Had a hernia repaired today.

[RSKY]

I had an umbilical hernia repaired today.

What I am curious about is how long it would take to schedule this surgery in countries that have the government run health care system.

This was not a critical have to do it right now surgery but instead something the doctors said needed to be repaired before it got worse and caused me problems. I had seen the surgeon a year ago about getting it repaired and he wouldn't do it because I had been put asleep twice that year for knee surgeries. So I called him the first of October and told what I wanted done and when. Went in to see him and set it up for pre-op work on October 31st. That was the day after we got home from a ten day trip. Surgery was to be November 10th. I had to cancel after being exposed to a granddaughter having the vomiting intestinal bug a few days before. They gave me a choice of having it Friday 17th or Monday 20th. For various reasons the 20th worked out better for me.

In Canada could you walk in and say, "I've got a hernia that needs repaired", and get it done in a week or so? I saw the surgeon on a Thursday. The x-rays were already done the previous year. They could have got the pre-op scheduled in four days on a Monday and the surgery the following Friday. According to a couple other doctors I talked to this is the surgeon they would want if their children needed surgery. So he has a good reputation and is in high demand.

Any comments on the time frame?

Also. The last time I was put to sleep was for a knee replacement in August 2016. I came out from under the anesthesia okay but lost my short term memory for two days until they changed my pain meds. I had to stay an extra day in the hospital because I could not remember anything. I told the anesthesiologist about it today and he said that I seemed to be very calm and he wasn't going to give me any "calming medicine". So I was awake all the way into the operating room and even griped when they clipped a blanket to me puing my chest hair. The five or six in the room had to stop and laugh for a second or two. It seemed like I woke up instantly when I got into the recovery room.

The woman next to me waiting my turn to be cut on was telling everybody how she had panic attacks and trouble waking up. She was complaining and griping and telling how much trouble she had. They put her in La-La-Land just to shut her up and probably kept her that way as much as possible.

I am on a ten pound weight limit for four weeks. I have been told many horror stories about people who had this surgery and did not follow instructions and paid for it the rest of their lives. My wife is watching me like a hawk or buzzard circling for the kill. So I will have to behave.

I guess I am still feeling the effects (is that the correct word, should it be affects?) of the anesthesia because it has taken me nearly an hour to get this post written (should that be get this post wrote?).

Anyway, good night!

RSKY

 

[MossRoad]

Good luck on a fast recovery.

I, personally, love pain meds... :laughing:

I once had a massive migraine, and tunnel vision. In the ER, they gave me nubain. 20 minutes later, the ER Doc came in and asked if I still had a headache. I said "Yeah. But it's over there" and pointed to the bed next to me. It hurt like heck, but that headache was over there in the bed next to me, not in my head, and that made it all O.K.

 

[Wagtail]

I don't know how to exactly answer your question... for Australia. I've got 'Private' health insurance (A$180.00 per month @ A$500 deductible). That means that if I want/need the surgery it gets done at the most convenient time to me in a private hospital. If I were to rely on 'Public Heath' then, like Canada or the UK, I'd join the queue for the next available surgery available in a public hospital.

Does that Help?

In a way, I know what you're going through. Ten years ago I had my left kidney out (cancer, caught by accident), 8 days from diagnosis to being on the table. (Private hospital, mind you; I was in the Navy at the time)

Anyway, my wonderful Sister immediately flew down and stayed with me as I recovered... and watched me like a hawk!!! I wasn't even allowed to do my own laundry as that would involve bending over and lifting. Wet clothes, for crying out loud! She likened it to having had a cesarean.

Strangely, she wouldn't allow me to have a 'bell'.

