What's become of hospital care?

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One week ago, I had surgery in an excellent hospital. At least it always was, when I've been there for other operations and treatments. They have a new unit for follow-up after surgery, called Short Stay. Patients are supposed to be there for 23 hours so they can be billed as out-patients. It felt like I'd stepped back in time to some sort of small-town no-tech facility. First, I have a very severe latex allergy, and I can't even be in the same room with it. As soon as I came out of anaesthesia, I was choking on my swollen tongue, and I begged the speaker (no nurse came) to get the latex out of the room and give me a shot of epinephrine NOW, or I'd die. The speaker said they'd try to find someone. I had to yank out the IV to get to my purse to get the shots I always carry, because nobody came. There was a message board that gave a number to call if nurses were needed, but there was no answer. I had to call the surgeon's office to finaly get help. Since his office is in the hospital complex, one of the office nurses came, searched the room and took away the open box of latex gloves that had almost killed me, then she stayed to monitor me until I was back to normal. About an hour later, someone brought the liquid lunch I was expected to drink (the surgery was on my dislocated jaw, so I can't eat solids). There was not a single thing on the tray I could drink, because I'm diabetic and it was all heavily sugared stuff. When I asked the woman deliivering trays if I could have a diabetic tray, she said a regular tray was ordered for me, so she couldn't give mme anything else. I tried to reach a nurse by phone, got no answer again, and leaned again and again on the emergency call button. A nurse finally showed up, and tried to convince me I'm not diabetic. After almost half a century of diabetes, somebody found a CURE!!! Then she said a little sugar here and there never hurt anyone. I asked her to take away the tray and went back to sleep. The same thing happened at dinner, so I asked for a couple of cups of coffee, some sweetener and cream, figuring I'd drink it black if they screwed up. They got the coffee right, and brought me a club sandwich to go with it! Jaw surgery!!! When I brought that up, the nurse said she couldn't speak English, even though we'd been having a very nice conversation in perfectly good English until that sandwich showed up. No, I did not yell or get sarcastic, or act up in any way. I had enough trouble getting attention when I was nice, so I feared bodily harm if I were rude. I asked where the restroom was, and it was down the hall and around two right turns! I didn't know they had any rooms without bathrooms in them. Since it was in use, I had to wait. and wait. and wait. By the time I finally got in there I was sure I'd be soiling myself, and glad it was their "nightgown", not mine. Being a little disoriented from a ton of drugs, I couldn't find my room. A nurse I tracked down told me I was supposed to have somebody with me If I were a special needs patient. I think she thought I was mentally handicapped or stupid. I was just on a lot of drugs and in a lot of pain, and I didn't know where to make left turns to compensate for the right turns I'd made to get there. She laughed and talked to me as if I were a backwards three year-old. When my friend came to pick me up to go home after the doctor signed the releases, the nurse told her it was really a bad idea to allow mentally impaired people to be alone in the hospital, and that she should stay woth me at home! Many of you know, I'm absurdly overeducated, an in no way impauired. Surgery does involve a lot of drugs, though. Should I ever need surgery again, I plan to ask the doctor to make it a couple of days' stay so I can gt real hospital care. I know there are a lot of cut-backs and shortages, but I really think a unit made for people to wake up after surgery should do a better job. Do you agree, or should I just be glad I survived? Thanks for letting me rant, my friends. I'm looking forward to the incisions closing enough for me to go back to work!