Ascension Saint Thomas Medical Partners Nashville Women's Health — Local services in Nashville-Davidson

I had a hysterectomy on 1/20/25 at ascension. My doctor, Melanie Dunn was amazing. But the after care for the 2 nights (especially the first night post surgery) was extremely disappointing. I think if I hadn’t had 2 previous c-sections (very similar abdominal surgeries) at the same hospital and had such a wonderful experience maybe I would have thought my time during the hysterectomy was normal…but I had such wonderful care on the maternity floor and the nurses were so amazing and fantastic that it was extremely jarring to have had the experience that I had. I woke up in so much pain and alone in the recovery room. Later, I found out that the doctor had told my husband he would have been able to come back and sit with me- but they never even called him to give him an update- hours after I got out of surgery and he had already spoken to the doctor her finally had to find a number for the recovery room and call to check on me. Meanwhile, I woke up alone and in extreme pain. I know they did give me SOME pain meds- but when I said, I am in pain they said to me “well, you just woke up from surgery, did you think it wouldn’t be painful?”. I was there for hours. The woman working the whole room by herself sat at the desk 20 feel away from me and at one point asked another nurse if she could help and the other nurse (seeming very frustrated with her) said “it looks like you are doing fine by yourself” and moved on. I heard the phone call my husband made. I laid there, 20 feel away, knowing that the lady at the desk was talking to my husband and telling him what great care I was being given…meanwhile I was writhing in pain unable to speak. Finally, about 3 hours after I had been in there ,they wheeled me to my room where they told my mom and my husband to meet us. When we got there and I couldn’t do anything but grab their hands and squeeze because I was in so much pain I couldn’t talk- my husband requested more pain meds for me. The recovery room nurses said it was my floor nurses responsibility. The floor nurses said it was the recovery rooms responsibility. I felt like a pawn being played between the two departments. Meanwhile, I continued to be in pain. My mom eventually went home, but my husband stayed with me over the next 2 days- he felt like if he left me, I would have no advocate for myself and they would not take care of me. Which I also believe would have been true. I feel so bad for anyone on that floor who was there without a family member bc I know they were most likely neglected. They finally got me on a morphine drip- I was to have a 4 hour dose (30 of whatever measurement they use) be distributed every 10 minutes. It ran out after 2 and a half hours. When my husband asked what was going on they said they couldn’t get me more yet- he said how much was in each hit- they said 2 of the measurement. He asked how many hits I had, they said 9. He said that adds up to 18- not 30- so she didn’t get all the medicine she needed. They told him that it was very complicated math. He said- I just did it in my head so it shouldn’t me that complicated. It took them another hour and a half to refill my meds. Obviously I never got ahead of the pain. I was nauseous from the anesthesia so I was throwing up- nobody wouldn’t answer my husband’s call to the desk via my bed, or help clean me up- the throw up wasn’t much/ just spit- but it was still gross and after abdominal surgery and very painful to throw up. Finally the next morning when the nausea subsided and I could swallow pills- my doctor came in to visit and switched me from a morphine drip to pills. That was life changing because then I wasn’t as dependent on the nursing staff and finally able to sleep. That day I was finally able to get the pain under control and move forward. I left early the filling morning and couldn’t have gotten out of there fast enough. Happy to discuss further/ my husband took notes so feel free...

My experience here was awful. When I made my appointment, the woman on the phone told me I would have my first ultrasound done at the appointment (she told me where it would be done and how much it would cost) and also all of my first labs. When I arrived, I waited almost an hour (there was one other person in the waiting room) and then went back to what looked like a prison hospital exam room, just to be told I would only be having a Pap smear and that the woman I spoke to on the phone lied. I should’ve walked out at that point. All the documents they made me fill out looked like they had been typed up on Microsoft Word. Not professional at all. Same with the documents they sent me home with. They told me I wouldn’t be able to get an ultrasound but, because I was upset, they would try to squeeze me in. When I asked the front desk worker when the next available ultrasound was, she said in two weeks. I left. What a joke of an establishment. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the medical records department. I submitted a request to have my records released to my new doctor and two weeks later they claim “they must have missed the request.” When I called them, they said a third-party handles their medical records. Why make something so important that should also be simple...

It’s too long, to detained!! When a patient is over 70yrs you need to simplify these questions. Box them under categories, with little boxes that they can check off. Not all of us have computers and printers!! I would of preferred that you just sent me the paperwork for me to fill out and bring with me or take back with me‼️ I understand that we at this age are babyboomers but not all of us are computer literate! I did not list any of my meds or my allergies, as I have quite a few, but I will bring the list with me! Thank you for taking up my time for 1 hr that it took to fill this out as the printing is so very small as I do not have a computer, Sheila D Waddell! BTW. you didn’t state what time that I’m suppose...