-section without ANY analgesia

72 replies

TeaJunky · 04/12/2012 13:54

The title says it all.

The night before coming home I was up all night in hospital crying with pain after having taken pain relief. This was noted by the midwives.

Yet the next day I was discharged from hospital without as much as a single paracetamol. I asked several times about it, and was eventually told that as its so cheap to buy over the counter, the hospital is cutting costs.

This is St Mary's in Manchester. Otherwise, I had fantastic, round the clock care and support and the teams were excellent.

But sending a woman home, who has just given birth via major abdominal surgery, without any pain relief (at 6pm evening), with a newborn to look after is just criminal.

The community midwife that came to see me today said it has started happening only in the past few weeks, and they initially thought the hospital/staff were forgetting - but it was becoming more apparent now that it's just cost cutting. She suggested I tell the local press, which I will be doing.

I also wanted to raise awareness of this on mumsnet and ask other women to add similar experiences about such incidents.

I spent the night in pain of course - I think I must have overdosed myself with ibuprofen and a bad mixture of other odds and sods of pain killers I had in my kitchen drawer Sad

This has to fit into an MN campaign somewhere, surely? It's just not right.

OP posts:
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kilmuir · 04/12/2012 13:56

Thats awful.
have had a few sections and was given voltarol to go home with as well as paracetamol
has your GP given you something

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TravelinColour · 04/12/2012 13:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ChestnutsRoastingonaWitchesTit · 04/12/2012 14:01

That's terrible. I was given a bucket load of voltarol and paracetamol to go home with after my section 2 years ago. Whilst in hospital I was given . morphine on request until I said I thought I could manage without it too.

I hope things haven't changed since then, I agree paracetamol is cheap but then its not cutting much cost if the hospital are trying to economise.

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Chigertick · 04/12/2012 14:04

Poor you Sad
I didn't have a c- section but had an episiotomy and they were practically forcing the codeine on me. They said "welll
It's been dispensed now just have it"!

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LargeLatte · 04/12/2012 14:04

I had a C section 5 years ago and was sent home without anything. I remember stopping at local shop and hobbling out of car to get paracetamol and ibuprofen. They told me I wasn't allowed to buy more than 2 packets and I just wimpered that I'd just had a c section and they put it through in 2 transactions. That was my second section and am pretty sure I wasn't sent home with anything for the first one either. I just assumed it was normal. I have also just realised that dh sat and waited in the car while I got my own tablets - how thoughtful.

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Floralnomad · 04/12/2012 14:09

I had a section several years ago and didn't take any analgesia post OP . I'm afraid in these days of austerity I agree with the hospital midwife and you should buy your own analgesics. You're not likely to overdose if you read the instructions ! Hospitals give out far too many medications that don't get used and its a complete waste of money, money that could be spent on patient care. Congratulations on your new arrival and I hope you feel better soon .

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FirstTimeForEverything · 04/12/2012 14:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Honsandrevels · 04/12/2012 14:16

I've had two sections and was sent home with nothing. I can't take ibruprofen or related medicines either so just paracetomol and codine bought over the counter for me. Agony.

I was in so much pain the day after my second c section that I told dh I must have been sewn up wrong. I really thought my bladder was attached to my womb.

It is barbaric compared to pain relief given for similar surgery.

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theonewiththenoisychild · 04/12/2012 14:19

Thats awful i was given tramadol to take home after my first cs and dyhydracodeine after the second cs
sorry if thats not spelt correctly. You cant buy strong painkillers over the counter. Poor you

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noblegiraffe · 04/12/2012 14:51

I was given some voltarol to take home, but had to buy my own paracetamol.

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OwlLady · 04/12/2012 14:54

you need diclofenic and co-codamol ime. Have you rang your gp?

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OwlLady · 04/12/2012 14:56

I do think c-sections are underestimated too compared to other similar surgery. You are expected to just get on with it. I remember when i had my third I had to do the school run on day 3 Confused and I felt frightened someone would bump into me and knock me over

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rainrainandmorerain · 04/12/2012 18:37

Well, buying them is one thing - arguably all patients could pay for their own analgesia after any op, I fail utterly to see why women who have given birth should be uniquely denied -

but YOU ARE LIKELY TO NEED PAINKILLERS WHICH ARE STRONGER THAN OTC PAINKILLERS AFTER A CS.

You cannot buy the co-codamol and diclofenac I had from any high street chemist. It HAS to be prescribed and dispensed.

op - write a letter of complaint, at the very least.

