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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to use the baby monitor on DP

48 replies

Steffanoid · 16/02/2014 19:24

DP has his wisdom tooth out under general anaesthetic on tuesday. When we get home WIBU to put him to bed and put the baby monitor on cause the info we have says he's not supposed to sleep alone and im supervising him or do I literally have to sit next to him bored all day?

OP posts:
Trooperslane · 16/02/2014 19:28

YWNBU

Topseyt · 16/02/2014 19:30

I wouldn't sit and monitor him. It isn't an intensive care job.

Is he a man-flu type?

sykadelic15 · 16/02/2014 19:50

So basically you're wondering if it's okay to not personally monitor someone who is at risk of death (however small the risk, it is there) due to complications of the general anaesthetic because you'd be bored?

There's a reason you're being asked to monitor him. Suck it up for a couple of hours.

CrohnicallyFarting · 16/02/2014 20:00

Don't you have a sofa that he could sleep on? Or a reclining chair? Then he can sleep and you can get on with whatever while keeping one eye/ear on him.

Original poster
Steffanoid · 16/02/2014 20:11

He's not a man flu type at all, syk what about things like getting lunch and going to the bathroom?
im asking because I honestly don't know what attention he would need post op.
neither of us have had or experienced anyone under general anaesthetic, if its that dangerous why will they let him walk out 20 minutes after the procedure rather than him be an in patient?

OP posts:
parakeet · 16/02/2014 20:26

Ask the anaesthetist. They will have a chat with your beforehand.

Bit more reliable than "strangers on the internet".

AncientPigeon · 16/02/2014 21:02

Are you sure its a general anaesthetic and not sedation? They would keep you in for a few hours if it was a general.

AskBasil · 16/02/2014 21:06

Come off it Sky, d'you think a nurse would be sitting by his bedside if he were kept in hospital?

You don't have to be bored though Steffanoid. Take a big book, a Sudoku puzzle book and a laptop for mumsnetting and facebooking and you can look on it as an excuse to do nothing for a few hours.

SomethingOnce · 16/02/2014 21:08

I'd be making up a tray of yummy things, firing up iPlayer and joining him in bed.

Original poster
Steffanoid · 16/02/2014 21:12

I cant do nothing, theres hoovering and clothes washing and washing up and clotges to put away while im baby free for a day

OP posts:
FudgefaceMcZ · 16/02/2014 21:13

They don't actually mean constant supervision! They mean check on him now and then and don't e.g. leave him alone in the house with a baby/the gas on. I've had a general anaesthetic as an adult and certainly no one sat beside me while I slept, though I was not allowed to get the bus home from hospital alone.

Original poster
Steffanoid · 16/02/2014 21:14

makes me itch if I dont clean everyday, ive got depression/anxiety and cleaning calms me down when im 'twitchy'

OP posts:
LucyBabs · 16/02/2014 21:17

Have him camp out on the sofa. You can leave his side to use the loo or make food for yourself Smile

Exdp had all four removed, the smell of blood from his mouth was horrendous like rotting meat.
Perfectly normal apparently. I didn't sit near him for long, I supervised from the kitchen Smile

Original poster
Steffanoid · 16/02/2014 21:21

maybe I can put him in the playpen haha!
(please note I really won't do this, he's too big to fit)

im hoping not to freak out too much on the day, parking him kn the sofa with netflix sounds like a better idea than bed.

OP posts:
VenusStarr · 16/02/2014 21:24

I had general anesthetic to remove my wisdom teeth, had the op at 9 and my sister was called to collect me at 12. I then dozed on her sofa in the afternoon and stayed at home on my own, my mom came over the next day. I honestly just wanted to sleep and do nothing. I'm sure it will be fine to leave him in bed / sofa and check on him every so often, or use the monitor :)

Pigletin · 16/02/2014 21:36

Syk...risk of death? Seriously? If he was at a risk of death they wouldn't have let him out of the hospital.

