Oh, Ken!

[Guest guest]

What terrible stories!

I urge you as strongly as possible to write, when you are recovered

and feel more up to it, a letter, on the best stationery you can

muster and in the best and calmest language you can muster, to the

hospital administrator, with a copy to your surgeon, detailing all

this.

That is inexcusable treatment in a hospital, I think, and your

surgeon should raise cain with them. OK. The staff is overworked,

underpaid and terribly busy. But they're in the business of giving

care to people in distress, and clearly they let you down badly. It

does not have to be so.

My surgery went smoothly. My surgeon has used his " people skills " to

figure out how to make that happen, and to assure that the post-op

period is as easy as possible.

Truly. Speak up (ok -- write up?) and complain. For the sake of

future patients. It does not have to be that way, and if your

surgeon is worth his, um, surgical scrubs, he'll raise cain along

with you and figure out how to make the recovery easier.

This is another reason for having someone with you. I didn't need

it, because my surgeon had done his job most excellently -- and I

don't mean just the cuts and putting back together in the hospital.

But there's no way to know, unless you have a friend who's done it

before, or really, really trust your surgeon.

Things happen, I know. Emergencies happen, I know. But when I'm

recovering from surgery in a hospital, unless there's something else

on the scale of 9/11 or Katrina distracting my caregivers, I want

them to be worried about ME.

Cammie

> > Hi all,

> >

> > I was wondering if you all could give some of the most

> > important things to think about or remember just

> > before and after surgery that helped you through the

> > days prior to, in the hospital, and just after

> > surgery.

> >

> > I'm just a little over a week away from having my

> > lower jaw advanced and having some grafting done as

> > well. I have my smoothie maker ready to go, the

> > humidifier ready to be cranked, bought the

> > zip-n-squeeze bags, have broths and soups frozen and

> > ice-cream, lip balms, face creams, baby tooth brushes,

> > long thin brushes, and swabs, many pillows and back

> > support and neck support pillows, face ice packs, dry

> > mark board, breathe right strips, etc.

> >

> > I'm trying to be super positive and really can't wait

> > for the day to come. Do I need a bud to stay

> > overnight in the hospital with me and how about when I

> > get home. Is it necessary to have around the clock

> > care at first? Just how " out of it " are you in the

> > beginning?

> >

> > Thanks for any help.

> >

> > Charleen