1920 replies to this topic

[AllseeingEye]

Have I told of the time I burnt my eyeball and didn’t think much of it until I arrived at a very much full RJH ER on a weekend night and bumped everyone else waiting? It got real, fast.

Or the time I was waiting and the group on the bench behind me were crapping bricks because they did the “replace the visine with crazy glue” thing, but for real? Wow.

My colonoscopy has been pushed back due to staffing shortages here, not by much and it’s not early morning so that’s good.

 

The best part of that is when the specialist tilts the 36" monitor so you can "...view the procedure if you like!". I passed on the opportunity.....

[Matt R.]

Someone told me to forgo the sedative, but I’m not sure if he’s trying to trick me or not.

[AllseeingEye]

Someone told me to forgo the sedative, but I’m not sure if he’s trying to trick me or not.

 

It doesn't actually knock you out but rather has a relaxing effect; typically they just pop an IV into the back of your hand and off you go. The procedure takes maybe 20-25 mins max and because you have half your brain in la-la land it'll go even more quickly than that. At worst its mildly uncomfortable kind of like a minor stomach ache - but the sedative takes the edge off any real sensation so there really is no pain. Opt for the dope - easy-peasy....

[Matt R.]

Typically I go for the bare minimum pain meds or sedative and only if really necessary, I’d rather be able to function the next day, but I think for this I’ll take the drip!

[RPPB]

The day-before preparation is far, far worse than the procedure. I briefly woke up in the middle of mine, didn't feel anything but saw the monitor.

[Sparky]

^ Roger that. The “fall out” from drinking that “go juice” the day before is enough to make a grown man cry.

[spanky123]

Typically I go for the bare minimum pain meds or sedative and only if really necessary, I’d rather be able to function the next day, but I think for this I’ll take the drip!

 

You can always start without meds and then ask if the procedure is too uncomfortable.

[AllseeingEye]

Typically I go for the bare minimum pain meds or sedative and only if really necessary, I’d rather be able to function the next day, but I think for this I’ll take the drip!

 

Honestly anesthetics these days are so far more sophisticated than back in the day when your options were morphine, morphine....or morphine (a wicked drug BTW it'll definitely fry some brain cells and make you hallucinate in color; when I had my wisdom teeth removed in 1980, all four of them, I was knocked out cold and morphine was the go-to drug of choice. It was most excellent...!).

 

I've undergone various procedures especially over the past dozen years and they can range from knocking you right out (an appendectomy and in 2013 a check of the bladder for a suspected tumor that wasn't, very thankfully) to only desensitizing and fog-ifying your brain to a certain level while you are otherwise fully awake, conscious, talking and functioning normally. Trust me after the colonoscopy you are 100% 'with it' in about 10 minutes or less. Take the drug Matt.....

[Mike K.]

Ten minutes in the real world, but it feels like 48 hours of hell with monsters chasing you in your drug altered state.

[LJ]

Typically I go for the bare minimum pain meds or sedative and only if really necessary, I’d rather be able to function the next day, but I think for this I’ll take the drip!

My first one I was barely conscious, the second one I was more or less wide awake and the doc kept making conversation with me.

 

Pro tip - add vodka to the "go juice" makes it much more palatable.

[Matt R.]

Honestly anesthetics these days are so far more sophisticated than back in the day when your options were morphine, morphine....or morphine (a wicked drug BTW it'll definitely fry some brain cells and make you hallucinate in color; when I had my wisdom teeth removed in 1980, all four of them, I was knocked out cold and morphine was the go-to drug of choice. It was most excellent...!).
 
I've undergone various procedures especially over the past dozen years and they can range from knocking you right out (an appendectomy and in 2013 a check of the bladder for a suspected tumor that wasn't, very thankfully) to only desensitizing and fog-ifying your brain to a certain level while you are otherwise fully awake, conscious, talking and functioning normally. Trust me after the colonoscopy you are 100% 'with it' in about 10 minutes or less. Take the drug Matt.....

I’ve been told repeatedly that for 24 hours after the sedative I’ll be legally impaired so can’t drive or work. Lame.

[AllseeingEye]

I’ve been told repeatedly that for 24 hours after the sedative I’ll be legally impaired so can’t drive or work. Lame.

