Any surgeons about? Why wasn't I wearing knickers?

[ohwerehalfwaythere]

I had laparoscopic surgery for an ovarian cyst this morning. Went into surgery wearing disposable knickers but wasn't when I woke up. It's really bothering me. Can anyone shed any light what would have happened? I'm in England. Thank you

Just sending a hug OP. Sounds very disconcerting if you weren’t expecting it.

When keyhole surgery is performed for a hysterectomy, once the uterus has been removed it comes out of the body via the vagina.

It could be that the size of the cyst in your case had to come out the same way. It wouldn't necessarily come out of the tiny incision made for the keyhole equipment

I had a procedure afew weeks ago,
Nurse who gave me hospital nightie told me to keep knickers on,
Then when i got into theatre, there were 6 or 7 different people, i was then told to take my knickers off, and had to pass them over , i would much preferred to take them off before

Anyway, Im sure its pretty standard OP

You would never be alone in the Operating Theatre with just one person. There will always be others around till you're back on the ward so nothing untoward could take place.

And the knickers come off because the whole area needs to be sterile so they need to be removed

I’ve found that people who go under GA for the first time often struggle with the knowledge that they were not “conscious” for a period of time. It can bring up a strong feeling of vulnerability and helplessness, which can lead to fear or anxiety. Anything could have happened, it sometimes feels like. Especially in people who don’t drink to excess or take recreational drugs. It’s a foreign and completely normal reaction, I think.

Try to work through these feelings, OP. Talk to your nurses if you can. You probably just need to know what happened to you when you were out.

@Rainbows89

Just sending a hug OP. Sounds very disconcerting if you weren’t expecting it.

Basically, the gas they used to inflate your abdomen for the scopes shifted to your shoulders while lying flat.

I make sure any patients I prep for surgery go in without undergarments (our OR will cut them off) and tell them that we get them up asap after surgery if being done via scope because the pain from the gas is worse than the surgical pain.

When a person has surgery, the area which is prepared / draped in sterile sheets / painted with antiseptic is very large. If you're having something done to your belly button area , for instance, they prep your skin from your nipples down to your pubic area. So the knickers have to come off . They don't just prep the little part which is being operated on, they have to be super careful to prep a much larger area to prevent any possibility of infection.

@Firesidefox

I had a big op last week and wasn't wearing pants when I came round. Didn't bother me for one second. They're only on at the start to make you feel better.

I don't see why you're so het up tbh.

Empathy is understanding other people’s feelings even when they’re not the same as your own. This situation especially isn’t a stretch to understand.

@Lanareyrey

They dispose of them after the procedure. It’s very normal? I think you are misinterpreting the situation.

She’s not misinterpreting anything, she’s just trying to understand what happened to her while she was unconscious and vulnerable. It’s very normal for people to feel disconcerted about this without suspecting Ill intent. You’ve misinterpreted something though - her, quite reasonable, post and what an appropriate response might be.

@BeenThruMoreThanALilBit

I’ve found that people who go under GA for the first time often struggle with the knowledge that they were not “conscious” for a period of time. It can bring up a strong feeling of vulnerability and helplessness, which can lead to fear or anxiety. Anything could have happened, it sometimes feels like. Especially in people who don’t drink to excess or take recreational drugs. It’s a foreign and completely normal reaction, I think.

Try to work through these feelings, OP. Talk to your nurses if you can. You probably just need to know what happened to you when you were out.

This makes a lot of sense.

If this kind of if this is surgery you're likely to have again, maybe explain you'd rather they out the passer underwear back on? That you feel you need to involve PALS potentially and feel this upset about it, maybe ask them to out another pair on when they are done? As others have said prepping the area usually involves removing them- they aren't sterile, and it's a daft leaving them in when you need to access that area. I'm sure you can ask for another pair to be put on in future if it's going to cause you this level of upset.

@ohwerehalfwaythere

I had laparoscopic surgery for an ovarian cyst this morning. Went into surgery wearing disposable knickers but wasn't when I woke up. It's really bothering me. Can anyone shed any light what would have happened? I'm in England. Thank you

Are you over 12 wks pregnant? If so they usually do a transvaginal scan at the same time to make sure the baby isn’t in distress

@LaBellina

Some appalling comments from some posters here, I can only hope they do not work in the medical field because they seem to have very little respect for the importance of patient dignity and consent.

OP, you’re absolutely right to be upset about this and although although I also think it’s unlikely something sinister has happened, they should have explained this could happen to you pre op. They should, frankly every woman I know would feel uncomfortable about this sudden change and it would be potentially triggering for those with a history of sexual abuse.
I would want an explanation about this and I would report it to PALS, they need to be more mindful of explaining this properly to women.

