To think people are being discharged from hospital too soon

[elliejjtiny]

I know hospitals are not the best places to rest and recover but my son is due to have a major 3 hour operation soon and we have just found out it's going to be day surgery. It's an operation we knew he would need at some point when he was born and we've always known it would involve an overnight stay in hospital. It's the 3rd operation in a set of 3 so we have seen other children having the third operation when ds had his first and second. Ds and most of the other children having these operations spend the first night either crying or asleep, drugged up on morphine and tramadol and with a drip in because drinking is too painful. How can this be day surgery?

In the early 1990's I had my tonsils out and was in hospital for 4 days. I think that was overkill and it's appropriate that this is now day surgery but I think we have gone too far in the other direction. Last time my son had an operation (last year) he was discharged still half asleep and vomiting. I had to borrow a wheelchair to get him into the car. Then I ended up staying up all night with him because I was worried he would vomit and choke in his sleep.

I know most of the time it saves money and probably helps the waiting list (and we need that as ds has been on the waiting list for 2y 3m) but it just doesn't feel right or safe to me.

I've posted in your other thread. If you don't want to go home that day. Just say no. ABG's are a bit easier as the children are older and can understand the need to eat and drink. Speak to your cleft nurse about your concerns. They will give the ward a heads up that you want to stay. And we would book the bed accordingly. We always book ABG's as an overnight stay. As many kids aren't well enough to go home.

I too had my tonsils out in the 90s. I was not in hospital for four days but it was very painful and the recovery was horrendous. My friend’s daughter had her tonsils out recently and it was a completely different experience. They do the surgery differently now and it is not as destructive. She had some pain for a day, but the difference was remarkable.

Maybe they are using new procedures for your son that do not require a long
inpatient stay. Try not to worry too much and make decisions at the time. good luck.

Bed Manager myself in this area and if you don't want to go you absolutely can refuse. Will make it harder for staff to sort out an extra person for the night but as a parent (and indeed an adult patient myself for a day case) I would opt to stay too.

I don't want to be 'that' poster but can I ask please @elliejjtiny what the hospital has said to your request for your son to stay longer?

Thank you everyone. @Toddlerteaplease that's good that we have the choice to stay. I've phoned the cleft team and one of the cleft nurses is going to call me back. We are 90 minutes away from the hospital so not as far as some but still quite a long way when you have a child who tends to vomit a lot after an anaesthetic. That's a good point about him being able to understand more about eating and drinking now he is older.

@CreatingChaos I didn't think the pain was that bad after I had my tonsils out but then I was used to getting tonsilitus all the time then. I remember refusing all pain relief because it was that dissolving fizzy tablets that tasted awful. The nurses kept asking me if I was sure I didn't want anything but the pain wasn't that bad and I didn't think it was worth it.

@tigerinthejungle Thank you. I will talk to the nurse in advance about wanting to stay the night so they know beforehand.

@JacquesHarlow I am waiting to hear back from the hospital but I will definitely let you know what they say about staying longer.

@elliejjtiny didn't they offer you calpol?!!

Speaking generally, replying to your post, YABU. Hospitals are noisy, checks are constantly being done all through the night. The risk of catching an infection is greater. The food is typically awful and doesn't help recovery.

Obviously, you are posting about a specific case which could be entirely different.

I think it would be different for me if it was about a child. But I have had two surgeries in the last 10 years where I begged to go home as soon as possible so I could be quiet, calm and away from possible infection.

@Toddlerteaplease nope. This was 1993 though so things were a lot different then.

To be honest if it was me who was the patient I would be wanting to leave asap but because I will be doing the caring I am worried I won't be able to look after him on my own without help from the nurses and the good painkillers etc.

YANBU
I've just had major surgery and was unexpectedly discharged two days before I expected
No follow up
No help at home
Nothing
I was barely able to stand, needed a wheelchair to get even to the toilet and yet fit for discharge
I then had an awful time trying to get the GP to look at my wound because I was technically still under the hospital system
Awful

YANBU... I was discharged less than 48hrs after a C-Section and I was in no fit state mentally or physically to go home... but saying that, it was the lesser of two evils in the end as the postnatal ward was horrific, short staffed and unsafe. My GP was left to pick up the pieces...

Me too,I was discharged less than 48 hours after a c-section.I didn't have any help of the nurses for anything,I was told i would be assisted to the shower to see if I was steady on my feet....I was just told go ahead when I tried to walk there.Upon being discharged a nurse came up with two boxes of blood thinning injections for me to do at home.No idea what to do as I hadn't been shown.I had to watch a YouTube video when I got home.Over hearing the midwifes talking,they are definitely low on beds.One of the midwife was saying home births are much better for the hospitals now,to free up the beds

...and at the other end of the age spectrum, getting our elderly relatives out of hospital seems almost impossible, even when there seemes to be no consistent treatment or set of tests being undertaken and when they could be cared for at home (including palliative care).

@elliejjtiny you'll be fine. We don't routinely send them home with morphine unless they are still needing it. They usually only have a couple of doses anyway. They bounce back quickly.

Make sure you stock up on lots of soft food. And a baby tooth brush.

Are you telling the doctors that he vomits after anesthesia? They can and should be giving him something before surgery to avoid that.

YANBU My mum recently had a mastectomy and was told she would go home the same day! Luckily she was the last one down to theatre so they had to keep her in. She was kicked out the next day with no aftercare, no drain, no follow ups, nothing. No one checked her wound. Oh and she’s 76 and lives on her own.

To many day surgery sometimes, it used to be eat, drink, o at, wee, get out of b3d, wounds checked, pain controlled, now you're out after a few hours still recovering from surgery, anathema and morphine with no letter to take home, no follow up, just the advice to ring the non existent gp if you have any questions

Anaesthetic not anathema

I've refused when they tried to discharge me around 12hrs after a c-section with a baby that I told them was not feeding right (tongue tie)

I agree ..my husband was in ICU for 4 days and less than 24 hours after being moved to a ward he was discharged, it was ludicrous, he wasnt well and I wish I'd put my foot down. He ended up being readmitted just a couple of days later.

That's terrible 😞

Every procedure is like that now though my dad had cataract eye surgery back in the day and was kept in for 2 nights I had it last year I was out of hospital after 45 mins and that was at a hospital 145 miles from home where they send everyone now. My 80 yr old mum had a gynae procedure done last year that they used to knock you out for, then it got reduced to sedation, now it’s a local anaesthetic and brace yourself very distressing for her. Twice in the last 5 yrs I had major surgeries both times I was supposed to be getting sent home next day as that was the standard, both times I ended up staying for 4 days for medical reasons goodness knows how I would have coped if I was sent home the next day. I’m not opposed to a quick release from hospital, I left 6 hrs after the birth of my youngest child for example but this mad conveyor belt of rushing people out regardless is a bit concerning.

I totally agree with you.

We had a failed discharge with my then 87 year old Dad following a severe pneumonia during lockdown 2. He was in hospital for a couple of weeks, but was still sent home too weak to stand up, let alone walk, eat, drink, get himself to the toilet or do any personal care. He was supposed to be discharged to an assessment bed but apparently none were available so they just sent him home without a sufficient care package.

Disaster. He got much worse during that two or three days at home, was very distressed (as were the rest of us as we couldn't cope). He had to be readmitted, though this time to a different hospital. He never returned home again.

Try to insist on staying if you don't feel comfortable that you will be able to care for your DS at home for those first nights.

I'll wish you all the very best.

I was discharged 20 hours post emergency c section lol 24 hours when I had other major abdominal surgery too. Luckily I was fine with it both times and more than happy to go home.