"Total Hip Replacement admission"

Time has come around for my hip replacement on the other side. This is now my 8th hip surgery so you could say i know the routine well.

Every staff member i met from the admitting clerk at the front entrance, through to SSU and theatre were lovely. 

I was first on the list so admitted quickly and headed straight to holding bay. After a short wait i was taken to theatre. As per usual, my surgical (Dr M) and anaesthetic team (Adam) were kind and caring and made sure i was comfortable & cared for.

My nurse in recovery was amazing. She could clearly see i was having some pain and was uncomfortable so suggested we start some pain relief as she was waiting on my bed to become available on the ward.

By the time i got to the ward my spinal had worn off and i was in a lot of pain. The nurses were lovely but they could only give me what was charted and it was simply not enough. I was in tears. A very different experience compared to the other side.

Anaesthetics came up to review my meds and referred me to be seen by the pain service the following day. Later that night anaesthetics reviewed me again and put up an infusion.

I was reviewed by pain service every day for the next 3 days to ensure my pain got to a tolerable level. It took a few days but we got there. I couldn't have done it without them. They made me feel heard and not judged even though i was embarrassed by the amount of pain i was in. They also ensured i was discharged with adequate medications. 

All the staff on G53 were so kind, caring & supportive. Nursing staff and physio did not rush me into getting up and moving due to pain and low blood pressure etc which i was grateful for. Having felt pushed after previous surgeries that is just something i could not have handled this admission.

It was nice that the doctors came around daily to check in. A comment was made by the registrar on one morning in regards to my pain and that comment was not ok. I feel they really need to think before they speak to patients. 

It finally came time to talk about discharge. Pain team said i would go home the following day. Late in the afternoon the ward doctor said i needed my bloods check as my blood pressure was still low. No problem. The results came back and the doctor said they were ok but would need follow up and i could go home now but pharmacy was closed. My pick up had left as i was told i was being discharged the following day. They literally expected me to get picked up around 9:00 pm and to drive around Perth late at night to find an open pharmacy to get my scripts filled. That is not ok especially when i had been in so much pain and essentially was being discharged with no pain relief.

After a discussion with the nurse they agreed due to lack of communication i could be discharged the following morning as originally agreed.

The following morning I was sent down to discharge lounge and they happily accommodated me in a bed while i waited for my discharge medications. The staff in there are fantastic and made sure i was comfortable while i was waiting. 

Once everything was ready and the nurse went through all the documentation etc i was on my way home.

Going through my discharge paperwork once i got home and settled i realised that my discharge envelope had the wrong patient sticker on it. I unfortunately did not realise earlier as i had barely slept in 5 days and under the influence of many medications. I contacted the hospital immediately and that was taken care of. These things happen but we need to be more mindful of checking patients details. 

Again a very good experience from our public health system. Just a few things that could be improved.