 

[mrmikey]

As for waiting for non-critical surgery. 9 years ago i had to have a knee replacement due to an injury at work. It was done withing 2 months but it was a workers compensation case. if it were a replacement due to normal wear and tear, it would be 1-1/2--2 years.
Just had my hip replaced end of March this year. By going to a hospital at the other end of the province I was able to get it done a year and a half after determining it was necessary. If I had stayed local, it wold have been two years at least.
Local guy has had deteriorating hips, yes both, for a couple of years now. Started off with a cane, went to two canes and then to a walker. Got so bad he couldn't run his business anymore, couldn't go more than 20' without having to stop, and had to sell his business.
Does our system suck, yup, the wait times are ridiculous.
Does not having to fork over money each month for insurance premiums make it alright....dunno as we're still paying in taxes, on taxes on taxes. As well as feeling bad for people requiring surgery, I feel bad for the health care people, they're as frustrated as anyone else, maybe more so.
The times i have been in hospital, I have not met one single person that wasn't a pleasure to be around. Even recently as last Monday when I dislocated my new hip, from the ambulance crew to the dr's, nurses everyone at the hospital turned a bad thing into something, ehhh....tolerable......Mike

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

Private insurance here also and schedule for my convince. I've been under the knife to many times and also had hernia surgery. Triple hernia to be exact. Surgeon numbed the area up real good and wasn't in any pain when I came to and when I got home was like nothing happened until I woke the next morning. I was about 53 at the time and getting over it when your older takes a little longer and I stayed off work for 7 weeks. Could have went back to work at 4 weeks but I liked being off so took the extra 3 weeks just because. Know what your going thru and hope you have a speedy recovery.

 

[Bird]

I was 58 when I had a hernia repaired. They asked me if I wanted to be put to sleep, or just have a spinal block so there'd be no pain. I decided on the spinal block, and quickly noticed that big stainless steel light fixture right over me was just like a mirror, so I got to watch the doctor do the job and visit with him while he was doing it. He joked that I'd be able to do the next one myself. No pain until after I got home and the anesthesia wore off and then . . . . Well, I later told him that if I hadn't watched what he was doing, I'd have sworn he left a knife in there.

 

[haroldy]

I had a hernia repaired about 3 years ago ,, the wait was about 3 months,, which didnt cause me any concern as I had one repaired 20 years ago so I knew what to expect .at that time,, it was scheduled at my convenience,, Neither operation cost me a dime ,, health insurance is not needed here,, I know I pay thru the government ,, I have no complaints with the government system,, I know of several cases when it was needed people were taken next day for surgery,, not a perfect system but not a worry either
from Canada

 

[dmccarty]

I had an umbilical hernia repaired today.

What I am curious about is how long it would take to schedule this surgery in countries that have the government run health care system.

....

Any comments on the time frame?
...
RSKY

Good luck on the recovery. Hope you heal fast with no problems!

For a good part of the year I have been reading three Irish newspapers and a Irish website which has been really educational.

One of the things I have picked up on is that they are not happy with health care. There are frequent stories about the health care system. They seem to run stories about people dying of cancer frequently. Some times the people might be well known but other times it does not seem that that is the case. It is kinda odd why they have the reports. Granted Ireland has a small population but I don't get the publicity. Some of the stories are about people not getting the treatment they need, want or can afford so they are raising money for treatment and/or going overseas.

There was a recent story about ER's being packed with people and thus having long wait times. The solution is going to be to shut down ER departments and send patients to fewer hospitals. :confused3: Ireland is a small place but the first thing that popped in my mind is would they be able to get patients to the ER in the golden hour?

Hospitals seem to be packed with people. There was a recent article with a photo of a bunch of hospital beds sitting in the hall way. There were painted lines on the floor that seem to indicate that the beds were frequently parked in the hallway because they did not have available rooms.

I think it was an Irish official, and not someone in the UK, who was talking about elective surgery wait times. He said that wait times are greatly improved at six months because it used to be 12 months.

There have been stories about loosing doctors and nurses because of low pay. They can go to other EU countries to work for better pay.

Ireland is a small country from a size and population point of view. There are stories that seem to get quite a bit of coverage that in the states would get a story and that would be it. There is quite a bit of sports coverage. My guess is that they don't really have much else going on news wise, which is a good thing in some ways, so to fill the paper they cover sports. Flip side, while The Troubles have quieted down, the problem in Northern Ireland is still simmering and will boil over in the right circumstances. Brexit might turn up the heat again. There are frequent reports of bombs and suspicious bombs being found. Quite a bit of sectarian and related violence is still happening. Seems like the paramilitaries control certain areas and allow drug gangs to pay to operate in their area. The para groups, at least on the Loyalist side, have issues with each other which is part of the violence problem.

The police in Ireland and Northern Ireland are getting bad press fairly frequently on a variety of issues.

It is the same over there but different. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan