Paul, they said I could not use a taxi or public transportation, so I arrange for a transport through Medicaid. The lady at the pre-op said that it has to be someone that knows me and can keep an eye on me for the next 12 hours. I told her my husband was at home to do that but would not be coming to the hospital. She was not happy with that - said 'you must have a friend that would come don't you, everyone has someone'. I wanted to smack her! So, I will make him go with me and hope he doesn't get restless and wander around getting lost. Good grief - it is 5 miles between the hospital and home. The person driving me will know if something happens in those few minutes to turn around and go back to the hospital.
I have told them I will not allow them to use Versed to put me out. When I told the doctor's office that in February they were not happy. The lady at pre-op agreed that she would not let them use it either. There are other things they can use besides drugs that are known to cause memory problems.
I suspect many anesthesiologists prefer to knock out the patient rather than simply sit date. Just make sure that you're using the form of transport that Medicaid will pay for both ways. When my wife had to go to the hospital two months ago and needed medical transport in both directions, it ended up not paying for transportation back to her ALF.