I knew that there was something wrong and that it wasn’t going away so went to a local GP that afternoon and was given a letter for the hospital ED.
I feel it must have been clear that it was an appendix issue and this would need to be removed, because I was put on a pathway towards surgery and moved through the hospital smoothly. Processes happened around me and the surgical team saw me after I had been prepared for surgery on the ward. There was no unexpected delay and surgery happened in the afternoon and I spent a night on the ward, recovering from the anaesthetic and starting my surgery recovery.
I was discharged to home the next day and in my own bed by the afternoon. I was in the hospital for about 42 hours. It was a seamless and reassuring experience for someone with significant anxiety about healthcare.
There were two aspects of my care that were significant.
1. I came out of the anaesthetic very distressed. I was later told this is a recognised thing known as ‘emergence agitation’, which made sense once I was aware of it. There may be a case for adding this to the information given about anaesthetic reactions, so that it may be a bit less terrifying.
2. I felt the night staff were noisy and disrespectful, socialising and calling out in the corridor, making sleep impossible for me. Even when asked to not be noisy, it still continued.
"Urgent appendix removal"
About: Royal Perth Hospital / General Surgery & Ward 6H Royal Perth Hospital General Surgery & Ward 6H Perth 6000
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