Underwear during surgery?

Exactly my point. Thank you for your comment. And on another note, my neighbor told me that while 'under', she actually felt the pain of surgery and heard some of the comments from the surgical team. I have heard of this before, but never directly. I shudder to think...

So help me stand up for patient rights. What do you say?

You may sound like a proessional but you are not. If a person comes to the physician you work under & surgery is found to be necessary but the person is in a state of extreme anxiety (or anxiety at all), how will it benefit the procedure to operate on an ill at heart person? I so believe that you do NOT have the right to remove undergarments from anyone, same sex or not, if they forbid it. It is laughable that you think Betadine or anything else staining the undies that the person is wearing (in hopeful desperation to stay covered/protected) would bother them. Forget the catheter, that's why God had someone invent Depends. I have never known a baby who died from having a soiled diaper on over night. I think I'd live through a 2-3 hour surgery until I can wake up and take off my own maybe-maybe not soiled diaper. It should be MY decision because isn't it, after all, MY surgery? MY modesty? MY money that I'M paying you! And, I am not stupid enough to wear a bra with metal OR straps while undergoing a shoulder surgery. I simply - and ONLY - want my modesty respected. And then you mentioned underwear getting "caught up and twisted" during the transfer to the operating table...are you for real? I mean really for real? How could that happen in the "profesonal" world? I mean really, in my childhood seance games, and there were only a few, 4 to 6 kids used their fingers to levitate another child (didn't we all do it in fun at least once?). Nobody ever once got any of their clothing "caught up and twisted". Then the mere mention of your next statement makes my skin crawl! You said that if a patient has to be laid on their stomach for a long surgery the nurse has to check the position of the breasts and the penis/testicles to make sure they are positioned equaly under the patient and not twisted so thay could be damaged by the weight of the body on them for a long period. My sports bra will keep my breasts smooshed up and in place just fine. Further, take your X-ray of my lungs if they don't sound right. I have had X-rays, & MRIs both, fully clothed. How is surgery any different in this respect? And, OMG, how dare you humiliate me by exposing my nakedness (against my well known wishes) so that you may save your collected surgical team's ass by checking your possible negligence in an otherwise unnecessary X-ray!? I'm done with you. I just can't comment on the rest except to say that you must truly have a horrid bedside manner because while reading your post I sence that you 'number' people. Good luck in your carreer.

I have never had a problem being naked under the standard hospital robe. I can understand someone who has been abused having some issues with it, and hopefully they will find a doctor who can work around it if needed.

Still, underwear in surgury is probably not the best thing for your health, and we were born naked so it is not sin to be naked. Doctors are professionals and so I don't think it is an issue

Im being allowed to wear surgical shorts because i refused surgery if i cant cover my bottom

Im having surgery for gall bladder an they want you naked but i refuse so surgical shorts it is im allowed to wear or no surgery!

The OR is a sterile place, and with your bra on there's a huge chance of infection. Forget losing the use of your arm, you'd lose your arm if there was an infection. If you end up losing your arm because that doctor lets you wear a bra (which btw you are covered the whole time anyways) then he could lose his license and end up paying thousands of dollars. It's a liability. If you want to use your arm then you need to choose what is more important, having a total stranger who will never see or remember you again see your boob for 10 seconds, or be pain free and get use of your arm. I understand the anxiety with your abuse background but there comes a point when it's necessary to do what you may be uncomfortable with. I had to have my appendix removed with emergency surgery and I couldn't wear underwear because the needed to cath me for my own well being. It was semi embarrassing, but I'm not dead or in pain

there is no reason to remove your underwear unless you are having a urilogical or proctological procedure.

 it is all about convenience for the doctors and nurses.

Your convenience will NOT come at the cost of my dignity!

Read more here: http://madmanbanterings.blogspot.com/2014/07/human-dignity-08-i-am-professional-and.html

infection argument is BS.

