Umbilical Hernia (surgery, cancer, recover, nurse)

[rlrl]

tho not an emergency, i am going to have surgery for an umbilical hernia soon. my doc tells me i can go home the same day and even go to work the next day which is fine with me, except that an online article i read seemed to indicate that it would be helpful to have someone there assisting, and I don't have anyone here to rely on except myself. I will rely on a cab to pick me up take me home from the surgery. this is the part that i am worried about, will they let me go home in a cab (these places seem to want somebody related to come in and get you)

last year i had cancer surgery and i did just fine on my own and a VNS Nurse came and checked on the wound

i was driving the day after i was released from the hospital

the hernia is not severe and it pops back to normal when i sit or lie down. no noticeable bulge except around the belly button where it gets thick

i have been having fits of nausea the past few months (tho i have had this for the past 20 years) which have gotten worse is it possible that this hernia is the cause?

[brokencrayola]

Yes, they will let a cab drive you home, they just don't want you driving yourself since you just had anethesia. You should do fine without help.

[rlrl]

i had cancer surgery last year and it was as smooth and painless as silk. i didn't even need painkillers. worst was the annoying drainage bag that kept setting off the seat belt alarm in my car till the Visiting Nurse showed me how to wear it the right way

this is a less serious thing, it wouldn't take 6 hours, right? how long do you think it would take?

[theatergypsy]

I have had several short-stay (or same-day) procedures in a couple of different locations. None of them would permit me to go home in a cab. Said I MUST have a person to drive me. I argued that the cab driver is, indeed, a person. They said it should be someone who would make sure I was safely home. I said the cab driver had a vested interest in getting his money, so he would make sure I made it home okay. They were unmoved and said I had to have a responsible person to drive me home.

There was one time when my "responsible person" had previously agreed to drive me but his wife went into labor the day of my surgery. I showed up for my appointment anyway and after some heated discussion, I agreed to have the procedure with a local anesthetic and the doc agreed it would be okay. LSS - surgery done, me fine, drove home by my own self.

[Mattie]

Originally Posted by theatergypsy

I have had several short-stay (or same-day) procedures in a couple of different locations. None of them would permit me to go home in a cab. Said I MUST have a person to drive me. I argued that the cab driver is, indeed, a person. They said it should be someone who would make sure I was safely home. I said the cab driver had a vested interest in getting his money, so he would make sure I made it home okay. They were unmoved and said I had to have a responsible person to drive me home.

And how can they stop you? I have signed my son out of the hospital against the wishes of the staff, but we were on vacation, had been there for hours without being seen, and I knew we could fly home and be at the pediatrician in less time than it was going to take at that resort town. I signed several releases that said I knew I was going against the advice of the hospital staff, and left.

[colmartin88]

Originally Posted by rlrl

tho not an emergency, i am going to have surgery for an umbilical hernia soon. my doc tells me i can go home the same day and even go to work the next day which is fine with me, except that an online article i read seemed to indicate that it would be helpful to have someone there assisting, and I don't have anyone here to rely on except myself. I will rely on a cab to pick me up take me home from the surgery. this is the part that i am worried about, will they let me go home in a cab (these places seem to want somebody related to come in and get you)

last year i had cancer surgery and i did just fine on my own and a VNS Nurse came and checked on the wound

i was driving the day after i was released from the hospital

the hernia is not severe and it pops back to normal when i sit or lie down. no noticeable bulge except around the belly button where it gets thick

i have been having fits of nausea the past few months (tho i have had this for the past 20 years) which have gotten worse is it possible that this hernia is the cause?

I have had 3 hernia repairs, 1 umbilibal. This hernia was the easiest to recover from and go through, they went through the bellybutton, inserted mesh and I was on my way. However, you should not drive yourself for a few days or lift anything for some time so you can heal. Note, once a hernia always suceptible to hernias!

[rlrl]

last year i was supposed to go home right after the cancer surgery but they wouldn't let me take a cab because of the anesthesia. i had arranged in advance with the social work department to have an escort go with me in the cab. however, turned out i had to stay a day or 2 longer because the procedure took longer so i didn't need the escort

for this procedure, one of the proposed hospitals is 4 miles from where i live, the other is only 2 miles. im home in no more than 15 minutes

i had an upper endoscopy last year and i really felt woozy after but they let me take a cab home. it was no problem.

sometimes i think they are a little too cautious.

last year i was kept in the hospital post surgery 2 days too long because of the overcautious nurses. it could have been longer had it not been for my surgeon who got me out of there before i died from boredom and from pacing the unit 100 times...

[Kaffegal05]

I've never had hernia operation before but I have had surgery. If I were you I would take 2 days off after surgery just in case. Tell your job that if you feel better you may come back sooner. Sometimes MDs are unaware of the effect surgery/anesthesia can have on patients.

I had surgery and my MD told me I would be back in form in 4-6 weeks. It took 8 weeks before I was able to function reasonably normal again and I was still recovering. Make sure you have all laundering, food shopping done for at least 1 week since you don't have anyone to help you.

[rlrl]

not sure if this is considered ambulatory surgery or not. would it still be performed in a big surgery room or would it be done in a smaller exam room (like i had done for the upper endoscopy)?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by rlrl

tho not an emergency, i am going to have surgery for an umbilical hernia soon. my doc tells me i can go home the same day and even go to work the next day which is fine with me, except that an online article i read seemed to indicate that it would be helpful to have someone there assisting, and I don't have anyone here to rely on except myself. I will rely on a cab to pick me up take me home from the surgery. this is the part that i am worried about, will they let me go home in a cab (these places seem to want somebody related to come in and get you)

last year i had cancer surgery and i did just fine on my own and a VNS Nurse came and checked on the wound

i was driving the day after i was released from the hospital

the hernia is not severe and it pops back to normal when i sit or lie down. no noticeable bulge except around the belly button where it gets thick

i have been having fits of nausea the past few months (tho i have had this for the past 20 years) which have gotten worse is it possible that this hernia is the cause?

you will need someone to drive you home and it would be nice if you had someone, maybe a co worker or neighbor with you during the surgery, but other than that you should be just fine. and yes, they will let you go home in a cab, but it probably isn't the best idea. and to make sure, how about checking ahead of time. You will be a little dopey from the meds. As for going back to work, do yourself a favor, take 2 days off.