Time at hospital

[Katie]

Dillon had his surgery on Tuesday and we went home Friday evening. We ended up back in there Friday night for another day because he was vomiting and not holding down foods (he ended up being just fine, his tummy just didn't like the meds). We were initially told 4 to 5 days on average.
This gets me to wondering, why do they send these kids home so quickly? Don't get me wrong, I know they do fine going home quickly, but I'm curious. I just remember Dillon's CFS mentioning that back when he first started doing these surgeries, the child usually stayed in the hospital 3 weeks to a month. Do you think they go home that quick because insurance limits the days they will pay for in the hospital, or because they heal better at home? Both maybe?

[laurensmom]

She had her surgery on Monday and by Wednesday they were kicking us out of the PICU and telling us we could go home if we wanted to. We insisted on staying till Friday. Thursday they encouraged us to go home but once again we said not until Friday, so we were sent packing by 8am Friday.

[craniomommynbaby]

Katie,

I was under the impression that first the hospital needed the bed and then they just thought we would all feel better at home. I did feel like they were pushing us out at first, and I was very thankful that he started running a fever. The nurses were relieved that night too!

When I had my surgery, I was in the hospital for a month. I had the turban around my head, and they kept me strapped down. I would struggle and strain and move the crib all the way across the room. Apparently they kept me in a nursery some of the time. My dad luckily had a job next door and could visit my mom and me every day.

[Jennifer]

Katie....Good question on time..... Apperantly there is a 'concern' at our hospital w/ some of the nurses-- they don't all think it is necessary for the cranio babies to be in the PICU at all. (I had a very talkative nurse and the PICU happened to be exremely full that night). The main comments were the Wehby's babies do so well and really they are only on a medicine schedule that they provide....they really don't have to do anything else w/ these babies (no drain tubes, off ventalaters etc before they come there).....

I imagine insurance and home care are both parts of it....

[mom2mykidos3]

Our CFS said 12 to 24 hours in the PICU. I thought that was crazy. I want at least 24. Miriam's surgery is on a Friday so I figure they won't be able to send us home at least until Monday just because it is a weekend. Thanks for the input. I figure I will get a babysitter until Tuesday. Then maybe I will get one for Hunter, my 2 year old, for the rest of the week. I worry about him around Miriam. He isn't the gentlist boy.

[ExpatJen]

we were told 5 days but it turned out to be 8. I never thought to ask why it was longer - so many other quesitons seemed more important at the time. I guess it was because of the drains and the fact that the doctors were worried about infection (something unique to Audrey's surgery, not routine) and she had to be on antibiotics a little longer.

[snickers9246]

Well we don't have to worry about insurance issues up here and we were out after 5 days. We have medical care for everyone, no questions asked here and it's free, no cost to anyone but our government. Holly was int he Critical Care Unit (similar to your PICU) from about 4pm after the surgery til 8am the next morning. It was nice to have her in her own room to try to make things less strange for her. Not all the sounds and people, especially with her swelled shut. We could play her Einstein movies if we wanted and she could hear the music and we could talk to her and rub her arms etc. I loved having her out of the CC unit. Mind you we didn't do that for a couple of days cause she had some pressure after and they had to put her on some kind of steroid to take down the swelling, but it was nice to have the privacy I guess is what I'm saying.

[cheryl2]

I know when I had my eye operations as a child I was kept in the hospital at least a few days. When Clara had the same surgeries, she came home the same day. My parents say now they think I could have gone home sooner. Hospitals are noisy places and you have very little privacy, so I like getting out as quickly as possible. But on the other hand, it makes me nervous when they want to send her home and she is still vomiting from the anesthesia. I think doctors used to keep people in the hospital longer because they could. Now because of insurance, they are pressured to discharge people as soon as they can. That's fine with me, as long as the kids are really well enough to be taken care of at home. I would bet that even in Canada, the government health program frowns on keeping people in the hospital longer than necessary.

[plukids]

We were told 3-5 days. Sylvie was discharged on day 4 in the evening. We were in the PICU for 24 hours and then moved to peds.

Cindy, It sounds like recoveries sure have changed. Thank goodness for that. I cannot imagine what that must have been like for you.