AskBasil · 16/02/2014 21:55

LOL at the reason to not go in the playpen is because he can't fit.

RunRunRuby · 16/02/2014 22:04

Ask every time I've had a general anaesthetic, I think it was six times last year, I've been supervised by a nurse until I'm ready to go home. There's one nurse per patient. They really do just sit next to the bed on a seat keeping an eye on the machines, offering drinks, adjusting pillows etc. but that's for the higher risk time, before you're allowed home.

But OP I've never been told I need complete supervision after a general anaesthetic. Is that exactly what they said? Normally I go home, rest on the sofa, snooze on and off. My parents don't supervise me as such but will check on me every so often and bring me food or drinks if I need them.

You're not allowed to use a kettle or any cooking equipment, machinery, sign legal documents etc. for 24 hours afterwards but apart from that it's usually fine. To be honest, even a monitor is likely to be overkill unless he is at particularly high risk.

Original poster
Steffanoid · 16/02/2014 22:10

this is the info sheet thing,, says about no public transport, no cheque signing, no driving for 24 hours and then it says you must be looked after by a responsible adult for the remainder of the day you must not be left alone overnight.

oh and you must not wear nail varnish must remember to tell dp that one

OP posts:
Rosa · 16/02/2014 22:17

Let dh decide where he wants to park himself in bed or the sofa. Then just do your cleaning and check on him regularly . Maybe sit and have a coffee in the same room . When I had mine out under GA I was overnighted and no nurse sat with me . They might have come and checked on me but i don't know. God the mouth washes were foul . If you are unsure then ask at the hospital when you go in.

NothingMoreScaryThanAHairyMary · 16/02/2014 22:31

I think the monitor is overkill, if you check on him every 30 mins or so it would be fine ( even that is loose as the riskiest period would be when he is immediately post op.)

Do n't worry too much they won't let him home till he is fit.

dinodino27 · 16/02/2014 22:33

Omg - just reminded me of an awful incident. When dd was born i was inundated with visitors. she was only a few days old and I was seriously sleep deprived and not thinking (i'd had a c - section and blood transfusion). Anyway midwife came round and i took her upstairs with baby - whilst dh , parents in law and his auntie and uncle were downstairs. Midwife asked how i was getting on and I launched into a RANT about visitors all heard perfectly downstairs via the baby monitor. A terrible time!

AlpacaPicnic · 16/02/2014 22:37

Sorry for slight hijack but...

No nail varnish? Why on earth not?

Silvercatowner · 16/02/2014 22:39

When it says 'must not be left alone' it means someone in the same house - someone in earshot, not someone staring at you for the night.

shouldnthavesaid · 16/02/2014 22:42

Goodness I've had a few anaesthetics for minor/major surgery and and never had monitoring as in someone at my bedside.

Last spinal I had I didn't even get my blood pressure checked after 1hr post theatre - they did it twice in recovery, and then straight to the ward where I had one more and that was me.. General wise I was just left to sleep it off, quick BP check after 1 hr or so and then home when I felt I could stand! Never had a nurse sitting bedside - even in recovery wards, there just aren't the staff to do that (have been wide awake in recovery twice and never 1:1 staff, more like 4:10)

Experience suggests unless you're very unwell, have existing conditions that could make you more likely to have a serious reaction or have had a very long op you're just left to rest once on the ward - even on uro/renal cancer unit, a lass who had major renal surgery (kidney tumour) wasn't constantly supervised as she was deemed fit enough for placement on the ward as opposed to HDU. Nurses checked her every so often but she mainly slept it off.

I would just carry on as is normal -though not leaving the house - and pop your head round the door and check up every 30 mins or so.

That said I can understand as I have been known to sleep on floor when looking after my mum - it's reassuring I suppose. Baby monitor might help in that sense as you'll be able to 'carry on' whilst still feeling erasures but not stuck at his bedside.