How many have someone stay with them all night?

For your first night post-op do you plan on having someone stay with you?
Is this a common practice?
I wasn't planning this, but am now wondering if I should be?

HELP!

THANKS!

I fully plan on having my husband stay with me Monday night after my surgery. But honestly its not something we've really talked about yet.

Dorsey

I think it would depend on hospital policy, kids @ home, etc.

I'm incredibly lucky, in that a friend of ours has moved into the basement, and he cooks, and cleans and helps w/ the kids, so, I may be able to have my husband stay with me. I'll be paying the extra for a private room if necessary; I learned after having my kids, that it's just far better that way.

Can't hurt to ask, though!
Good luck w/ your surgery!

Ask the hospital. Most are very accomodating.

It's nice to have an advocate there, especially to help on a full ward when all you really want is a refill of water or something easy that doesn't require a nurse. Also, they can help to track down help if you're out of it and help you to make decisions.

My DSO didn't stay with me, though it was offered and the nurses were rather surprised because they said that everyone has their hubbys stay the night. I figured he should get some rest (and check up on the dog).

Basically my DSO was there from 9 AM each day until about 10 PM (with little breaks, he'd go to the mall across the street or take a phone call down at the little courtyard). He needed his rest too. I was glad to have him there during the day - he helped me shower both days (dried my legs and taped up my incision).

You should make arrangements to have someone there if you can, but leave your options open to send them home if you won't need them. But if you don't have anyone, don't worry about it, the hospital is there to care for you.

Take care.

I did not want anyone staying with me. DH needed to be home with our kids. (Besides, he snores like a freight train! I was looking forward to a couple of nights not having to listen to that!) My mom offered to stay both nights I was there. But quite honestly, I was in great hands. Why should anyone else have to sleep in an uncomfortable sleeper chair or cot. I appreciated her offer but I really was looking forward to being as alone as you can with nurses coming in every 4 hours to check on you. (DH would have stayed if I had wanted) So, really, I think it's a personnal decision.

I won't be having anyone with me in the hosp because dh will be home with the kids. I'm not sure I'd want to anyway, it would be awfully boring for someone, not to mention very uncomfortable. I know I spent a couple of days in a very hard chair when my son had his appendix out last year, and I was completely exhausted by the time he was discharged.

I (along with my sisters) spent nearly 2 weeks staying in the hospital with our mom when she was dying of lung cancer 2 years ago. We alternated nights and days with each other so she was never alone. Quite a few times we got angry because nurses had to be chased down when needed, and were rarely seen otherwise. However, after this my niece, who is a nurse, told us that from a nurse's point of view, if family members are staying with a patient you WON'T see the nurses as often because they're assuming you will come find them if they are needed. They figure you're being looked after, so they'll spend their time with patients who don't have any family with them. This kind of made sense to me, but I wish they had said so at the beginning. Sort of "we'll be by at xxx time to give medication, but we'll assume you will take care of walking her to the bathroom, getting water, etc." Then you'd know where you stand, instead of getting p.o.'d because the nurses don't seem to care.

Anyway, I won't have anyone there, and hopefully the nurses will take good care of me.

HollyK

My husband is not staying in my room but he will be staying in the hotel near the hospital. I don't want to put him through that. It will be very uncomfortable and boring for him and I told him he might as well go to work the day after surgery. There won't be anything for him to do and I'm just going to be enjoying my morphine cocktail. He will stay home with me for at least 3 days after I get home which will be a much better use of his time off work.

My dd stayed with me the first night but probably didn't need to. The nurses were very caring and I was so out of it I didn't know what was going on anyway. I just wanted her there for comfort more than anything. She's 6' tall and had a horrible time trying to sleep on the little love seat with a chair scooted next to it. I'm sure she was relieved when I told her just to stay home the second night

It's up to the individual though. Good luck with your decision.

Blessings

I had around the clock family company. My sister or my husband and thank God I did because there came times that I could not advocate for myself.
If all goes exactly as you plan you can always tell your family member to go ahead and go home but if you have something that goes awry, as I did ,you will be very sorry to not have someone there looking out for you alone.
You can read my story if you wish. But don't if you are already nervous, but let me say that my experience is exceptional and most stories are much more positive.

But leave yourself the option with a babysitter ready to stay with the little ones. You can always change your mind.

Judy

Hyst story is titled "sah-don't read if you scare easily"

Good luck sisters

Hello

My DH only stayed till about 10-11 at night then went home. I had nurses checking on me every hour. But that was cause i was breathing too slow. Even had one at the foot of the bed at some time, and i heard her. Looked at her and she scared the crap out of me, at the same time... i scared her. Then she was checking on my pulse.....and told me it was really fast...lol gee wonder why.... Told her is was slow till she scared me. LOL

Its your call if you think you need someone, but i really didn't.
Talk again i am sure
Barb