 

I believe that is technically correct but with the exception of the appendectomy I easily drove myself home from all of my procedures on far less than 24 hours' recovery. Most commonly used modern anesthetics unlike in the bad old days allow the patient to generally mentally recover very quickly and for the most part minus the "foggy brain" after effects. After I woke up post the appendectomy and bladder procedures my surgeon(s) were discussing the results bedside with me literally within a few minutes and I was in no way mentally impaired in terms of understanding and responding to their comments, observations and go-forward intentions.

[North Shore]

Someone told me to forgo the sedative, but I’m not sure if he’s trying to trick me or not.

I opted, out of curiosity, to not take the sedative initially...which led to several minutes of acute discomfort ( the scope uses air to inflate the colon/intestine so that they can inspect all of the folds/wrinkles. think of holding in the largest f#rt you've ever had!)  that led to...

 

You can always start without meds and then ask if the procedure is too uncomfortable.

...Me halting the procedure and asking for the meds.  A few milligrams of fentanyl later, and I was in the recovery room, having missed the previous 20 minutes or so..

 

Lesson learned: Take.The.Meds.

[Victoria Watcher]

^ TMI.

 

Any medical procedure starting from below the waist and above the knees should not be discussed here.  Thigh/femur surgery might be OK.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 11 January 2022 - 08:39 AM.

[Mike K.]

Yeah, get a room you guys. Jesus.

[Matt R.]

The tool is a metre long and yes, he explained the part about blowing me up like a balloon. I’m on board with the meds, at least for the first go.

[AllseeingEye]

Whatever you think of covid and the medical leaders whose policies we are all following in response to the pandemic, I cannot say enough good things about the front line medical pros in this city; as a result of the amazing experiences I've had with the rock star medical professionals at RJH and particularly in the Emerg department and the OPAT (infectious therapy) unit I am finally on a long, slow but mostly pain free road to recovery. To be able to walk (almost) normally and with only minimal pain - and to no longer have to worry about potential deeper and more serious vascular issues - is little short of a miracle.

 

Thanks to the professionalism, caring and very hard work of both groups and especially OPAT I'm in the home stretch healing up from a very serious, debilitating and extremely painful condition that affected not only the skin from knee to below the ankle and heel, but also impacted my venous/blood system, and which could have been much more serious without the skill and dedication and professionalism of all concerned, including the technicians, aides, nurses (especially the nurses!) and the doctors.

 

Therefore - and covid completely aside - do remember that at some point you or someone you care about will need the assistance of these superstar professionals who work their butts off 7x24x365, now perhaps more than ever, with little recognition or thanks, and who routinely go above and beyond to help their patients in spite of the massive stress of serious patient and case overloads.

 

In spite of whatever shortcomings our medical system may have or is perceived to have those support staff, doctors and nurses who helped me particularly in OPAT were & are beyond amazing and I thank and salute each and every one of them. Victorians are so very lucky to have them practicing their respective skills in our city.....

Edited by AllseeingEye, 11 January 2022 - 02:53 PM.

[Sparky]

^ Nice.

[Victoria Watcher]

Two doctors leave a View Royal clinic to do US telehealth and it's practically national news. Crazy.  They are leaving because they only make $31.62 per patient visit.  Imagine if we just had a system where you'd drop an extra $15 each visit to top that up.  Problem solved.

 

 

https://vancouverisl...-care-1.5746693

 

https://www.cheknews...-doctor-939851/

 

https://www.nanaimob...0-without-a-gp/

 

https://globalnews.c...y-doctors-move/

 

https://www.timescol...splaced-4974364

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 January 2022 - 03:59 AM.

[Midnightly]

Two doctors leave a View Royal clinic to do US telehealth and it's practically national news. Crazy.  They are leaving because they only make $31.62 per patient visit.  Imagine if we just had a system where you'd drop an extra $15 each visit to top that up.  Problem solved.

 

 

https://vancouverisl...-care-1.5746693

 

https://www.cheknews...-doctor-939851/

 

https://www.nanaimob...0-without-a-gp/

 

https://globalnews.c...y-doctors-move/

 

https://www.timescol...splaced-4974364

if only they had kept the MSP premiums and used it to attract more doctors and even offer better pay then maybe, just maybe they might have stayed.. and hey it would be sliding scale rate so no one would be denied if they couldn't pay for the visit