I went alone. I wouldn't again. Not because the care was poor, but because at two in the morning in a foreign hotel room there was nobody who knew me.
Why a companion
- The first two nights after major surgery: getting up, passing water, holding your hand through the fear
- Someone who takes notes in the consent conversation, you're nervous and forget half of it
- Someone who notices something's wrong before you do
- Someone who knows what happened, once you're home
Who's suitable
An adult who's resilient, doesn't mind blood, and won't pressure you. Partner, sister, best friend, mother, whoever you can be weak in front of. Not suitable: someone who disapproves of the operation and says so the whole time.
Why not children
In the first week you can't lift, carry or get up at night. A child needs exactly that. And a child shouldn't see how you are in the first days. Arrange childcare for the trip and for at least two weeks afterwards.
If nobody can come
Then the on-site support matters even more, and so does the honest question of whether now is the right time. If nobody in your life knows about the operation, that's something I'll ask about.
Let’s talk it through, without pressure
Twenty minutes, no obligation. We start by working out whether surgery is the right step for you at all, and whether now is the right time.
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This text does not replace a surgeon’s consent conversation. Timings are typical courses, not promises; yours may differ. Ivy Beside deliberately gives no prices and names no surgeons.