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How strict are hospitals after sedation

159 replies

AutumnDance · 31/12/2021 23:51

I was given a date for a hospital procedure. It's a day procedure. I will need sedation for the procedure.

It's said that I need to have someone come to collect me.
How strict are the hospitals on this measure?

You see my partner will be working or at the rate that covid is flying about he will probably have covid and will need to isolate. I don't have anyone else to help me to meet me after my procedure and take me home.

With covid, I doubt they will request to see your lift stand that on the ward to pick you up. I reckon they will have to remain outside.

Would I be able to get the procedure done without a lift home? How strict are hospitals on this?

OP posts:
lunar1 · 01/01/2022 00:40

They wouldn't let DH use a taxi. I thought something awful had happened when the charge nurse rang me to come get him. She then made him sit and be observed till I got there, he wasn't even allowed to come meet me.

He's a consultant at the same hospital so I don't know if that made them more pedantic.

ShippingNews · 01/01/2022 00:41

@AutumnDance

Hopefully they will be able to offer the procedure to me without sedation.

I'm getting a colon scope.

I wouldn't consider having a colonoscopy without sedation. It's a very intrusive and uncomfortable procedure. That's why people have sedation. Honestly you'd be better off to delay it until you can be picked up.
AutumnDance · 01/01/2022 00:43

I have family at home but they don't drive so they won't be able to pick me up.

My issue is after the procedure.. I do t have anyone to help me.

I'm not nervous about the colonoscopy procedure. If they could give me the procedure without sedation but with pain relief and oxygen, I think I would prefer it that way.

OP posts:
alwaysscared · 01/01/2022 00:43

I had one without sedation because I hate the way sedation makes me feel. I just used breathing techniques through the painful bit. The nurses said I was very brave and even told everyone on the ward when I was taken back through 😂

AutumnDance · 01/01/2022 01:07

My appointment is in the afternoon for 2pm. I suspect it will take a while to bring me in and set me up.

My partner if he remains covid free will be finished work at about 8 or 9 pm at night. So that would be one option. Would that be too long to wait around after the procedure?

OP posts:
easyluckyfree · 01/01/2022 08:05

@AutumnDance

That's all crap.

I'm a fairly independent person I don't want anyone to accompany me into a hospital appointment and then come back in again.

I would be willing to organise a lift or a taxi to meet me at the door but that's it.

With respect, however independent you are, you will react to sedation like anyone else and struggle to get yourself home.

Immediately after “coming to” from the sedation for my endoscopy, I couldn’t type properly, couldn’t really talk properly to the nurses etc. it wears off quite quickly in the sense that I felt more alert but I still got wheeled out to my parents and don’t remember much of the car ride home. When I got back I fell asleep immediately.

I wouldn’t have really been ok in a taxi. I understand you might actually need to do that, which is fine, but don’t underestimate how the sedation can impact you.

Changemaname1 · 01/01/2022 08:10

Try find out the procedure at your specific hospital , you will absolutely need someone to pick you up yes but those saying about chaperones needing to come in etc has not been my experience so it may be different at different places

Iv had full surgery under GA and 3 procedures under sedation in 3 different hospitals ( within the same nhs trust ) iv always just said iv got a lift and walked out outside myself to whoever was picking me up

Snowiscold · 01/01/2022 08:13

They won’t let you home without someone there. When I was picked up from hospital after day surgery my partner wasn’t allowed on the ward. I was escorted to the waiting area by a nurse. We don’t have a car and we got a taxi home. Other people on the ward were being fetched by neighbours or friends, if they didn’t have any relatives.

kateluvscats · 01/01/2022 08:15

@AutumnDance

Hopefully they will be able to offer the procedure to me without sedation.

I'm getting a colon scope.

They can give you 'gas and air' and you're okay to go home by yourself after having this. It's out your system very quickly.
IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 01/01/2022 08:15

DM recently had a procedure under sedation. I had to collect her from the door of the hospital. A nurse bought her to the door. She couldn’t have driven if she’d tried.

muddyford · 01/01/2022 08:16

Very strict. It's for your protection and safety.

Mumdiva99 · 01/01/2022 08:25

I was sedated and like the poster above said....no.short term memory, very drowsy and like drunk. I couldn't remember the hour after my op. And then slept on the way home and once I was home.

