Important to Know All the Requirements For Cataract Surgery So this Will Not Happen to You!
Posted , 6 users are following.
I was scheduled for Cataract Surgery on March 2, 2023. I was very well prepared and had asked many questions and read all the handouts and documents given by my HMO. There is a standard rule that you have to check into the surgery with a responsible person who will pick you up from the surgery. Since I am single and did not wish to bother friends and neighbors I hired a very efficient transport company to serve as the required responsible person and would pick me up, check in with me and pick me up after surgery.
Everything was going as planned at check in until a nurse came out and asked if I had a responsible person who would be in my home that night since I was planning on having a mild sedative IV (versed).
I SAID WHAT? ...... I had never seen this information written anywhere or heard it before after about a month of planning for this surgery!! .....I was in shock, to say the least! I had to turn around, go home and cancel the surgery!
I hope everyone who reads this will be better prepared than I was! Even if you read all of the documents and have several discussions with your doctor prior to surgery you might not have been supplied an important piece of information which could cause a CALAMITY like what happened to me today!
1 like, 36 replies
RonAKA Spring1951
Edited
That is very unfortunate. There may be legal things they have to comply with. My wife picked me up and I picked her up when we had our surgeries. However, I know that my brother who is in another province and does not live in the city were he got surgery, checked in at a hotel and got a taxi ride to the hospital, and a taxi ride back to the hotel. They agreed to it ahead of time. I guess each jurisdiction may be different.
Spring1951 RonAKA
Edited
I am going to guess that the HMO doesn't want legal responsibility for someone who goes home and dies because of the mild sedative! They are passing that legal responsibility to the person who is in the home watching the person.
At this facility they absolutely would not allow one to show up in a taxi which is why I went to a large expense to get a medical transport company. All money for me "out the window"! A bitter pill to swallow in addition to still having the cataract!
RonAKA Spring1951
Posted
As I thought about it longer my brother only had the Ativan tablet under the tongue type of sedative, not the IV. Requirements may have changed with an IV sedative. My first eye was done at a hospital with an IV. My wife picked me up and the nurse took me via wheelchair right to our vehicle and ensured I got in safely. Then they passed the buck!
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My second surgery was much less formal when I did the Ativan thing at a private clinic. They phoned my wife for the pickup and I walked out on my own and met her in the parking lot.
billy111 RonAKA
Edited
That requirement for a "responsible person" and not a taxi driver is pretty standard everywhere.
I had outpatient hernia surgery in 2013 and outpatient skin cancer surgery in 2021 and I had to have that person personally sign a paper that they were responsible for bringing me home. They require that for legal liability. What you could have done and still can do, is have the taxi driver (assuming there're not wearing a uniform) come in and wait for you to come out of surgery. I am sure they will do that if you pay them.
Better yet, ask a friend or neighbor. People like to help. At my last surgery, my neighbor got sick during the night, so I called up a classmate I hadn't seen in years, and she picked up early in the morning.
The Versed wears off very quickly.
Spring1951 billy111
Edited
No! I thought I had the responsible person after calling several times to get exactly what they meant by responsible person. The person I brought was a person from a medical transport company who came with me to check in and would sign the document indicating he was responsible and would pick me up later.
BUT it appears there was a piece of information that I was NOT giving by ANYBODY and that is that if you have the IV which my doctor had insisted on you must have someone who will say they will be with you at your home that night!! Shock! I did call two neighbors who were at work and I was unable to make contact. One called me back later worried and wondering why I called frantically!
In thinking about it if something happened to me at my home I would not want my neighbor to be legally responsible anyway and I don't like bugging my neighbors to begin with!
At any rate, this was a big surprise since I had been very thorough in asking about the responsible person and checking everything out very carefully.
Total disaster for me and one of the worst experiences of my entire life! Trust me, I WAS upset! Could have had a stroke but fortunately did not!
RonAKA Spring1951
Edited
I wonder if you could opt for the Ativan under the tongue approach and get some relief from the need for responsible care at home and during transport? I did not find the surgery with the Ativan to have any pain or discomfort. I got up from the chair that the surgery was done in, which was like a dental chair, and just walked to the office where a nurse put a shield on my eye and gave me some brief instructions about care. I then just walked out to the parking lot where my wife was waiting. It was not really a big deal. Kind of anti-climatic to what one might expect. Much less discomfort than having your teeth cleaned...
