Seriously Docs...how do we get your attention???

Warren..had the urology consult...had the stoma nurse consult..orders written....problem lies with the inexperience of these nurses. Unless you're at a major urological center or bladder cancer center they just don't see enough of these diversions and really don't know what to expect. They figure that all those fluids going into you won't all go to the bladder diversion as you've been without fluids since 12 the following evening. So even with orders written instructions were not followed.
Pat

Patricia wrote:As far as the increased output, they load you with IV fluids during surgery.
As for the rest, perhaps insisting on a urology consult to get some doctor orders for your care on the chart might help. That shouldn't be necessary, but it might help.

This is a great post to start. I made a comment a while back about standing up for yourself with the Dr. and should have started a new thread with it.
I had the same problem when I was first diagnosed with bc. The Dr. was nice and clinical about it all, but I felt as though he had talked like this to every patient....totally detached.

I am used to spouting off my mouth when I have an issue. My mantra has been "I will NOT be a Doormat" Soo...... I said "Dr. We need to talk about who I am and what I have yet to accomplish" When I made myself clear enough, he warmed up a little and felt a little more personal. He must have felt as if it was important because he wrote a big paragraph in his file on me.
Since that time, I have felt a change in the way he talks to me. He even went so far as to schedule my 15 month checkup very early in the am so we could have a long chat.

I am a big proponant of "selling myself" to the Dr. We should always be aware that the information about our health can get lost in the system.

George

I agree...we have to come up with something to prevent saggy pouches, neo's or possible rupture.

On a recent post I also mentioned that I became hypertensive during my five hour brain surgery. Whoever is responsible for the catheter failed to notice I had little outflow.

Someone though thankfully had the idea of flushing the catheter and got a 1500cc bag full. Hypertension resolved!!

During post care I had to explain to many nurses exactly what to do in the care of my catheter.

One nurse flushed my neo with saline and retracted and the spout was full of mucus and then to my amazement decided to push it all back in. I had to explain the point was to get the mucus out as it would just block the catheter again.

Somehow we need to get stoma nurses involved prior to surgery to write up instructions for the after care nurses. Especially when having other surgeries and not on a Urology ward.

Leigh..

Great question, Pat! I am constantly amazed whenever my Dad (who has the ileal conduit) had to be hospitalized and the nurses just stared blankly at him when he mentioned "urostomy". I can't tell you how many times the nurses would say things like, "How long have you had your ileostomy?" Or, "how often do you have to empty your colostomy?" It is almost as if they had never seen or even heard of a urostomy! Many times they would ask Dad if he needed to "go to the restroom to empty his bladder." And, try to get additional pouches or wafers when you are in the hospital... Yikes! It's like you are ordering parts for the space shuttle. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to explain something they can't see.

Wasn't sure where to post this but i've been noticing a surge of other surgeries where no matter how much we explain our particular devise whether it be neobladder or Indiana what the docs and nurses hear is "neo..blah, blah, blah...indian?blah , blah, blah".........YA THINK? I actually had a meeting with Rita the stoma nurse and showed her my cute little stoma and how far to place it and if it should stop flowing to irrigate it with about 30cc of saline..i even brought my own saline.
Well they did the foley and were ever so proud to get 70cc's out..........huh......give me the cath.....and i got another 550cc out!! And i'm a lucky one as it was a short surgery and hopefully do not have a floppy bladder from just that amount. And for some reason the rest of the day and following days i sprewed out over 3000cc's each day...a record for me. I think i was drowning and didn't know it!
Any ideas?
Pat