You can have a colonoscopy without sedation - my friend had one fine. My OH had it without and said it was the stupidest decision he ever made and he would never do it without ever again!! So it does depend on you.

Consider they try to do it without sedation and you can't tolerate it. How important to you is it to have the procedure done? I would ask a friend to pick you up and take you home if your oh can't take a 1/2 days leave.

Hallelujah2020 · 01/01/2022 09:31

Strict

I had a procedure last year during lockdown and my OH had to come to door to collect me so they could see who was picking me up

I also had to sign to say I was being collected and give his number so they could ring him when I was ready

It’s for a very good reason

kos88 · 01/01/2022 09:35

I’ve had a GA procedure in the morning and left on my own in a cab early afternoon. The hospital weren’t happy about it but I didn’t have anyone to pick me up.

OrangeShark27 · 01/01/2022 09:44

You can get a taxi but you need to have someone with you in the taxi, so you can ask a friend who does not drive to accompany you. You need someone who is solely responsible for you for 24hrs.

It is not about being independent it's about safety. Most of the time if there's no one with you before the procedure they will not do it with sedation because it is not safe. You will not be allowed the sedation if you turn up alone and you will not get to the taxi. Plus it is incredibly stupid

TurkeyRoastvBubbleandSqueek · 01/01/2022 09:45

Sorry my memory isn't great these days, so I can't remember the name of the procedure I had (about 10 years ago), but he inserted a camera into my anus - they use lube - and just checked the last half of my "colon" (this is ridiculous I trained as a nurse and I did the digestive system as a speciality in one of my exams, I even explained part of the digestive system procedure on a different mumsnet topic a few months ago!) because with my symptoms I was passing bright red blood, if my stools had been darker than normal and it had turned out I was passing occult blood (occult only means "hidden" nothing spooky), then they would have checked my whole ..... ahhh ..guts (sorry the correct term just won't come to me), as it suggests that the blood loss could be coming from my small INTESTINES (Ilium? At least I remembered intestines at last!).

Anyway, I was, and am, too overweight to have sedation, so with a very nice nurse holding my hand the whole time, I had the procedure without any medication (except Diazepam that I got from my GP to relax me beforehand, as I was scared of having it without sedation). It didn't ever actually hurt (I suppose I compare everything to childbirth these days!), but it was uncomfortable at times, especially when he had to push it harder to go round the bends ☺ However, I was able to watch it on the same screen he was looking at, which was fascinating, and the nurse kept on talking to me about my children etc to keep me relaxed. If you can have Entonox then I would say go for it, I often used to say that I only had two more children so that I could have the Entonox!

If you are having your whole intestines checked then I really recommend having sedation as the small intestine has much tighter bends than the large, so that could make the procedure a bit harder.

My bigger worry for you would be the prep for the procedure. Do they want your bowels completely cleared, because although not painful, that prep is horrible. I can't remember if it took 2 or 3 days, but I had to drink this most disgusting stuff (presumably not as bad as in "I'm a celebrity", but still...). You obviously can't eat, and can only drink clear fluids eg no milk etc. I didn't want to eat anyway when having to force that stuff down me 😂 and of course, when it starts to work you need the loo quickly and often 😳 We don't have an ensuite, so my DH and I went to stay at a Premier Inn very near to the hospital - I didn't want an "accident" on the way to the hospital, and for that reason could not have used public transport, including a taxi, to get there.

So my big worry for you if you do have the procedure with sedation, and after not eating for several days, you could feel very faint afterwards, or even actually faint. So good luck OP, I am sure that the actual procedure itself will be fine. By the way, my outcome was that I hsd anal fissures that appeared to fill up my toilet bowl with bright red blood every so often, and weirdly after my procedure it has never happened again so far - about 10 years and counting...

Probably the best thing to do is ring your consultant's secretary, she will probably know all your options (even though she wouldn't normally be medically trained herself), and if she doesn't know then she can put you in contact with someone who does, occassionally that will be the consultant himself.

I have given the secretary a female pronoun, and the dr a male one just because that is what they were in my case, and I dislike using "they" unless really necessary..

SheWoreYellow · 01/01/2022 09:48

Could your family at home not come to collect you by public transport?

Diditopknot · 01/01/2022 09:57

Yes they are strict op.
It’s about duty of care as well as safety.

If you head off alone and something happens the staff and hospital are dragged through the ringer examining what after care was available, what did you claim was available, what checks they made to ensure that you had aftercare in place.

It falls back to them, so those saying that it’s not strict, there’s a whole big picture and serious consequences to this. Can even end the career of some poor nurse.

Bear in mind that if you choose to not have sedation then change your mind (which you can do) you will cause delays to the waiting people on that list that day. The procedure will need to be abandoned until you have the sedation then the whole thing restarted.
This is not acceptable when the pressures & waiting lists are so high.

There are so many aspects to this that are far reaching and high risk. It’s not as simple as how strict, it’s so much more than that.

In these times, with the state of the NHS, with the insurmountable overwhelming issues reported on day in day out, why would anyone want to potentially add to it?

You are simply being asked to do your bit. With fair notice and clearly documented rules.
They are doing their bit to maintain your health and well-being why on Earth would you not follow what is being asked of you?

AutumnDance · 01/01/2022 10:40

@Diditopknot

Yes they are strict op. It’s about duty of care as well as safety.

If you head off alone and something happens the staff and hospital are dragged through the ringer examining what after care was available, what did you claim was available, what checks they made to ensure that you had aftercare in place.

It falls back to them, so those saying that it’s not strict, there’s a whole big picture and serious consequences to this. Can even end the career of some poor nurse.

Bear in mind that if you choose to not have sedation then change your mind (which you can do) you will cause delays to the waiting people on that list that day. The procedure will need to be abandoned until you have the sedation then the whole thing restarted.
This is not acceptable when the pressures & waiting lists are so high.

There are so many aspects to this that are far reaching and high risk. It’s not as simple as how strict, it’s so much more than that.

In these times, with the state of the NHS, with the insurmountable overwhelming issues reported on day in day out, why would anyone want to potentially add to it?

You are simply being asked to do your bit. With fair notice and clearly documented rules.
They are doing their bit to maintain your health and well-being why on Earth would you not follow what is being asked of you?

why on Earth would you not follow what is being asked of you?

I am following my bit. I will be taking the prep seriously and following the prep.

Aside from that I can't magic people out of thin air to come and help me. The most I will be able to do is to organise a lift to come to the grounds of the hospital to take me home but that would be it. Failing that it would be a taxi. I can ask my mom or one of my siblings to maybe come in for me but I don't know of that will work.

OP posts:
Diditopknot · 01/01/2022 10:43

So there’s no magic involved. Just asking a family member to come and be with you, which I’m sure you would do for them if needed.

AutumnDance · 01/01/2022 10:47

Does the hospital give a rough estimate as to how long the whole process will take?

Will they provide that in the information pack I'm getting in the mail.

Say if it's a 3 hour process - I could organise a neighbour to come in for me.

OP posts:
Snowiscold · 01/01/2022 10:56

I would assume an information pack would tell you, but you can always phone up to ask. Be aware, however, that the planned timings may go out of the window. Eg, my day surgery was postponed after I had been there waiting for five hours because they ran out of time. I had to come back the next day.

Justkeeppedaling · 01/01/2022 10:58

@AutumnDance

My appointment is in the afternoon for 2pm. I suspect it will take a while to bring me in and set me up.

My partner if he remains covid free will be finished work at about 8 or 9 pm at night. So that would be one option. Would that be too long to wait around after the procedure?

Can your partner really not either take the afternoon off or finish early for once?

Diditopknot · 01/01/2022 10:58

It’s a relatively short procedure, they check your BP etc for about 20 minutes afterwards

But everyone reacts differently to the sedation. Some come round quickly with no “hang over” feelings others are very sleepy and difficult to wake for hours afterwards. Some feel very rough like a hangover for hours and need to sleep it off. I’ve been punched in the face by one patient who declared afterwards “oh yes I was very violent and aggressive last time I had this procedure too!!”

A neighbour would be great if they are a good one. Could they nip in regularly, be on the end of the phone for you if needed?

LIZS · 01/01/2022 11:01

The issue with opting for no sedation is that it can be difficult to take samples for testing if needs be. Ndn had to have a second one for that reason.