Return of the Outraged Patient

Yes, she made a second appearance. Only this time, it was after surgery. Yes, surgery for this stupid kidney stone. So, let's go to the start of this ordeal....friday, last two hours of work I thought I just might die right there (killer hurt since 5 am with no relief from painkillers and my urine output was decreased and there was some pain with that). I talked to the doc's office and he called in an Rx to take care of the burning, so I get it, take it....good for about 30 minutes. Then the pain is getting worse, I start crying and throwing up....family comes to the rescue. After talking to the doctor's office again, we decide to go to the ER....feeling like I might die right there, but trying not to look like it and keep the tears behind the eyes. Fast forward....sister-in-law to the rescue, I'm admitted to the hospital. I get in my room, my IV is put in (on the inner side of my forearm....the worst place possible), throw up a few more times, talk to the first doc who tells me that my Urologist has put me on the surgical schedule for 9:30 the next morning. I say whatever, just fix me...I can't take this anymore. I see my Urologist...he tells me what he will do, which doesn't sound pleasant (a scope up in me to get to the stone)....but I say whatever, just fix me. He says to let him know if I pass the stone before the morning (duh....if I can avoid surgery, that sounds fabulous). Now, this is where my bad luck catches up with me. Around 4 or 5 am I go to the restroom...not sure if I passed it, but it looks like I may have (they had a little bucket thing set up) and I can't tell if I feel any different because I've got so many painkillers going through me. The PCA comes in and I tell her what's up....she goes to get a strainer to check. The nurse comes in....I tell her the same thing, she looks at it and DUMPS IT OUT....without straining it!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH! DID THAT JUST HAPPEN? As I lay in my bed I think, crap....what do I do now? What if that was it in there....now am I going to have to have a pointless surgery? Shawn saw it too, so it wasn't just my imagination. I ask the nurse who dumped it out over and over if she was sure it wasn't in there...she kept saying she didn't think so and there didn't look like anything in there was a kidney stone. So, then I start to ask if I will be able to talk to my Urologist before the surgery...she says she doesn't know, ugh. Anywho, I do get to talk to the Urologist before the surgery and Shawn and I tell him what happened (the urine didn't get strained like it was ordered to) and he says he isn't for sure if that was it or not, but he would rather do the surgery and be on the safe side.....ok, I can accept that at this point-just to be on the safe side. In a perfect scenario, he would have ordered a quick CAT Scan and seen that the stone was actually gone and sent me home on my merry way. However, that is NOT what happened. They take me down for pre-op and the whole time I'm thinking "please don't let that nurse have dumped the stone and I really have to go through this for no reason." I go into the OR, get on the operating table....they put me under....I wake up in recovery and hear someone on the phone talking about me, I'm pretty sure. Anywho, I get back to my room a couple of hours after I left for surgery....and Shawn tells me that the doc told him they didn't find anything in there, so what the nurse dumped out had the stone it in. So, now I'm in a whole different type of pain and I find out this was pointless.....this is where the outraged patient makes her second appearance....saying I was mad (and still am mad) is the biggest understatement EVER! I had to go through this because someone didn't do their job....expensive, painful, and unnecessary surgery. I'm sure the doctor realizes this too...so, I'm not alone in my annoyed state. Time and money were wasted b/c someone didn't do their job. I feel like I should complain somewhere, but I don't even know where to begin. If this never happens to me again, my life will be a happy one. I've always heard about mistakes being made in hospitals that cost the patient unnecessary pain and money....I just never thought I would be one of those. Shawn and my sister-in-law told me that the Urologist may have wanted to do the surgery anyway just to check things out and make sure there wasn't any damage done since it had been lodged in there for so long....it's a nice thought, but it doesn't change how irritated I am.