Left hospital early, have I done the right thing?

[Franklymydearidontgiveadam]

Changed name for this but I've broke my ankle and waiting for the swelling to go down so they can op.

I was on the MAU unit and it was horrendous, I was on a temp bed, it was where my grandad passed in Feb, I got 0 sleep on the ward and I couldn't eat as the food was all dregs left from dinner service. Still currently allowed no visitors and after only 48hrs cabin fever set in.

They made it clear it annoyed the consultant but I couldn't face it. I'm due a call in the next day or so to discuss op but I'm anxious I won't get the call.

I just can't stop crying over what's happened. I just need to get a grip.

You have done it now - it will be ok and they will call you back. If not ring them - they cant just leave you needing an op.

They won’t be in a hurry to get you back in now that you have left. If you had stayed, they would have cracked on with surgery in order to free up a bed.
Sometimes you just need your big girl pants.

Any update op? Hope you are feeling better

Sounds horrible, but ultimately the person you’ve hurt the most by leaving is yourself. Like a PP says it unfortunately won’t be as pressing to them now to get on with the op, as you’re not physically there.

While I can understand that ‘just want to get out of here’ feeling, you’ve really only shot yourself in the foot here. It’ll hold up the whole process and you risk doing more damage to yourself in the meantime.

No, you have not done the right thing. You need to go back or it won't be done any time soon...

I yes you’ve done the right thing.
Hospitals are the worst place for getting infections.
If you can manage at home, without too much pain and can keep your mental health intact then you did right to go home.
It frees up medical staffs time to see to other more dependent patients and not wasting tax payers money on someone who can look after themselves at home.

I’m surprised you are getting so much flack , I thought people would be delighted that you are offering to save the nhs

I'm awaiting a call off the fracture nurse today with a view to have the surgery tomorrow. So it's just a wee waiting game now xx

That's great. Wishing you well. Get your house organised now for the next six weeks. Do very little(nothing preferably) for the first two weeks. Have you people around to help? I am glad all resolved re operation. Take care. I am about seven weeks ahead of you on the broken ankle journeyx

I am surprised you got so much negativity when you obviously needed a hand hold/reassurance. Hope all goes well for you xx

At my old hospital, (I’m retired) if a fracture site was too swollen to operate, we automatically sent the patient home and reviewed them at the fracture clinic after a few days to book them onto the trauma list. We didn’t have the luxury of surplus beds for patients to wait in until their swelling subsided!
You have done nothing wrong or even unusual, OP. Freeing a bed and reducing your own infection risk were perfectly sensible.

SoosanCarter where do you get that information from? Why would they delay?

I ask as I’ve done what the OP has done and it did not delay anything. I had no sense it was the wrong thing to do.

All aspects if the health service now is a nightmare and I would have done the same thing

I agree (as a foot and ankle surgeon) with @SoosanCarter

pre-covid it was neither here nor there, provided the person was sensible and could rest the leg.

Since covid, you get a PCR on admission, which is valid for a week, giving a decent opportunity to get the surgery done. If you go home, you need to come to clinic, get a PCR, which is only valid for 72 hours, hope that a bed and theatre slot becomes available in that time frame, then have your operation, if anything urgent happens that jumps the queue or no bed becomes available, you have to start that PCR, isolate, plan process again - a much, much higher chance of being detrimentally delayed.

That makes a lot of sense, of course. I hadn’t considered COVID testing.

Well thanks @FixTheBone

I've gone back to a hyperventilating wreck

Well you did ask OP

In our theatres, the vast majority of patients with ankle fractures come in from home because they're usually young, fit, and well. We also wouldn't not operate if they had an out of date covid test, as it's classed as emergency surgery. It would just change where you were recovered post op.

@Babdoc

At my old hospital, (I’m retired) if a fracture site was too swollen to operate, we automatically sent the patient home and reviewed them at the fracture clinic after a few days to book them onto the trauma list. We didn’t have the luxury of surplus beds for patients to wait in until their swelling subsided! You have done nothing wrong or even unusual, OP. Freeing a bed and reducing your own infection risk were perfectly sensible.

This has been the case in the US for a long time now, too. Frees up the bed, less chance of picking up infections. Friend did his tib fib and it was so swollen. He went home with a big boot and a nurse came to his home to give him anti-inflammatory injections and then he had the OP 48 hours later. His leg! It got huge! I'm not a big sweller myself but that stunning.

My friend broke a bone a few weeks back. She explained to the hospital that she was a single parent and couldn't stay in for days to wait for surgery. They let her home and she had her surgery within the week. They understood her situation completely. Not everyone has the ability to lie in a hospital ward to wait for surgery. I hope they get you done soon!

Also, if your ankle remains too swollen to operate, they can't take up a bed for that long to wait for it to go down. There's far too many other people (those who are not young, fit, and well) who need those beds more than you do.

I get why you’ve done it as I nearly did the same thing a few weeks ago. I had had no sleep as I was placed on a ward with 3 dementia patients screaming all night, the food was crap and I just hate hospitals. I packed my stuff and was ready to leave . Luckily the consultants talked me down as I needed an urgent scan the next day. I got a sleeping pill thankfully and the next morning I was moved to a private room. Be careful with the new rules as currently you have to be invited in for a covid test then isolate for 48 hours prior to operations. So I don’t think they’ll do it tomorrow or if they did I’ll be very surprised. You’ve done it now but I understand why you did it.

Well I am isolating.

I'm.stuck at home.

My mum was sent home to await surgery after her fracture.