Scarey Bed Time Story - Bad bariatric bed at TEGH
I have come home this morning from my surgery with Dr. Cyriac at TEGH. No surgical pain/nausea to speak of. I was just uncomfortable. Post op anesthetic? Hmm. I have had laparoscopic surgery before & know the experience.
I noticed my bed was deflating since early Thurs morning c/w alarm beep beep beep beep beep. Good thing I had earplugs. They told me at 9 a.m. a tech would come. No tech but almost every nurse took a crack at pushing buttons. We could stop the beeping by hitting "Snooze alarm" (think it said that, but may have been the morphine) for 20 mins & then it would start again. My roommate's husband put his hand on the mechanical box at the foot of my bed, it was hot to the touch (hazard?) --- his wife's was not. I woke at 2:30 this a.m. in pain. My back ribcage hurt and my behind was basically now sitting on metal bed frame. Hours earlier one of the assistants told me lots of patients complained about that bed - so they knowingly put me in a defective bed? Problem is they only have 2 beds like that in hospital to accommodate massively obese patients. I can fit a standard size bed. I told the nurse if they did not have a bed I could sleep in after having major surgery - I would go home where there was a bed. I then asked if she would put anyone from her family in that bed. 5 mins of scurrying down the hall & presto - new bed in the room. If they had done that 17 hrs earlier - they wouldn't have had to keep pumping pain meds into me. My pain was caused by the bed, not the surgery. Wish I had my tantrum earlier - but kudos to the nurse who got me another bed.
If you are assigned to TEGH Room A510 and your bed deflates & beeps non-stop -- and you can manage in a regular size bed, I suggest you insist on it immediately. This was likely the most important surgery I will ever have and rest during recovery was essential.
Had some great help from assistant Denise who wouldn't hesitate to do what she could to take care of patients.
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This was the same bed my friend had last month at TEGH. Only one person on staff knew how to work the damn thing. Once it was correctly adjusted... it was like a magic and helped her expel the trapped gas.
It is nice TEGH tries to accomidate obese patients but provide training to all staff on these expensive medical devices so they aid in healing not create pain.
