Hello, 4 days past my NHS bypass and am feeling well enough to sit up in bed and type so I'll try and summarise.
5 year in pipeline including Covid, so was glad to be admitted on Monday after having had last minute prescriptions for BP and iron medications.
Don't know if it's typical of NHS, but didn't meet surgeon pre or post op. I'd say 99 per cent of Nursing Staff were Phillipino (sp) and whilst of course they know their profession, no one had enough English to understand my Bariatric related questions in hospital. I was crying in agony on night one, and pain relief was sporadic at best. I later learned from the Bariatric Nurse on the phone that my surgery took 4 hours as I lost so much blood. My drain leaked on Night one so badly that my bed was wet, but with 9 patients on ward and one HCA and one nurse no one could change my bed until next day. Or my drain. There were clearly phsychiatric patients on my surgical ward, screaming all night for help, and several other elderly patients crying as no one could empty bedpan or move bed. I figured that if you didn't scream you didn't get seen.
Next morning I begged my husband to get me discharged but they did a blood test and said I was dangerously anaemic, I had to stay one more night then they were about to discharge me when they realised they'd forgotten to do a six hour iron infusion. Finally got home late Wed.
In terms of pain now, no gas pain but stitches/inside stomach feel bruised inside. On paracetamol and gingerly trying broth, yoghurt etc.
I do think Bypass is a necessary operation but I will never forget what I and the other patients went through on a public ward.