Spring1951 RonAKA
Edited
I had remembered about the Ativan and said to the nurse, .....could I not just pop some pill?....hoping they would have Ativan or similar. She said no! I think I will write my doctor and ask again though as that would possibly solve the problem.
RonAKA Spring1951
Posted
Another option, although I don't think it is a particularly good one is to refuse the IV or pill. Some people do that, and just go with the drops which numb the eye. When I was having my last eye done, the guy beside me did that. Not sure how he made out later. My surgeon recommends against it, but it is an option here.
Spring1951 RonAKA
Edited
That is what I was gong to do as I could NOT imagine leaving there without doing the surgery!
But the doctor told the nurse there that I should have the IV sedative and I thought it out and did agree. They also told me that some patients that don't get it might fidget and scratch their face during surgery which can be a problem.
I am glad I went with the IV but now will have to wait 3 weeks for the next surgery. I hope I never have an experience like that again; I usually over- plan so that negative occurrences like that will NOT happen!
karin08666 Spring1951
Edited
My surgery instructions said I need a person to drive me and pick me up and I need someone to stay with me for 24 hours. I am just having Ativin, no IV. Every place is so different and it is very frustrating when they do not give you full instructions. Did you reschedule your surgery or you now have to wait again? I am so sorry this happened to you.
karbonbee RonAKA
Edited
I just went through my forms for next Monday, and all it says that if I don't have someone to accompany me home (nothing about them staying there), then they will not administer a sedative. You can also have a taxi take you home, but once again, no sedative. They would only freeze the eye for the procedure.
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I just called the clinic to confirm and they said that no, I didn't need someone to stay with me, just pick up and drive home. I'm not getting general anesthesia that puts me completely out, but what they give me will be IV delivered. If I'd shown up and they told me that I did need someone, I would have lied and said, yup, no problem. This isn't my first surgery by any means, though the first for my eyes, but if the anesthesiologist is doing their job, then what they give you should be balanced to your individual requirements.
Spring1951 karin08666
Edited
24 HOURS? If you are not married or have family that live in the area where do you get a person like that??? That seems really excessive for Ativan or a light IV sedative. At least they made it clear to you in advance!
I asked the nurse how long this person would have to stay with me and she said until about 8PM that night. That seems more reasonable than 24 hours.
karin08666 Spring1951
Edited
I agree, 24 hours seems excessive. I am fortunate I am married, but if I wasn't I would have to pretend someone was going to be with me that long. I also think they give "blanket" instructions so it covers all age groups, medical issues etc. I also can't eat for 8 hours prior to surgery. Not sure if anyone else has had to do that.
karbonbee karin08666
Edited
I'm not allowed to eat for 8 hours prior to surgery either. However, I'm allowed "clear" liquids such as tea (no milk or cream), water, or apple juice up to 3 hours before the surgery. I'm hypoglycemic though and that is too long for me to go without at least a small amount of food, so I asked them about clear broth, and they said that would be okay.
Spring1951 karin08666
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I fasted for 8 hrs. before and clear liquids up to 2 hours and then zero....not even gum! Pays to be married at times like this! Good luck on Saturday!
karin08666 Spring1951
Edited
Thanks. Typical me, I have been spending my day second guessing my choice. Human nature I guess.
I hope you don't have to wait long to have your surgery. After all the stress of deciding and waiting just to have that happen is very frustrating.
Spring1951 billy111
Edited
No. The responsible person who comes in with you also has to state they will be there at night BUT they would not let my medical transport responsible person say he would be there at night. They were requiring an additional person or a person like a relative or friend making that statement in addition to driving me to and from.
This is more of a difficult problem than I had imagined but I could have dealt with it EXCEPT for unknown reasons they did not publish this information properly and nobody told me about it. DISASTER for me and I have sent in a complaint! I can't figure out why there was no upfront notification??
Also, pays to be married at a time like this!
Spring1951 karbonbee
Edited
What they told you was really specific and included the sedative. The instructions I had said zero about the sedative and nothing about someone required in the home! I still cannot believe that this was possible in an A Rated HMO!!