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rainrainandmorerain · 04/12/2012 18:38

ps I was going to say, contact the press if you feel up to it - interesting your mw has suggested the same.

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TaggieCrimbleBlack · 04/12/2012 18:39

We do diclofenac and/or codeine but not paracetamol. It only costs 16p a pack OTC and the NHS is too skint to dish it out.

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Nordicmom · 04/12/2012 18:44

I had c- section almost 8 y ago on NHS and I got a bag of medicines including codeine which I took for the first week . I was in a lot of pain could hardly move the first week . Had to sleep sitting up first since I had trouble getting out of bed. I did stop the strong painkillers after the week though for the fear of getting used to them. After that copious amounts of ibuprofen an paracetamol. In the hospital I had several morfine shots ... I can't believe they sent you hom with nothing !

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diyqueen · 04/12/2012 21:20

I had a cs a year and a half ago and also wasn't given any painkillers to take home - we stopped at sainsburys on the way home but that was a bit optimistic, nearly fainted. It would be good to know beforehand so you could at least stock up in advance - next time I certainly will just in case. After my Cs I found the care for the first day great, but after that awful - on day 2 was in more pain as the morphine wore off but was still expected to hobble the length of the ward to pick up my food and get water from the machine.

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TeaJunky · 05/12/2012 01:15

Sorry to hear about everyones bad experiences.

Please keep adding ladies - and if there are any particular incidences at st Mary's in Manchester, please do say.

OP posts:
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PerryCombover · 05/12/2012 01:22

I was given codeine with the first and nothing with the other two. I stayed 2 nights post birth so perhaps they felt there was no need.
There was a need

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ripsishere · 05/12/2012 01:26

I had my DD in a land far away. I had, IIRC two paracetamol after she was born and that was that. I didn't even get the offer of anything else. The ELCS I had was frowned upon.
IMO, it is a bit harsh to go to the press. I would suggest to the unit that they advise people of their non dispensing policy before the surgery. That way you can buy what you need before.

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TeaJunky · 05/12/2012 01:28

Perry, how did you manage your pain?

Did you go out and buy some pain relief, and was it effective? Do you think it spoilt the entire experience of your labour and birth?
I strongly feel that it has for me. DH went to pharmacy to find codeine phosphate and they said prescription only. Waited all
Day for gp to call about it and rang on twice but received nothing. Sad

OP posts:
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PerryCombover · 05/12/2012 01:31

My first two c/s were fine really tbh. I was very very lucky.

The third was dreadful as I had a huge amount of adhesions to wade through and tubal ligation carried out at the same time.
Analgesia that I was written up for was simply not enough after the epidural wore off. The nurses couldn't do anything without a doctor's sign off. Only one doctor on apparently....
When he arrived he said, "oh yes..it says here a lot of adhesions, you will be tender, did no one tell you that?" Me..."Er, no"
Me "please ensure I am written up for more pain meds that I could possibly need, I'd rather not be placed in this situation again"
Him,"we'll you have just had major surgery"

Me,"grrrrrrrrrrrrr"

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PerryCombover · 05/12/2012 01:35

I had dihydrocodeine 30 mg at home as I had had an abscessed wisdom tooth previously.
I took those. I have no idea what I would have done otherwise.
I wouldn't have coped ( I'm not that wimpy btw)

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bissydissy · 05/12/2012 02:09

I got sent home with a huge bag of codeine and diclofenic - more than half ended up being disposed of in the end.

BUT!

Immediately after surgery I was prescribed only paracetamol and was pretty much made to feel like some kind of junkie for crying for better pain relief.

This was a mistake not penny pinching but surely one of the nurses should have said 'this is a mistake - wel'll bleep a dr to change it.'. Surely if you are a nurse in the recovery bit in a maternity ward you'd realise this. But reading this thread maybe not.

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abrotherfor · 05/12/2012 02:20

I agree that caesareans are not seen in the same way as other surgery, I'm not sure if it's because you're (generally) awake or because it's a birth or what but the surgery seems to be incidental. Women can be guilty of that as well as HCPs.

I was in hospital for a long time with mine because they were premature and I remember at one point being told I could have oramorph OR paracetamol - bearing in mind that oramorph lasts half an hour and paracetamol lasts 4 hours. So I was taking the lower option for hopefully longer relief. My last birth which was a VBAC I had my normally prescribed co-dydramol stopped because the MW told he doctor I didn't need it and wouldn't let me see a doctor to discuss it! I've been on it for three years at that point!

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