Relative convinced they had an operation standing up

[CatOnAMushroom]

An elderly relative was recently in hospital with an infected gallbladder and developed sepsis so was very unwell and confused. They are now home and are absolutely convinced that when they had drain inserted into their gall bladder that they were made to stand up for this procedure and are quite unhappy that they were made to do this.

I'm very doubtful of this for obvious reasons and that they were hardly able to stand up at the time!

Can any health care professionals shed any light on this please? I don't especially want to contact the ward/hospital and create extra work for anyone on answering this

I work on a surgical ward and a lot of our patients go and have this procedure done. I've not observed it being done myself, but no one has ever come back saying they were made to stand up! They may have needed to stand to transfer onto a different bed/trolley maybe but I can't imagine the drain would be inserted standing up. A bit of sepsis related confusion in an unfamiliar environment maybe? I hope your relative is feeling a bit better now.

I'd assume confusion, either from the sepsis or pain killers. My Dad had all sorts of amusing visions when he was high on morphine after a major operation that he was absolutely convinced were real. All absolutely crazy though, talking rabbits and flying baths type things.

Might be worth contacting the ward though, not in a 'this must have happened' way but in a 'relative seems confused, how's the best way to deal with ut'.

Most likely confusion caused by delirium. My FIL was really unwell with a urine infection, he was convinced the nurses were trying to kill him, and he’d done a ten hour shift in the boiler room. He came out with all kinds of weird stuff.

Thanks for the replies. I think it's confusion/delirium related also but relative is utterly convinced and will not be told otherwise. I'd ignore it but they continue to be outraged at their treatment!

Relative passed a cognitive test in hospital so is apparently completely normal 🙄GP appointment is booked as other things are not right either

They may well be cognitively normal now but weren't then due to delirium - some people have a hard time realising their memory is not reliable.

When my mum had anaphylaxis on top of sepsis she was convinced the team resuscitating her were having a party and eating Irish stew.

Helpfully the detail was so outlandish, the following day she could see it was bonkers. However she still has the memory that it exactly happened.

I think the problem at the moment is that relative doesn't think that this is a ridiculous memory. They are adamant that they are correct

Could it be that he had a stent/ drain inserted by interventional radiology in the radiol dept sitting up? If so that's quite normal under US or CT guidance.
I mean they would have gone if appropriately why would you doubt the clinician per se?

I wouldn’t argue with your relative. It may well be confusion or maybe it did happen although sounds very odd and unlikely but either way if they are adamant it’s only going to cause distress every time you try to say it didn’t happen.

My Nan was convinced that the floor in the middle of the hospital ward opened up at night, and there was all sorts going on down there. I found it best to just nod and smile, she got stroppy if I questioned her "reality".

Thank you. That's interesting about it being done sitting up and yes I think it was done in interventions radiology

I'm not quite sure what you mean by your second sentence

My mum had a hip operation and she was talking about things like that, and other things that were much much worse, like being poisoned by visitors on the ward. I realised pretty quickly that there was no point in arguing with her. It was a really deep memory in a way, and it would just upset her to argue the toss. I would just say something like that must have been very distressing for you. If your relative is anything like my mum, then after a while they'll have no memory of it anyway!

She might also have had a spinal block, which is done sitting up on a very high bed?

Sorry last bit was supposed to be
They would have done it appropriately why would you doubt the clinician per se?
Some procedures are done sitting up.

I got malaria when in Africa in my 20s. I was seriously ill but was able to get back to Europe where I was taken into hospital and given Quinine (I think). Had awful hallucinations whatever they gave me.
I hallucinated that a giant mosquito came and flew off with my baby. It was so real and horrible at the time and still remember vividly. 😒

I have no doubt that the procedure was done appropriately. Relative does

Thank you. Yes I think I need to take this approach

my friend has just had gastric sleeve operation and she was standing upright on a table obviously strapped on - apparently this helps the surgeons
from having to bend over all the time and reduces neck and shoulder problems

lh

Could it have been a tipping table they were on? My chiropractor has one, you stand, back against it and it slowly tips backwards and vile versa when it’s time for me to get up.
More likely to be confusion though. In hospital I was next to an elderly lady who kept shouting she was falling from the bed. She was tiny and both sides were up, no way she could fall but she was convinced for several hours.

It's probably the drugs/sepsis. I was convinced I was in prison rather than hospital when I had sepsis and I kept phoning dh in the middle of the night to remind him to put the bins out!