Nursing is a calling more than a career
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Yesterday I had to go into hospital for day surgery.
Nothing too serious but just the thought of having to have an anaesthetic was enough to make me a little nervous.
That and other stuff I’d rather not talk about publicly.
My admission nurse was absolutely lovely.
Really helped put me at ease and answered my questions honestly and thoroughly.
The nurses in the surgical section were great too. Especially the anaesthetists nurse.
I haven’t had an anaesthetic since I was a young child having my tonsils out. And I can’t remember much about that at all.
This nurse just kept up the small talk until I was completely out to it.
One minute we were talking about alpacas and the next someone was calling my name in recovery.
I didn’t even have time to think “oh, the anaesthetic is kicking in”.
I was a bit disorientated when I woke up.
And my eyes kept leaking.
I felt fine (like, not upset or anything) but was crying.
According to one of the lovely recovery nurses, it’s caused by the anaesthetic.
They were so wonderful in recovery too. Kind. Gentle. Compassionate.
Then another nurse came from the Day Surgery Unit to take me back there.
She was short, abrupt and didn’t smile. 
She asked me if I wanted a drink and seemed quite impatient when I didn’t really know.
I was still a bit groggy and just didn’t really know.
She came back a while later and I said yes to a cup of tea.
She brought me one with a sandwich.
My file says “no wheat”.
She got grumpy about that and asked me if anyone had ordered anything for me.
I had no idea.
Then I had to ask her if anyone had rung Farmboy.
The admissions nurse had said that someone would ring him when I got back to the ward.
I’d been back over half an hour and he hadn’t turned up.
Her response? “No-one told me we were supposed to ring him”.
It was written on my paperwork.
She brought the phone over to me.
I was still groggy and not sure I could remember his mobile number.
I managed to call him and he was most surprised to find me on the other end (figuring it would be a nurse). He wasn’t very happy that they had offered to call and then didn’t.
I learnt a couple of things through this whole experience:
1. It really makes a HUGE difference how the nurses treat you to your overall experience in hospital.
2. It should be a prerequisite for nurses to have a cheerful, sunny disposition.
3. The art of small talk is a very good skill for a nurse to have.
Thankfully, my discharge nurse was also lovely.
I guess I can’t complain with 1/6 nurses not being all that wonderful to deal with.
My mother in law was appalled that I was only having day surgery. She had a similar procedure when she was my age and stayed in hospital 2 nights.
I’m glad though. It’s so much more restful being at home in my own bed.
And thankfully Farmboy is pretty capable of looking after things on the home front these days. Plus of course, the kids were at school all day today.
I’ve drifted in and out of sleep today.
Those drugs they give you to put you out to it are pretty amazing stuff.
Could do with that more often I think! LOL.
They even gave me some free pain relief drugs to bring home.
Funnily enough, the biggest cause of pain right now is my mouth and throat (which is not the area they operated on).
I’m guessing maybe they put a tube down my throat cos that’s what it feels like (that something has scraped my throat). It’s making eating rather uncomfortable.
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I remember having a general to have some wisdom teeth taken out when I was about 14. I also remember crying when I came to. I didn’t realise that the anaesthetic made you cry. Glad you’re through it and home resting.
It was probably a breathing tube down your throat.
You’re home now, so it’s all over, just concentrate on getting better.
Glad you are back at home and recovering better today..
Glad to hear you experience was overall positive. Nick had day surgery 2 weeks ago and I can’t speak highly enough of the care he received from the nurses and the anetheatist (can not spell it).
I hope you’re recovering well.
Nurses can make or break your hospital stay - thankfully the good nurses outweigh the bad, but it still can leave you feeling negative.
xo
Glad everything went off without problems- isn’t it crazy they don’t tell you about being intubated- but most people are, just in case you have an unusual reaction to the common anaesthetics they use and you stop breathing. I know that reactions are extremely rare because I was once employed to translate a huge international database used by all anaesthetists to describe all their procedures so any unusual events could be captured routinely. That database sits at the RAH in Adelaide- was that where you had the op? If you did, I also know the abrupt recovery nurse! If it’s the girl I know, she’s just in it for the money (nurses are very well paid in my books!)- she’s got a brain but never uses more of it than she has to!
Enjoy life with whatever was wrong inside on the outside!
I have to say, I’m really glad they didn’t tell me about the intubation. I was already a bit anxious about having an anaesthetic as it was. I think that would have really freaked me out. I had the op in Whyalla - we live rurally.
I think us hospital trained nurses are friendlier,we were thrown in with the patients early on in training and left the ward for blocks of schoolwork,now its 3 years uni with blocks of paitient care…..scholars don’t always make the best nurses.not sure If I’d spent 3 years studying for a degree i would be at my happiest getting someone a bedpan.