Recently, I had a procedure done to open up my common bile duct and to open up and drain my pancreatic duct. I have had similar procedures like this before. Since I am on a ventilator, the procedure must be done at the hospital. I am a high risk procedure, and the hospital will not allow me to have anesthesia at an outpatient facility.
I am very thankful two years ago, the person I was talking to the day before the procedure knew this hospital rule and had the procedure changed from being at the outpatient facility to the hospital. In September, I had an upper endoscopy, which required anesthesia. I informed the doctor's office the procedure had to be done at the hospital. They did not change the location. The day before the procedure, it was a frantic scramble to get everything changed over to the hospital when the outpatient facility was informed by the hospital they could not do my procedure at their location.
When scheduling my recent procedure, the doctor knew from the fiasco in September, the procedure had to be done at the hospital. He scheduled the procedure when he would be on-call in the hospital. When the clinic called to set up the details of the procedure, I was very clear the procedure had to be done at the hospital. The receptionist call the hospital and clarified all the details.
The day before the procedure, I receive the standard call, asking me about the medications I take and giving me instructions for the next day. At the end of the call, the nurse says my procedure is at the same place where I had it the last time. I am go to the same registration desk. Before the woman hangs up, I quickly clarify, "You mean, I am to go to the hospital?" The nurse pauses. She looks at my chart. She then says, "Well, I see last time you were at the hospital. But this time, the procedure is at the outpatient center."
I tell the woman, no, my procedure must be done at the hospital. I have a ventilator. It is the hospital's policy. She tells me it is up to the nurse anesthesiologist. (I do not say anything, but it does not matter what the nurse anesthesiologist says. The hospital supersedes everyone. THE PROCEDURE MUST BE DONE AT THE HOSPITAL!) I tell the nurse I had arranged everything with my doctor's office for the procedure to be done at the hospital. The nurse says she will message my doctor's office. If I do not hear anything, I am to go to the hospital.
I try to be at ease, but the day is drawing to a close. How will I know if the procedure is changed if no one calls me? I know doctors, nurses and doctor's offices are busy. It is easy for someone to forget to call or to not realize they are supposed to call a patient. I pass the night praying the procedure is changed over to the hospital.
The next morning, I am very tired. I slept little. It is early. There is construction. Streets are closed. I get confused. My mom drops me off at the wrong building. It is dark. There are people and cars everywhere. It is only after my mom pulls away do I see the sign which states this is the wrong hospital. I see a woman directing traffic. I ask her where St. Luke's Hospital is. She points and tells me it is the brown building about a block down on the next street. I quickly make my way to the hospital. Time is ticking. I am running late due to the construction and now needing to get to another building.
I am delighted when I arrive at the registration desk, the woman immediately checks me in. I do not have to wait. I do not have to go to another office. I believe it must be a good sign that the woman finds me in the computer system. I am hopeful the procedure has been changed from the outpatient center to the hospital. Since I had been there in September, the registration process is quick. Soon, I have a wristband and am off to day surgery.
I arrive at day surgery. I tell the woman my name. She then tells me to follow the green diamonds to the day surgery unit. Once I arrive inside the day surgery unit, I glance at the procedure board. I nearly leap for joy when I see at 8 a.m. there is my doctor's name followed by my initials. Oh, happy day! Everything is set to go.
Shortly before 8 a.m., my doctor arrives in my room. He asks me, "Why was this procedure scheduled at the outpatient center? I scheduled this procedure to be done during my week while I am on-call in the hospital." I shrug my shoulders and tell him I had everything set up with his office to have the procedure done at the hospital. I was informed yesterday it was changed to the outpatient center. I went on to say that I told the person yesterday the procedure had to be done at the hospital. The doctor shakes his head. With exasperation, the physician says, "Scheduling. They must have changed the procedure location." I try to cheer up the doctor and tell him at least we both knew where my procedure was to take place. He does not say anything, but I can sense the procedure location must have caused him some stress and headache.
I am thankful and grateful everything worked out. However, I feel really bad for the doctor. He is such a sweet, nice man. We both did everything to make sure the procedure was done at the hospital, but someone changed it. At least, in the end, it was changed back to the hospital. At 8 a.m., the nurse and doctor escort me up to the endoscopy unit. It's procedure time!
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