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Original poster

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:
Original poster
AutumnDance · 01/01/2022 11:01

@Snowiscold

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.
They are going to have me drinking laxatives the day before and have me fasting. If they have me do all that and do this to me, I will go out the door and never go back.
OP posts:
RampantIvy · 01/01/2022 11:01

When I had a colonoscopy the procedure itself didn't take long at all, but the waiting around before and afterwards took ages. You can't really give a timescale.

How do people who live alone and have no friends and relatives manage?

HalfShrunkMoreToGo · 01/01/2022 11:03

I had eye surgery (keyhole surgery on eyeball which took about 2 hrs) under sedation 3 years ago and got myself a taxi 30 mins after surgery was done.

Then a couple of months later I was unlucky enough to break my hand and had a screw put in with a nerve block because I didn't want a general and got myself a taxi about an hour after that was done, as soon as I'd been able to get dressed and had the big foam sling fitted.

My DH doesn't drive so made little sense having him walk the 20 mins to the hospital so he could accompany me in the 5 min taxi ride home.

Original poster
AutumnDance · 01/01/2022 11:06

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo

I had eye surgery (keyhole surgery on eyeball which took about 2 hrs) under sedation 3 years ago and got myself a taxi 30 mins after surgery was done.

Then a couple of months later I was unlucky enough to break my hand and had a screw put in with a nerve block because I didn't want a general and got myself a taxi about an hour after that was done, as soon as I'd been able to get dressed and had the big foam sling fitted.

My DH doesn't drive so made little sense having him walk the 20 mins to the hospital so he could accompany me in the 5 min taxi ride home.

This is the best option for me. There's a taxi rank outside of the hospital. I could get a taxi when it's all done to take me home.
OP posts:
Diditopknot · 01/01/2022 11:06

Things happen though autumn
If you have someone collapse you have to treat them and then yes, this will delay your procedure.
Patients are late for allotted time, emergency call outs to bleeders on the wards, staff off sick (there’s a lot of this) or no staff at all meaning a massively reduced service.

You would walk out, not go back presumably to continue with symptoms without investigation?
Is that wise?

Wrongaddress · 01/01/2022 11:10

You can have a colonoscopy without sedation. I've had both a colonoscopy and gastroscopy with no sedation and the gastroscopy was way worse. I've also had one with sedation. They may offer you gas and air instead ( or as well as)

RebeccaManderley · 01/01/2022 11:11

You don't need sedation for a colonoscopy. My local hospital does not offer it and I had one without.

RampantIvy · 01/01/2022 11:13

My local hospital does not offer it

For a colonoscopy? Seriously? Shock

Original poster
AutumnDance · 01/01/2022 11:14

I would love to go without sedation. I'm not afraid of the idea of the colonoscopy. I'm not nervous.

If it was going the other way, down the mouth l, I think I would need sedation for that but up the bum, I'm fine with that.

OP posts:
user15364596354862 · 01/01/2022 11:17

Lots of people have nobody, why is that so difficult for some posters to understand? Hospitals still have a duty to provide care to those people and they have procedures. You just spend longer in recovery to properly recover rather than being kicked out still wobbly.

And right now hospitals are asking patients to attend everything alone. No way is any endoscopy unit requiring patients to arrive with an extra person to book them in. That's laughable. It wasn't even what happened before covid.

Endoscopy units may be affected by staffing or bedspace being used as emergency wards but not by emergency surgery displacing the waiting list - that's a risk with any planned surgery but the op is not attending for surgery.

RampantIvy · 01/01/2022 11:20

No way is any endoscopy unit requiring patients to arrive with an extra person to book them in. That's laughable. It wasn't even what happened before covid.

I have had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy pre covid, and DH came with me to book in. Loads of patients had people with them who stayed in the waiting room the whole time.

Diditopknot · 01/01/2022 11:22

Totally missing the point of this thread there.

It’s after the procedure not before that the op is asking about and having a discussion about.

MyDcAreMarvel · 01/01/2022 11:44

Op there is no issue, your family member either takes a taxi or public transport and get in the taxi with you to go home. Or your partner books the afternoon off , why hasn’t he already done this?

Original poster
AutumnDance · 01/01/2022 12:01

@MyDcAreMarvel

Op there is no issue, your family member either takes a taxi or public transport and get in the taxi with you to go home. Or your partner books the afternoon off , why hasn’t he already done this?
Life isn't that simple. Really it's not.

I have an afternoon appointment. If I use sedation, at a guess I won't be finished til 5 or 6. It will be late then. My mom is goikg daft in your aging years. She's 70 now. She doesn't drive. We live rural and miles away from the hospital. She also likely to ignore her phone if the hospital phones her too.

OP posts:
gamerchick · 01/01/2022 12:03

When I had my colonoscopy I refused sedation. It was fine and I was able to leave pretty much straight away.

Mumdiva99 · 01/01/2022 12:09

Well I completely misunderstood the procedure....it's going the other way to the ones I was talking about. Surely you will be fine with no sedation if you choose. (Colonic irrigation doesn't use anything.....probably doesn't go as high up....but the tube is probably thicker....that's uncomfortable but doable).

Good luck.

EewDavid · 01/01/2022 12:14

I had a endoscopy under sedation a month ago. I was going to get a taxi back but a friend offered to pick me up and I’m really glad I accepted the offer as the hospital asked me to phone her to ask her to come to the entrance to walk me to the car. They wanted me to phone her before I was taken for the procedure to tell her to wait in the carpark but I thought that was a bit unreasonable. They were far stricter about the whole thing then I thought.

EewDavid · 01/01/2022 12:17

If it’s a colonoscopy you can have entonox and then I think they let you go home unaccompanied after a short wait?

Diditopknot · 01/01/2022 12:18

autumn best line so far of 2022….”up the bum, I’m fine with that”!! Grin

Skyechasemarshalontheway · 01/01/2022 12:19

I have had sedation through covid. They wanted to double check who was collecting me and call them to confirm they were in the car park waiting. Then when finished they called them to come to the hospital ward door to collect me. It was 3 hours all in i was there.

I cannot remember getting home. It wouldn't be right for them to allow someone in that state into a taxi without someone they knew with them.

DemBonesDemBones · 01/01/2022 12:22

I've had 3 ops during covid and I've had to be collected from the ward for every single one.

DemBonesDemBones · 01/01/2022 12:25

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

It's almost like you think you're much braver and better than other people Confused The rules are there for a reason!

Lovemusic33 · 01/01/2022 12:26

I had a similar procedure without sedation, I went on my own and drove myself home but with I hadn’t. You should be fine if getting a taxi, no one checked how I was getting home, I was shaky after my procedure so I went and sat in my car with a coffee for a hour before going home.

Appin · 01/01/2022 12:31

I had sedation recently and one of the staff from the ward actually walked me out of the hospital to my husbands car. They were very careful not to let people go home alone.

NotVictorianHonestly · 01/01/2022 12:34

I choose to have my colonoscopies without sedation and they just give me a little IV pain relief for any discomfort. They told me that the main reason for offering sedation is to help people overcome the embarrassment factor.

It's totally fine in my experience. A bit weird and undignified but not painful and soon over and done with.

I just decline the sedation on the day and they've never batted an eyelid

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