Operation day

Hi everyone if you read my last blog post you would have seen that yesterday was operation day. Let me take you through the day. 

To start with I had to be at the hospital for 7am but we ended up getting there for 6:20 but the doors were locked so me and mum walked into the little town to get a few bits in the spar shop. I picked up a few magazines to keep me entertained while I was waiting even though I took my iPad which is connected to the staff wifi as it was done in the trust I work for. 

We took a slow walk back up to the hospital and got back there for around 6:50 and the doors were open, by this point I was teasy because I was thirsty but also desperate for the toilet. I was nil by mouth from midnight but could drink clear fluids until 630. We went in to the hospital and I dashed for a wee jaha and my mum booked me in. I was greeted along side another lady who was also having another type of operation by the theatre practitioner who was lovely she took me and the other lady in and seated us in separate bays. 

I was told I was first on the list due to a latex allergy which suited me fine. She went through all my health questions such as about allergies, medication, my teeth, hearing And vision. She was pleased that I was pretty much healthy apart from some allergies. She put 2 hospital bands on. One one right arm and one on my left ankle. 

Here's a picture of my band on my arm 

She the asked me to go and get changed into a hospital gown, my dressing gown and my slippers. She then escorted me into another room where there was other ladies waiting for surgery as well. In turn we were all called to meet our anaesthetist, I could not fault my anaesthetist one bit he put my mind at rest by going through the anaesthetic options with me he said he would put a nerve block in my arm which I ideally needed to be awake for so I could feel if the needle was touch the right places. He suggested that it could be done under sedation which I chose and the main surgery would be done under general anaesthetic which was what I wanted. Not long after I met the anaesthetist I seen my surgeon who is amazing. Up till yesterday he wasn't sure what he was going to do as he had two options we mutually decided that the trapeziectomy with tendon arthroscopy would be the most beneficial to me. I signed and got a copy and of the consent form and went back into the room with all my stuff. Not long after the nurse came in with a cup of water saying I could now have clear fluids until 10am as he was going to move me to last on his list so he could get his little minor surgeries done first. I wasn't bothered I was just really grateful for the drink. The nurse told me I could  change back in to my pjs and I had bought a new set of pjs to go into hospital which were minions. 

The bottoms are also minions 

And I had my panda slippers but I didn't take a picture of them. The morning went on and watched some videos on YouTube catching up on my subscriptions on there. The nurse told my mum that i wasn't going down until after lunch so she went and go the bus in the town about 20 minutes down the road. At about 115 the nurse came In asked me to get changed for theatre again so back into the gown and dressing gown again 

Then the porter and nurse both checked my ID bands against my notes and the porter walked me around to theatre and handed me over to another lovely nurse. Who checked who I was again and took me into where the anaesthetist was. He then also checked my id bands against the notes. They went through the who checklist then the nurse attached me to the monitors such as the blood pressure machine and the pulseometer and took my temperature. The anaesthetist the put a tourniquet around my arm to access my veins as a platelets donor my Venus access is brilliant so he had no problems getting a cannula in place. He tested that it was working with some saline before putting in the sedation drug. That made my head go all woozy and the sho came in the help with the nerve block. They used an ultrasound machine to locate the nerves easier he used a massive needle and electrical pulses to test the nerves. It was the weirdest feeling ever. After he's put the block in and was happy they put a massive tourniquet around the top of my arm so that they can reduce the blood flow so I don't bleed out. He then started putting the anaesthetic in while the nurse was holding my hand and that was the last thing I remember until I woke up 3 hours later. My arm was numb and it still is now. When I was well enough I was taken back around to the main day case unit again. The nurse helped me get dressed into my minions again and he gave me some toast and jam and a carton of ribena. I hate toast but it tasted amazing she did it just right. Another nurse came over with my discharge paperwork and all my information leaflets and sick note for work. She game me my tablets and pain killers and said that I could go when my lift arrived. I couldn't fault any of the staff with the way they looked after me. And here's my poor little arm now for 8 weeks 

Sorry for the long winded post 

Thank you for reading 

Lauren xox