PROOF:

Consider the the standard procedure for prepping a patient for all surgery, including outpatient: naked wearing only a gown, wheeled into the OR on a gurney. Consider what LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah did as part of their overhaul of healthcare delivery in 1998:

SOME PATIENTS were especially bothered to spend half the day without underwear -- for shoulder surgery, say. Ms. Lelis was convinced this longstanding practice was meaningless as a guard against infection, persisting only as the legacy of a culture that deprived patients of control. "If you're practically naked on a stretcher on your back," she says, "you're pretty subservient." The nurses persuaded an infection-control committee to scrap the no-underwear policy unless the data exposed a problem; they have not. Source: The Wall Street Journal

I've had knee a couple knee arthroscopies , surgical breast biopsy and shoulder arthroscopy. For all procedures the surgeons allowed underwear. My orthopedic surgeon tells patients to leave underwear on for all procedures except ones where it is not possible. For breast biopsy the surgeon allows it if you ask. Agree, no reason to take underwear off for many procedures. Knee procedures did use a tourniquet and electrocautry pad was applied all with underwear on. For shoulder arthroscopy (bicep tenodesis) I had regional anesthesia and was awake. The was no exposure of my breasts. Anesthesiolgist reached under gown to connect monitoring devices. Shoulder snaps were unbuttoned to expose surgical area, gown and blanket were pushed down just covering my breast and drapping was applied. If I was out I'm guessing there would have been a bit more exposure but probably not much.

Patients should be given the option of purchasing disposable underwear that is easily removed if needed. What is the big deal to OR staff if it makes the patient feel better. Obviously, no underwear for certain cases.

As a patient who has multiple surgeries I feel better when I know the details. For me there is much less anxiety if I know my gown will be removed and a warming blanket will be placed on my chest during a knee or gyn procedure. Patients don't always know what to ask but assuming all patients don't like details is a mistake.

For patients if you are up for being awake (no sedation) during surgery I recommend it when possible. You can see how professional the OR staff is and many times you can watch the proceedure. Ask your surgeon before the day of surgery and ask for an anesthesia consult before as well. You won't have many options if you wait until the day of.

I'm getting knee surgery tomorrow. I'm 15 years old and I feel VERY uncomfortable not being able to wear underwear. For Christs sakes, I'm a minor. I don't give a c**p if you ruin my underwear, I just know I don't want anyone (especially since it's a male surgeon) to see my junk. I honestly don't care if they see anything else. Just, let me wear my underwear!!

print this out and give it to the nurses and the surgeon:

http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/course/opns430/modules/operations_strategy/nurses.pdf

you can keep your underwear on!

You can't wear undergarments in surgery because it's a CLEAN environment. You also can't wear a bra because you could get burns on your skin from the material used to make your bra. They use electrocautery in surgery, any metal and you will burn yourself. Hence, the no jewelry rule. Rules are rules.

Then if it is a clean environment, the surgeons and nurses should only have a gown on also and no underwear. This is a total fallacy. It is only for the convenience of the surgical team. If something goes wrong (which is the other false argument), what little clothing that a patient has on (to protect their dignity and mental well being) can be removed within 5 seconds. If you have ever witnessed a trauma team, you would know what I am talking about. Depending on the surgery and location of the surgery, in most cases, a patient CAN wear a bra. A bandeau bra is the best choice since it is only a piece of cloth, it also allows for the placing of leads and auscultation. It is this king of paternalistic, dinosaur thinking that is being eliminated from healthcare by things such as the ACA (via patient satisfaction). Healthcare providers need to realize that they are (mostly) in the role of healthcare advisers. When they need to act, in cases such as surgery, the patient is a customer and they are providing a service that requires an element of customer satisfaction. Resistance to this modern thinking is only going to result in things becoming more difficult for providers.

I've been reading this for a while and I'm sort of amused as I just don't see the problem. If you are uptight about it I think they will make allowances for that. I had heart bypass years ago and what I was wearing or not wearing in surgery was something I never thought about. There was a funny incident before I went in when they sent a teeny bopper in to give me a full body shave. She began on my back as the gown I was wearing opened in the back so she had me lie on my stomach first. Then she had me remove it and lie on my back. She started up top and when she reached my waist she noticed my genitals were not covered so she said "we need some modesty here" and placed a folded towel over me. Then she peeled it aside to shave under it which nearly got me laughing. She forgot to replace it as she went on down my legs. I wasn't awake when they inserted the catheter which was OK with me. I suppose I can guess at the jokes that could have transpired. "look everybody we have a foreskin here" "Oh it's a little wrinkly one" I really don't give a s**t. Well I guess I do as I'd prefer they were in a good mood. It's not a big thing to me, I've known what girls look like since about the age of 5 when my playmates were all girls and we all knew what we looked like. We played in the lawn sprinkler in the summer in our underwear. It seems that cotton underpants don't stay up well when wet and they quickly got stepped out of. They also liked to watch when I stepped behind a bush to pee. They were intrigued by the fact that I could aim it, while I tried to figure out where it came out when they peed.

The problem is that they are lying when they say it is for a clean environment, it is for their convenience. So do you want a surgeon or nurse that lies to you?