Waiting on hospital appointment mail

glitterIsland

My GP referred me to the hospital for a test a few months ago. I was on a waiting list since then.

I got a call last week from the hospital giving me an appointment for next week.

He went through the procedure with me on the phone - the diet before the procedure, what to avoid eating, the day before prep day - fasting except for clear liquids.

He was due to send me mail in the post that would include more details and a prescription. That was last Thursday.

There's been no mail since then to me. I know Monday was a Bank Holiday but I got some national mail since Tuesdays. Two of them was orders from this week. So the mail is operating as normal.

I'm anxious that this mail is kow gone astray. Or will I leave or another day to see if it shows up in the mail.

What do I do if the mail doesn't show up on time?

Gremlinertia

Go to the appointment as scheduled, they already have you on the system at the hospital, bring any documentation or an id that you think might be relevant..

glitterIsland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118427967#Comment_118427967

This won't be possible without the mail that was promised to be said was going to be sent to me. The doctor said there was sending a prescription to me for laxatives. I'm booked in for two scopes - one of the colon and one of the stomach. I do need the details in the mail.

Strumms

Call the department in the Mater and tell them what you are telling us… they will advise what the appropriate course of action is..

https://www.mater.ie/contact/directory/

glitterIsland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118427967#Comment_118427967

I need to know what the details are as well. I will be sedated for the procedures. I wo t be able to drive. I need to know if they will let me home on my own in a taxi or of I need to organise a chaperone.

Supercell

Ring the hospital/consultants secretary asap. If its a colonoscopy and gastroscopy you are getting then you'll need to get the prescription for stuff to flush out your system the day before, its unpleasant but necessary to see what going on inside. They should be able to send the prescription directly to your pharmacy and the package will come with instructions.

My recommendation from having both done on a single day before is to ask for sedation if they offer it to you. The gastroscopy was quite quick for me but the colonoscopys took a lot more time were unpleasant and quite painful (for me). I've had a good few colonoscopy's (Ulcerative Colitis sufferer) and this has been true for every one of them where i wasnt sedated (i toughed through three of them before deciding to accept the inevitable).

glitterIsland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428214#Comment_118428214

My hospital isn't the Mater. My hospital is in Galway.

I will see if the mail comes tomorrow and if not I will phone then..

Gremlinertia

Remember to call well before four as phones often not answered after that while they look after administration.

glitterIsland

How far in advance do they send the prescription?

I need to see of my local chemist can fulfill the prescription. Failing that I'm left with an online prescription service.

glitterIsland

He said he was sending me moviprep. Did anyone here have that stuff before?

glitterIsland

I need to do a grocery shop on Saturday so I would like to have some idea as to what I will need for the prep and what to avoid in the lead up.

I think I need to avoid red stuff and I can have clear liquids. If the mail does 8 come in time do I plan around that?

Maybe crates of 1L bottled water for mixing. Coconut water for the clear liquid prep day.

messrs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428218#Comment_118428218

Generally if you have been sedated you will need someone to pick you up - they dont normally let you leave on your own. At least that was the case any time I got scopes done. If post doesnt arrive contact them and ask them to email the prescription to your chemist and then you can pick it up from there once they have it ready

glitterIsland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428473#Comment_118428473

I will need to organise a lift this weekend.

Hopefully it will all go well.

glitterIsland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428473#Comment_118428473

Do you usually get mail and an information pack containing the details of such?

I hope the mail will come tomorrow. The doctor I was talking to, double checked my address on the file and I gave him my eircode so I presume it should be coming to me.

glitterIsland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428473#Comment_118428473

I presume all of this information will be included in the mail that was supposed to be sent to me. Like the length of the procedures. How long I will be waiting for etc.

Thats why I need the mail. I'm going in with my eyes completely closed.

messrs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118428607#Comment_118428607

Its been a couple of years since I have had one done. I just remember receiving the prescription for the moviprep to drink over the course of the previous 24hours and not been allowed to eat any food at all. All the information you need should be included in the instructions you receive

suds1984

Get onto to the hospital - if the mail hasn’t come - they can email / fax the prescription to the pharmacy so you can collect there. You wouldn’t have been the first time this has happened, things get lost in post/ mislaid by patient/ maybe never posted in error. It’s in the hospitals interest to ensure that you are prepped properly for the procedure as well so will get you sorted.

glitterIsland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118431402#Comment_118431402

Are the instructions on the medicine/laxatives or do the instructions come by mail?

I got a phone call and that all I got. He ran through a few things with me about fasting the day before and having a clear liquid diet and the prep stuff. That's all the information I know.

I know more information from Facebook groups and reading online. It's recommended to not eat red food stuffs in the days before the procedure because sometimes that can linger and look like blood/inflammation. I really wasn't told any of this stuff. I found a pdf document online from a hospital in the Midlands where they instruct their patients going for these procedures to bring a dressing gown and slippers. I don't even know if I need to bring this stuff with me. I got no mail with instructions. I presumed I would have got some mail like an information letter in the post after our call. He checked my address over our call. There was no mail over the past week.

I rang the hospital but they are not concerned that I didn't get the mail and I am to phone back the day before the prep is due to start if I don't get the mail.

It's leaving me high and dry and leaving it to the last minute for me and that's not fair. What if my schedule gets too intense next week and I can't make it to the chemist on time or what if my local chemist doesn't have the medicine in stock? There's so many variables and it's not fair leaving it to the last minute.

glitterIsland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118431467#Comment_118431467

The mail never came. I rang the hospital this morning but the nurse wasn't concerned that I didn't get the mail yet. Its leaving me high and dry with only a week away to the procedures. I presumed I would have received some sort of an information letter at some point before now and after our call but that never happened.

I think I will be sedated but I don't know if I will be and I know I won't be allowed to drive and I don't know if I should be organising a chaperone at this stage to help me or of I will be allowed home in a taxi. I have no information except for a date and time of the procedures, a clear liquid diet the day before along with a prescription for laxatives somewhere.

glitterIsland

The nurse on the phone said to phone back next week if I don't have the mail by Wednesday.