Well thanks to Dustin, we came across some more differences between Australia and the United States. This Tuesday, Dustin had varicose vein stripping surgery. This surgery is NOT because he is old and out of shape, in fact just the opposite. Had he not started running again, and lost all the weight he has, he might never have realized how bad his veins were.
So let's start at the beginning....
Since we have private insurance, we are able to go to the private hospital in the area, St. John's of God in Subiaco. It is about a 10 - 15 minute drive from the house. Unlike doctor visits, we did not have to pay out of pocket, but instead the hospital files directly with our insurance (BUPA). To get to this point however we did have to:
-see a GP ($70 out of pocket)
-go to a Vascular ultrasound ($500 out of pocket)
-back to the GP to get another referral ($70 out of pocket)
-see a specialist and decide on surgery ($190 out of pocket)
* It was the going to the GP twice rather than just the specialist that was most frustrating and different.
On the day of surgery we had to arrive at the hospital at 7 am for admissions. Dustin did not have to go to any pre-op testing so this was the first time we had seen the hospital. However admissions did call to confirm details and ask medication, overall health questions, etc.
Initially we were moved through the process rather quickly, and it seemed to be smooth sailing. We were asked to wait in two different waiting rooms, before Dustin was brought to his "room". This is where his bed was and where he had to change into the hospital gown. I say room, but it was just a big area with about 8 or so bays. Each bed was separated by curtains, so we could hear everyone around us and by the time we left, knew what each one was there for that day!
At this point it was about 7:30...again, I thought we were doing great on time and Dustin would surely be going into surgery soon. WRONG....he was not scheduled for surgery until about 10 or so, IF the case before him ran on time. Regardless of what time your surgery is, you have to arrive at 7 and wait your turn. When I found that out, I was thankful that Dustin was the 2nd surgery of the day, and we would not have to wait for 6 hours before he was even taken back.
So we waited....and waited. Now, I am basing all of these comparisons on my surgery from last August, so I figured at some point they would have come and put in his IV and started him on some sort of relaxing drug. Again, I was wrong. Dustin had to lie and wait until about 10 am when they came to bring him to the "holding bay". I was not allowed to go with him at this point, so the next bit is from his recall ;)
In the holding bay, he had to wait about another 20 minutes until he was finally brought in the operating room or theatre as they call it. It was here that they inserted his IV. He said that he was prepared to count backwards as soon as they inserted the first medication, but he got to 1 and the next thing he remembers is waking up in recovery. All he had time to think to himself was "Elvis has left the building"
When he was brought back, I was told that I could go to another waiting room close to where his overnight room would be. When I got to his "ward" I noticed another big difference. Security. I was pretty much able to walk where ever I wanted and not one person asked what I was doing there. The only time I was questioned was while I was sitting and waiting. They were wondering why I was waiting so long instead of having left and come back. As if I would leave while my husband was in surgery....however, I did go and get a coffee and find a comfortable couch to sit and read.
Initially the surgery was supposed to take no longer than 90 minutes, so at 11:30 when I first bothered the nurses as to where Dustin was, I was told still in surgery. They were delayed. So I sat back down and waited...and waited...and pestered the nurse two more times until 2 pm when they finally brought him to his room.
Even though we asked for a private room, those are reserved for people staying longer bits of time. Dustin was sharing a room with an older gentlemen who was apparently hard of hearing. During the night this old man kept Dustin up with his coughing and incessant "expulsion of gas".
I won't go into ALL the details, but suffice to say that the medication made Dustin loopy and much of what he said the first few hours after the surgery did not make much sense. Nor does he remember much. He did have a good time joking around with the nurses =) For the most part the nurses were knowledgable and attentive. DIFFERENCE: Dustin asked one of the nurses for the device that he was to blow into to clear his lungs to prevent fluid build up. We were told that those had to be ordered by a specialist who would then have to show him how to use it. Of course this would be billed as a separate expense...plus the machine was expensive. Bottom line, they cost money and are not given unless absolutely necessary. So Dustin did not get his machine. Instead he was told to cough and breathe deeply. As he says, all of the advances that have been made with modern medicine and he is told to breathe deeply.
A great friend offered to pick the girls up from school and bring them back to their house (THANK YOU Marie!!!). So I stayed until about 4:30 and left to go get the girls. We then all came back to visit before having to leave for the night. The girls did a fantastic job of being careful with Daddy's legs and NOT being too loud in the room. (This was no small feat for Addie). As expected, both of them are not big on hospitals and did not like seeing Daddy like he was. Because Morgan had a big day on Wednesday, we said our good byes and headed home. Plus, Dusty needed his sleep....he was still not feeling well from the anesthesia and medications.
The plan for the next day was to drop the girls off at school and then head to the hospital to wait for Dustin to be discharged. We were told that he would be discharged close to 10 am, but it could be early if we needed to leave sooner. (which we needed to, so we could make it to Morgan's race). On my way from dropping off the girls I got a text from Dustin asking when I would be back because I had to learn how to give him a shot in the stomach. I thought he was kidding....he was not. When I got to his room, he looked a lot better than the day before...but the pain was starting to kick in.
So I was shown how to change his bandages, given instructions on his medicine, and then taught how to give him a shot....in the stomach. I am not sure who was more nervous, Dustin or myself. Luckily I only have to give him 4 shots in total at home. After that, we were free to leave. I asked Dustin if the doctor had been by. Nope...not once after the surgery. His resident came by to check on Dustin, but that was it. We thought we would have to sign papers for the discharge....again nope. We were handed our supplies and Dustin WALKED out of the hospital. A wheelchair was offered, but not mandatory.
Now overall, I cannot say that the care Dustin received was bad. In fact, the nurses handled him very well. However, no one went out of their way to make him comfortable. Everything was very matter of fact and basic. No extras, because that would have cost money. I think the biggest difference was the process of how things worked.
So now Dustin is at home for 2 weeks recovering. It is day one and he is already bored....at least we have the shot in the mornings to keep things interesting ;)
Hugs to you all,
Amy
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