Thursday, June 12, 2008

Recovery Ward

Fellow Traveler is back home -- very tired, and in a lot of pain, but doing fine.

Here's how things work sometimes at the VA: When she got there, she was informed by her nurses that she was getting prepped for a carpal tunnel release. "No, I'm not," she said. "I'm getting my thumb joint replaced." "No, you're not," argued the staff. "It says here you're getting a carpal tunnel release." One nurse scolded her for wasting time by refusing to sign her release for treatment. "I am not signing off on a surgery I'm not having," FT insisted. "I want to see the doctor."

After some huffing and pouting from the nurses the doctor was summoned -- and was livid to discover this surgery snafu, which evidently originated with an intern's paperwork error. In addition, it turned out that FT's surgery was supposed to involve an overnight stay at the hospital, not the day surgery she'd been told it was. At this point FT informed the doctor she wasn't going to remain in the hospital long enough to have another stupid mistake inflicted on her, so the doctor agreed to let her come home that afternoon.

So, anway...FT is hopped up on Demerol, still feeling pretty tough...but dreaming of golfing and kayaking and even the ability to hold a large coffee mug again in her right hand.

2 comments:

LoieJ said...

It is hard to have a positive attitude toward a medical establishment when something happens that undermines ones confidence, but especially when "they" insist that they are right, as if FT was a dummy.

Now days, they are supposed to ask what you are in for, not TELL you what you are in for. That's to avoid taking out a major organ or something when you are there to have a wart removed.

Well, I didn't know that. I was in for having a major organ removed and they kept asking me what I was there for. I patiently, then not so patiently, answered the questions. I was gradually coming to the conclusion that if they didn't know why I was there, would I really want them to cut me open?

Now you know why a person might write on one knee, "NOT THIS LEG" when going in for an amputation.

Best wishes to BOTH of you with dealing with her pain. What would she do without you?

Mary Beth said...

Holy moly.

Go, FT! Praying for quick healing.