After surgery care

[steelhead]

Do you doctors require that someone be with you for a few hours after surgery ? And can I just leave by myself after the surgery ?

I want to have this surgery next year but do not want to tell anybody about it and want to this on my own.

[Litlriki]

I do my surgery at a hospital, and patients are not allowed to leave on their own, though they can be picked up by a pre-arranged car service (or ambulance "chair car" service).  Although we recommend that you be with someone after the surgery, no one will check on you to be sure that you comply.  When I have patients who are going to be alone after surgery, I usually encourage them to stick around the ambulatory surgery center a little longer than they might otherwise remain, so that they're fully awake, comfortable, and able to take care of themselves once they get home.  When patients come from out of town, I often encourage them to spend the night at the hospital, rather than in a hotel.  Currently, the price for an overnight stay at my hospital is quite reasonable and only about $50 - $100 more than many hotels in the area.  This is all for your safety, obviously.  I had a patient from overseas fall against the sliding closet door and cut his forehead at 3 AM after surgery a number of years ago, so it's best to avoid something like that.

Rick Silverman

[Dr. Elliot Jacobs]

I agree with Dr. Silverman.

It is always best to have a friend or family member accompany the patient to home (or a hotel) after surgery in my ambulatory care center.  If no-one is available, then I insist that a nurse's aid perform the same task -- which is at minimal cost.  While it would be great for someone to be with you during the first post-op night, most of my patients can fare by themselves reasonably well after about 6 hours or so.

In the very rare circumstance that a patient demands to leave the office by himself, I will require him to sign a release that it is against my best medical advice to do so.  Over the years, I have had some "smart" patients who told me pre-op that someone would pick them up -- and then changed the story after surgery.  In the long run, they were only fooling themselves.  I take the safety of my patients very seriously -- and that includes getting them home or to a hotel safely.

Dr Jacobs

[DrPensler]

First someone is always with you after the surgery in the recovery area. Your time in the recovery area may be dependent on the situation when you leave. As far as someone being with you no one would argue that it is a negative. I have patients who often come from a significant distance and depending on the situation we can arrange transportation home or to an adjacent hotel for the patient. I recognize that for most patients there are cost constants so in some instances staying a bit longer in recovery may be all that is required.Each case is different the one thing we do not want to do is compromise patient safety.

[steelhead]

I agree with Dr. Silverman.

It is always best to have a friend or family member accompany the patient to home (or a hotel) after surgery in my ambulatory care center.  If no-one is available, then I insist that a nurse's aid perform the same task -- which is at minimal cost.  While it would be great for someone to be with you during the first post-op night, most of my patients can fare by themselves reasonably well after about 6 hours or so.

In the very rare circumstance that a patient demands to leave the office by himself, I will require him to sign a release that it is against my best medical advice to do so.  Over the years, I have had some "smart" patients who told me pre-op that someone would pick them up -- and then changed the story after surgery.  In the long run, they were only fooling themselves.  I take the safety of my patients very seriously -- and that includes getting them home or to a hotel safely.

Dr Jacobs
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How long and how much does a nurses aid cost ?I would like to tell no one about this surgery if all possible . I would be willing to stay longer and sign any paperwork as I would stay close by anyways.

[steelhead]

How long and how much does a nurses aid cost ?I would like to tell no one about this surgery if all possible . I would be willing to stay longer and sign any paperwork as I would stay close by anyways.