Dd upset following operation about post op care in hospital

[DanielaDressen]

Dd is an adult, had surgery under GA recently and rang me hysterical when back on the ward begging me to come. I got there quickly and she was saying the staff had been awful to her, managed to calm her down a bit and she is back home now.

she says the nurse in recovery was nice to her and then the ward nurse and a “porter” came to collect her. Dd says she remembers the ward nurse arguing with the recovery nurse saying she didn’t think Dd should leave recovery yet as sleepy but the recovery nurse said she was fine. So then she was getting pushed back to the ward and when arriving on the ward she was trying to sleep and they wouldn’t let her. Dd says the porter shook her by her head telling her to wake up, Dd started crying and the nurse was shouting at her saying she didn’t understand why Dd was crying.

i have tried to tell Dd that maybe they were worried about her being too sleepy and may have been doing their best to wake her up. Dd has been raped before and this thing about having a man clamp his hands on her head is now giving her flashbacks and she has been crying on and off since yesterday. Dd says there must be better ways of waking someone up rather than shaking their head. She is also hypermobile and says the head shaking was really rough and could have damaged her…..I’m gently trying to say yes but it hasn’t. Is this head shaking normal practice?

Porter's shouldn't be providing any clinical care-though I can't imagine any scenario where a head shake could be considered care.

I would raise a formal complaint and that should start the complaints process.

I only have DD’s opinion he was a porter, he certainly wasn’t a nurse on the ward. I saw him bringing other people back to the ward, he could possibly have been an operating department practitioner I guess.

Thank you. I’m Hoping she gets a text survey soon and she can put some comments there. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble but it has really upset her.

I’d advise contacting PALS. That’s what they’re there for.

being under GA can be a horribly vulnerable experience so it’s worth your daughter being ‘heard’ about this experience.

I’d second contacting PALS.

Unlikely to have been an ODP. In the hospital I work at we always get orderlies to take patients back to the ward, but a recovery nurse would go along too.

That's not good enough and as her parent you should be in her corner, not making excuses.

Complain to PALS. She was vulnerable, has a traumatic history and was treated in a totally inappropriate and unacceptable way. People should be in trouble for that.

This report immediately in writing now. They will investigate.

do bear in mind that anaesthetic can make you feel very emotional/confused afterwards. Your recall may be impaired. I know that I was in a half lucid state for a while after I had my last anaesthesia and I remember my mother being totally discombobulated.

https://youtube.com/shorts/tCIbrc4RPFs?si=TbFlrQq7zXQ7VmrW

I think I also saw a video on Instagram where a woman was convinced that the staff had taken her legs and arms off (they hadn’t). Not sure I would be there with a video camera filming relative in that state, but hey.

I agree.

OP must know that this isn’t acceptable. If it’s upset her that much you should have made a complaint !

Hi NHS director here. Call complaints department first thing in morning so they can investigate. It's important to do this asap so everyone's memory is fresh. It sounds like there was a lot going on and with your daughter having been under anaesthetic things are hazy.

I've seen people in floods of tears after a general anaesthetic. So I'm guessing it's normal for some people. I get ravenous hungry post anaesthetic. I mean hungry to the point where, if I wasn't in a public place, I'd be using my hands to stuff food into my mouth. Really, my reaction is way over the top.

I think I'd give it a couple of days back home before you/she complains. Your daughters reaction may have been as a result of the anaesthetic, or it could be that she was treated badly. Your daughter may be more able to distinguish between the two after some TLC.

It's impossible to know the situation if you weren't there unfortunately. My DD was incandescent when she came round from her GA and was shouting at all staff to go away saying they were being horrible to her. They weren't. She was confused, in pain and overwhelmed. It took me a good half hour to calm her down.

I think they do use quite loud firm voices sometimes in recovery to encourage you to wake up. I've experienced this myself and you just wish they'd leave you in peace.

If the porter put a hand on your DD's head at all it's entirely unacceptable but you can't be sure this is what happened unless you can speak to the nurse who was looking after her at the time.

Not trying to minimise your daughters experience but do you think there's a chance that due to her trauma and the effects of the anaesthetic she may have imagined being bullied ??

A good friend of mine had a horrific experience after an op and was absolutely convinced staff were chasing her down, tying her up and allsorts. None of which happened. Buy to her it was very real.

Is there a chance she’s remembering incorrectly because of the anaesthetic?

As well as a complaint, it might be prudent to request a copy of her records. If there was any concern about her fitness for transfer, it should be documented.

Agree that post op you can have all kinds of hallucinations. When mum had an operation I was rung and asked to come on the ward as she was upset. She thought ether cast of CSI Vegas were with her. My husband returned from his operation and told me he had been playing basketball in the Olympics. Morphine is a strange drug.

I think other posters are correct: a combo of trauma and post-anaesthesia has probably combined here. I felt quite teary and weird for a couple of days after an operation and was really distressed for a while when I came round, my memory of it is really disorienting and stressful. I would be gently sympathetic and support her if she wants to speak to someone about her post-op care but I wouldn't 'indulge' it (feels the wrong word but you know what I mean) too much.

Honestly I passed out under a spinal block and was convinced they were shaking the table I was on the anesthesiologist assured me that they hadn't been (I was being rattled a bit it was hard work getting the placenta out) but I was disorientated enough so it was exaggerated in my mind

No excuse for shaking her head though that's just odd behaviour

As a surgeon I cannot imagine a scenario where a patient is shook by the head by a porter after surgery and I cannot imagine a scenario where a hcp wouldn't put a datix in about it if it did happen which is extremely unlikely

I remember being shaken awake several times post anaesthetic. They needed me to be awake and I kept falling back to sleep. So they kept shaking me awake and shouting that I needed to wake up.
I think sometimes anaesthesia makes you misremember things too and can make you feel upset etc

Genuinely asking a question here - was she given morphine? I only ask as some drugs can seriously alter mental state and give hallucinations.

I was going to say something similar.
I’m not saying that she’s lying but that maybe her perception events may not be terribly reliable.
You can contact PALs and see what happens.
Personally I’d be concentrating my efforts on supporting her to recover and feel better.

I would reassure her as much as you can . But seems unfair to make accusations based on this . I am sorry that she was previously raped but unless that is on her medical records how could anyone possibly know that .