Hi, after my horrendous pain and bloating began again in earnest last week, the position finally resulted in me arriving to the Hospital via Ambulance. i have endured hell- vomiting faeces, agonising pains all over a very swelled abdomen, the awful NG tube ... i could go on...! after 5 days fasting, and ecg and ct scan. doc says i can go home now and start drinking and eating normally. i am extremely reluctant to leave here without the benefit of a day or two to reintroduce foods bit by bit, manage pain which i still have and see how the pouch reacts/behaves to reintroduction of food. After the trauma I suffered getting into this Hospital late last Tuesday night, I am dreading a problem arising at home. The problem is lesions but the surgeon is a General Surgeon and wants to refer me to his colorectal colleague to examine the small bowel and pouch endoscopically. i know ill be fighting fit in a day or two, but i think that those 1 or 2 days of recuperation will stand to me. i have full Med Cover, so insurance is not an issue. I except the Surgeon to be here earlymorning GMT so any conversation pointers are welcome when requesting an extra day or two of recovery.
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Generally the only reasons to be in a hospital are when 1) something needs to be done there, or 2) something needs to be observed there. I tend to try to get out of the hospital as soon as humanly possible, so if it's reasonably safe for me to leave, I'm out of there without delay. So if you really want to stay, speak to what the hospital staff will do/observe that cannot reasonably be done at home. And make sure everyone washes their hands!
shylock I hear you. the general belief especially if you are on immunosuppressive meds is that a quicker exit is better especially with the sad trend of horrid infections finding hospitals as very hospitable breeding grounds. that said, I also find that for GI patients who have endured as you have, ie obstruction, vomiting, intolerance of input, that one would be wise to be sure that the patient is able to ingest with some level of normalcy. maybe not a steak per se, but at least scrambled eggs or the like. I don't understand what lesions as the suspect means? here in the states usually insurance companies are ushering people out the door as fast as possible so they can maximize their profit or more accurately minimize their payout but not sure why that would be the case in the UK except that generally speaking you probably have a shortage of hospital beds so if you aren't desperately in need of the bed they probably want to use it for the next patient. I would insist that they ensure you are able to tolerate food before they shove you out the door. good luck!
While I agree that getting out quickly is better for avoiding hospital-borne infections, I understand your dilemma. When I was in my early 20s, before I developed UC, I had an emergency removal of my gallbladder. I didn't have family and friends in the town where I was and I was being pushed out of the hospital the next day, before I felt I was ready. The magic words that changed things was when I said, "I don't think I will be able to take care of myself." And bingo, I was granted another day. Oddly, I developed an infection and ended up staying a few more days. ;-/
You will need to advocate for yourself in a big way if you really don't feel ready. Speak up, loudly and firmly. Good luck.