What? You’d report this to PALS? Fgs the nhs is on its knees. I’ve had a few laps and major surgeries. It would never occur to me to report people for taking care of me. 🙄

@ohwerehalfwaythere. I had a back operation, just above the waistline. I had disposable knickers and on the day no one told me what would happen. But I did recall a nurse saying a few weeks before they might leave them on they might come off. TBH I think it was more about preserving my dignity on the way into the theatre more than anything because there was quite a bit of shifting around and the gown coming loose. I can understand you feeling taken aback if you were expecting to come out in them and that it might leave you wondering if something amiss had happened. Because I had had stuff done to my back before, I knew from previous procedures my knickers would be pulled down (although not necessarily off) so they could sterilise a much larger area than the actual area being operated on. I'm sure that the same happened to you. I hope with a good night it seems less worrying to you , but obviously if you remain concerned you should ask the surgeon at your follow up visit.
Regardless of how you decide to proceed, I hope the results of your laparoscopy are good and your problem can be sorted out.

I asked my nurse why I needed to remove my underwear given the procedure was on my foot and she said that some people's urinary sphincter releases when under GA. So they were probably just trying to save you wet knickers!
That's interesting. I didn't know that.
But typical NHS , there there dear, we know what we're doing just do as your told, attitude. I want to know everything as it greatly reduces any anxiety I have over whatever procedure I'm due and helps me feel more relaxed and in control - fortunately most is online nowadays.

There really are some utter, utter twats on this thread.

It’s OK to come to and, on realising you don’t have the underwear on that you were wearing previously, to feel disconcerted about that. It is actually Ok.

Yet another reminder as to why I would never start a thread of my own in here.

@LoveGrooveDanceParty

There really are some utter, utter twats on this thread.

It’s OK to come to and, on realising you don’t have the underwear on that you were wearing previously, to feel disconcerted about that. It is actually Ok.

Yet another reminder as to why I would never start a thread of my own in here.

Agree. I'm so surprised at these responses.

Agree. I'm so surprised at these responses

My surprise started with the opening post.

Perfectly reasonable and understandable how this can be disconcerting for you. The last thing you need is to be accused of casting aspersions when you went to sleep with knickers on and woke up without it's understandable why you might need answers. How crappy of people to minimise your feelings.

Just reading the last few threads glad I'm not the only one

I’m a surgeon. Hello halo has explained it well. Absolutely routine. We would routinely take knickers off for any abdominal / groin / upper thigh surgery. Patients go to theatre with knickers on for comfort but we take them off so that we can clean the whole area ( bigger than the surgical field) with disinfectant . Can’t just roll down as they would be ruined by the brown/ bright pink solution which stains, abs they would get wet when we clean the patient , removing blood etc afterwards
There is sometimes a need to put an ‘in/out catheter to drain the bladder and make more room to see pelvic organs. We also need to put in low ports to move organs around.
We don’t put the knickers back on. Apart from being awkward, and a bit grim if the knickers are dirty, patients often wet themselves/ desperately need a wee in recovery and it is easier.

What is interesting and valuable for me is that some posters are shocked that this wasn’t explained as part of the consent process . To be honest there are some really important things to talk about ( explaining the procedure, risks , benefits and aftercare ) that explaining that pants will be off seems a small matter and time can be limited when you are trying to see and consent several patients. We have to have seen and spoken to every patient on the list checked all their imaging and results ,before 8:15. I do always tell patients if I will put a catheter in.

I try to do as much of the consent process as possible in clinic but again appoint times limit things. Perhaps we become immune to this being an issue needing explaining. Be assured that having patients waking up clean and dry is out priority . Soaking Wet/ bloody/ iodine stained underwear would not be nice.

Sorry that this upset you op abs hope all is well with the cyst/ your pregancy

@Biscoffee

Agree. I'm so surprised at these responses

My surprise started with the opening post.

And yet here you still are.

I’d be very surprised if they did abdominal surgery on you without a catheter! Is it possible you are still fairly out of it from all the drugs you are on? When I had uterine surgery I was texting people and talking to visitors etc but was completely off my head and have no recollection of most of first two recovery days. Hope you feel better btw

Hi @ohwerehalfwaythere I had a laparpscopy a few years ago and had the same happen. Under anaesthetic everything relaxes and I had basically wet myself, it is easy to remove the paper pants as they just tear, trying to get them back on an unconscious person is nigh on impossible. I wasn't catheterised, not sure why, but it's likely they didn't use a catheter for you as being pregnant the risk of an infection is obviously more dangerous. I would suspect that your bladder emptied and that is why you didn't have the on.

I asked the nurse when I came round and she was able to tell me. I don't think thy explain it as they just assume people know that as muscles relax your bladder will too. In the same way they don't expressly tell you that you will shit the bed whilst giving birth.