So what happens when a patient wakes up after having surgery and is unable to communicate their needs, wants or concerns? Here’s one guys experience:
I woke up after having brain surgery. My head obviously still swollen, I was able to blurt some grunt-like sounds, but clearly nothing that remotely resembled a sentence. Thank god my family was there to communicate for me when I needed. But as night came, and it was time for them to go, I became increasingly worried that if a situation arose, I would be unable to communicate my thoughts.
Well just what I wished wouldn’t happen, happened. The nurse came to give me medication. One of which I thought I was allergic to and would have a violent reaction. Still having trouble with my speech I wanted to say very clearly, “No, I think I’m allergic to that medicine, would you call my mother and just run it by her”, but all I could get out was an emphatic “no”; repeatedly, it was just “no, no, no”. The nurse asked me what was wrong, but that’s all that I could blurt out. (I felt like Lassie ther for a second. lol) It was really very frustrating and scary not being able to say what I wanted to say. So after 15 minutes going back and forth with the nurse and going nowhere, I gave up.
I guess my head was still too swollen at the time to realize the florescent red band on my foot read “allergic to medication” a hint that this stuff is probably written down in my chart somewhere.
Nonetheless, it’s was a very, very scary and downright traumatic experience feeling your life is at stake and not really being able to do anything about it.
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