Thick or just entitled?

[Booboostwo]

DD had an operation on Thursday (it went really well, she’s fine). Patients and families were checked into a large room with toys/books/activities where children were prepped and then waited for their turn to go to surgery. Waiting times could be a bit long but that’s unavoidable.

The children were all nil by mouth as you’d expect and there were signs everywhere telling you why food and drink were not allowed in the room - parents and carers could leave the room and return as they wished. We were also given and asked to read a printed out sign that repeated the no food/drinks policy.

On the wall there was a suggestions/comments board where someone had complained about the lack of complimentary food and drinks! WTF?! Are people really thick or really entitled? Can’t decide which one!

Were they maybe talking about food and drink for the children after their surgery? When DD was a day case she had to eat and drink without vomiting before could go home. I was in hospital once with DS too when he was a baby and policy was that parents don't get fed unless they're breastfeeding, in which case they would get fed. I fell into this category but often there would be nothing left on the dinner trolley by the time all the kids had been fed or the person running the dinner trolley wouldn't realise I was breastfeeding so wouldn't offer me anything. I didn't mind anyway because a walk down to the canteen was an excuse to take a break from the ward and a change of scenery but the feedback could relate to something like that.

Or they could just be a bit thick. The post-op instructions for DD had "nil by mouth from 2am" and then in bold "this includes milk, water, energy drinks, and lollipops". It's so oddly specific that it made me wonder how many parents were confirming "oh yes, he's been nil by mouth since last night except for a shot of Red Bull and a Chuppa Chup, but they don't count".

*pre-op instructions

It’s a pre-op room, not post-op. The post-op ward was adjacent but with no access for parents/patients who were re-op.

In the post-op room children were offered food and drink and my DD, for example, had to eat and drink before being discharged.