"ENT Surgery"

A nurse being a patient! - The other side!

Last week I was a patient a role reversal to when I normally go to hospital as I'm a paediatric nurse. I've been a patient before many times, comes with the territory of being born with a cleft lip and palate.

This surgery was phase 3 of making my nose straighter because to me when I look in a mirror I can tell it's not right and I don like it! So I had a cartridge graft from my ear to my tip of the nose and re designed! Can't wait to see the results!

I attended pre op assessment 1st which is normal as I have quite away to travel to the hospital I had my surgery at then up to the ward!

I'll bullet point my observations now and hopefully if you are a nurse reading this it will make you consider How the patient views you and thee care you give -

There were plenty of 'Hello my name is .....' Which is excellent really makes you feel like someone cares to know their name.

Ted stockings warn by all patients - I can understand the risk but if you are a mobile young adult why does every daycase patient need them? ? ? I would have thought some £ could be saved here if needed.

The nurse admitting me was constantly yawning through out which put me off! I was thinking don't you want to be looking after me? - it all felt like a paper excercise not that they were finding things out for their admission.

There wasn't a long wait for surgery but thankfully the hospital had wifi - however the patient has to pay for it! Which I think is general practice but in this day and age I would have thought it could be free.

Very chatty porters took me to surgery then I was given the drugs and off I went!

When waking I felt really nauseated and I think a student nurse ( heard her talking about management placements - unless I was having a post anaesthetic dream! ) was looking after me she was so kind and softly spoken helped me get some anti-emetics.

Back to the reclining chair on the ward and loads of sleeping, I think nurses came to do my obs but I don't recall any pain assessment, and I certainly wasn't given my nurse call bell incase I needed any assistance!

20 mins before discharge I was asked about pain relief for home and I knew I had asked the aneasatist pre op re stronger pain relief for home so I let the nurse know and she said oh but we will have to order that from pharmacy! I thought yes you will! Luckily it came just before I was discharged!

Taking of discharge! ! ! I asked when my head bandage off- I was told the next day! So the next day myself and my wife started to take it off- got fine to my ear where there was iodine cotton wool in my ear and some gauze behind so we tried to get the gauze off - OUCH - wouldn't come off! A call is made to the ward I was on .... S/N continue to take it off as much as you can use gauze afterwards to cover it up ok so that didn't sound quite right so a further phone call to the consultants secretary. We spoke to the consultant who operated who said oh I wanted all that keeping on until when you come back, great advice from the ward there then! But luckily no harm done as I wouldn't have got the gauze behind my ear off as it was a tied dressing! ! ! ! ! No wonder it hurt! ! ! !

I am now still with head bandage until tomorrow then I'll be able to see what they have done!