Pre-op done, same old judgements...

"Well, you're very young to be having this done aren't you... what's made your doctor think that this is a good idea? Do you 'just' have heavy periods?"

"Any chance you could be... er... pregnant" (laughter) "I HAVE to ask!"

Mind your own business lady, take my bloods, tell me what time to be here on Tuesday and leave the rest to me and mine...!!

Where do they drag these nurses from?!

Last period on its way, nearly party time ;-)

How rude! That person was probably NOT a nurse. A phlebotomist or nurse's assistant maybe. Some people simply cannot keep their curiosity to themselves.

PS - That last period was the ONLY one I ever enjoyed! WooHoo!

Oh, you got one of THOSE. I sympathize. I've been trying to get help for my problems for years, and got brushed off repeatedly. Finally turned 30 and was able to get ONE OB-GYN to take me seriously... but when I went for the pre-op, I heard some of the same things.

"So... what procedure are you having done?"

(I thought to myself, don't you already know, lady???) So I answered her, "Hysterectomy, and getting a cyst removed from my right ovary."

And there was that mock-stunned look: "But you're so young!"

To which I flatly responded, "I've been suffering for almost eighteen years. I think I deserve some relief, regardless of my age."

"Oh." And then she got back to taking my vitals.

But she actually WAS an RN, not a phlebotomist or nurse assistant.

These people should know better than this. If you're there for a pre-op, it means you've made up your mind, and their only job at that point is to support you, 100%.

Oh, and yes, they do have to ask if you could be pregnant, but the laughing is absolutely uncalled for.

Seriously, you should report them. Most hospitals have a customer relations/patient relations department. You DO have the right (and obligation) to report bad behavior on the part of the staff. I've done it once - reported a resident who wanted to treat me for depression and anxiety (I'm NOT depressed) when I went in for BLEEDING. He didn't even do a physical exam. Oh yes, because popping a happy pill will make the bleeding stop. So I reported him, and his record has been permanently tagged, and he's on "probation" and got pulled from regular clinic duty unless he's directly supervised. So yes, REPORT people who are behaving inappropriately. You're entitled to good care AND respectful treatment.

It seems to be a right to have an opinion about patient procedures in all Dr. offices. My oncologists intern came into the room at my pre-op apt. and ask if my hysterectomy was elective. I just looked at her in total disbelief and I wanted to blurt out: Yes, of course I elected to have cancer and a hysterectomy at 29, doesn't everyone? But I think my husband spoke up about the situation so it saved me from having to explain it yet again and probably crying about it as well.

Try to not let the comments get to you, although it's much easier said than done! Good luck with the surgery and happy healing!!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by alittleart It seems to be a right to have an opinion about patient procedures in all Dr. offices. My oncologists intern came into the room at my pre-op apt. and ask if my hysterectomy was elective.

Actually, by medical definition, many hysterectomies are elective. Yes, the idiot intern should have looked at your chart, and then it would have been obvious that it was not elective. However, at our age range (I'm 30), very few people NEED a hysterectomy. Some people are actually talked into it BEFORE being given all of their options. It's possible that this intern, despite being too lazy to check your charts first, thought she was possibly doing you a favor of maybe offering you other options. In the past, a lot of women had hysterectomies without ever being offered other treatment options.

I'll state right now that mine is elective. I have painful cycles, heavy bleeding, fibroids, ovarian cysts, mild anemia (even with supplements), and so on, but nothing that absolutely, unquestionably REQUIRES a hysterectomy. I elected to have mine done, as a preferable option to temporary, uncertain, lesser, ongoing, or unfavorable treatment options... which would probably lead me to another several years of suffering and torment before getting a hysterectomy anyway. So, I decided that I WANTED to go this route. But yes, mine, like many, are technicallyelective. From a medical standpoint, it's a fair question.

In YOUR circumstances, the intern was a moron and should have looked at your chart before asking stupid and offensive questions. I'm sorry you had to deal with that.

no, I understand, if not for an emergency, then it is elective. I had just had another surgery trying to remove the cancer while preserving my fertility 6 weeks prior to my pre-op. When that surgery failed to remove all of it, a Hyster was my next option for treatment.

I totally understand. And like I said, that intern should have looked at your charts and medical history before asking such a blunt question.

Personally, I'm wondering what sorts of questions and stupid discussions I might be subject to on my day of surgery, or while recovering afterward. It'll be interesting.

I will tell you that every nurse that came into my room after my surgery wanted to know why I had a hysterectomy so young. It was difficult, and I was so thankful to have gone home the next day. Stay strong!! Good luck with your surgery!

It's interesting, and sad, to see that other women get these sorts of comments from the people in charge of their care. Having been at the receiving end of it from several different medical professionals - and all of them, bizarrely, women - I figure there must be something about seeing the word "hysterectomy" on the paperwork that makes it particularly awkward for them.

Although the questions they ask are - as you say Toto2 - at face value completely legitimate and at times necessary, the way[[/i] they are bluntly and coldly phrased can be pretty soul-destroying. My experience anyway.

At times I've thought they think I'm stupid. Now I'm coming to think it is probably just their inability to comprehend the situation that ends up making it all rather difficult for everyone!!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by alittleart I will tell you that every nurse that came into my room after my surgery wanted to know why I had a hysterectomy so young. It was difficult, and I was so thankful to have gone home the next day. Stay strong!! Good luck with your surgery!

Whoa, wait - AFTER??? Okay, that's just not cool. At that point, it's over and done with.

See, myself, I'm completely not bothered by any social or reproductive ramifications of this surgery for me. For my life, other than the chance for pain-free living, this won't change anything for me, and I'm completely confident in that. SO! That means if the nurses try to ask me stupid questions while I'm being prepped FOR surgery or while I'm recovering from surgery, I won't have any problem pointing out exactly how rude or judgmental their questions might sound to some people. I mean, my wife and I WORK at the hospital/medical center where I'm having this done, and we take a lot of pride in that. If the nurses say things that are out of line, or rude, then I have a personal interest in making sure that they realize their mistake. It could be a good learning experience.

At the same time, I really hope they don't say anything stupid. If they ask me "why," then that's fine. Not a stupid question at all - the nurses don't necessarily have your entire medical history going all the way back. But if they try to simper and fuss, saying I'm too young, or that I shouldn't have done it... the conversation will get quite interesting.