If your family member is in surgery, do you have to sit in the waiting room during the operation?

Question

Please answer the question and your reason for your answer. Answer if it were a minor surgery (short in length with a very high probability of survival) and if it were a major surgery with a long duration and a 50-50 chance of survival.

I want to know that since the family member isn't medical personal, does it make a difference if they wait in the waiting room or not?

I mean do you need to stay at the hospital? Does it make a difference?

Answer 1

I've been a nurse for a long time, and contrary to the answers listed.....sitting in the waiting room doesn't mean you care more or less. Now days people have cell phones.....if the doctor needs you, he can reach you for further instructions if necessary. (operating rooms do have phones....)If a person doesn't survive the surgery, your presence doesn't change the outcome. Unfortunately, if someone dies during the procedure, they don't reverse the anesthesia prior to wake them up so you can say good bye. You would not know they expired until after the fact anyways. Does that make sense? The key is to be reachable by some method (i.e....cell phone) in case other decisions need to be discussed. It's a long stressful day to sit in the waiting room waiting for word. Take a break, stretch your legs, go for a walk, go for lunch. It doesn't mean you love the person less. But unfortunately, non medical people can be very judgmental, and you may be judged for leaving. It's most important to be there at the end of the surgery to talk with the doctor and hear the outcome. I hope that is helpful.

Answer 2

I think it would depend on a few factors:
* How close of a family member (mom vs. cousin, for example)
* How routine is the surgery?
* Do you live in town or will this require an overnight stay?

If it's a minor surgery and it's your cousin, I'd say probably not. Wait till it's over and someone calls you, go visit later.

That said, someone does need to wait in the waiting room, because the doctor will come out and explain how the surgery went and what the next steps are, and how soon the person will wake up and how they'll be feeling. The patient won't be in any condition to process this information. And this would apply whether it's major or minor surgery. SOMEONE needs to be there. I can't imagine just driving someone to the hospital, dropping them off like you'd drop off a car at the shop, and expect to pick it up when it's "fixed". I'm sure that's not what you mean tho.

With my family, we pretty much all camp out in the waiting room for each other. We go a couple at a time into pre-op to give kisses & hugs, then wait together in the room, and then when it's over, we go a couple at a time into recovery and more kisses & hugs.

That's how my family rolls!

Answer 3

I think that if it is a family member that is close or you have met before, or is dear to a parent of yours or a sibling, then you probably should be in the waiting room, especially if the rest of your family is there. And it doesn't matter if it is a small surgery, or a 50-50 chance surgery, you should still be there for them, because it isn't a check up or something small like that, doctors are going to cut part of them open, and that might frighten some people, so just be there for them to calm them down and tell them everything will be alright.

Answer 4

I'm not clear on your question, but do you mean wait in the waiting room as opposed to being in the operating room? I don't think any hospital will let you into the operating room because of the danger to the patient. Some hospitals will allow you to go into an observation room to view the surgery, but even that is very rare.
I have spent many hours in surgical waiting rooms for myriad different family members and surgeries. Most of them with a very iffy chance of survival.

Not sure why you asked this question, but hope I helped some!

Answer 5

No, it doesn't make a difference if you wait in the waiting room or not. If there are complications or the person dies, it wouldn't matter where you were.

It shows support. If anything goes wrong, you will be there to hear the details directly from the doctor.

I took a friend to have teeth pulled. She was knocked out. I waited in the waiting room so that I would be ready to take her home as soon as the doctor was finished.

My husband had quadruple heart bypass surgery. It took five hours. All his brothers and sisters were there with me. One of my best friends was there too. I can't imagine dropping someone off for surgery and going to Starbucks for a couple of hours to kill time.

Answer 6

Well, for a minor operation, you don't have to wait in the waiting room, but it sure would show the family member that you care. As for the major surgery, yes, you need to sit in the waiting room and be there for your family member.

Answer 7

When my dad was having surgery for a herniated disc, I didn't wait in the waiting room, because the surgery was going to take a while, and he wouldn't be out of the anesthesia for hours afterwards. I was back in plenty of time to sit with him when he woke up, and didn't spend hours worrying unnecessarily. So I think as long as it isn't a life threatening surgery there is no need to wait in the waiting room.

Answer 8

I would not. I would ask the medical staff how long they anticipated the operation taking, how long the patient would be in recovery. What ever they tell you, come back 45 minutes earlier. I just underwent open heart surgery and my brother who is a fashion photographer in New York was going to come down and sit during the operation and my recovery and then see me. I told him that this operation would take four to six hours, I would be in recovery for 4 hours and then be so out of it , I wouldn't even know he was there. I told him to come the next day. He asked me; What if you die on the operating table." I then told him he would have made the trip in vain!

Answer 9

Everything is a matter of personal choice,,,
The waiting room, in general, is designed to dissipate the expectable and natural anxiety of the relatives and close friends...as you correctly say. the risk or lenght of th e procedure, never is proportionate to the fear of the relatives..
Other form to dissipate fears and anxiety, is the periodical info, provided by one of the surgical residents with a brief information about how the procedure is going on....
Not an easy task (I was a surgical residents during manu years, long long time ago.).....
However, it is a metter of personal choice....
Sometimes is better to stay in the cafeteria, and take "turns" with the rest of the family, in the waiting room....that alleviates somehow the collective tension,....and you are entitled tobe informed about the progress....remember that.
Good luck to your patient,,,,
I know what it is like (believe me) both, as a doctor, and as a patient...

Answer 10

No, you don't have to sit there and wait. When I went in for heart surgery, the boss man with the knife told my wife to go shopping and come back in 3 hours.
He was done in 2 hours and it took another hour for me to wake up, but he was right and she was happy in her new outfit.
Durn, why did he tell her to go shopping.
For the minor surgeries, less then an hour, she went down to the coffee shop with a book. The surgeon paged her when he was done, and she hung out in the recovery room until I woke up. After I was settled down, she went home and fed the cats.