In Hospital For My Operation!
 

Yesterday the 9th April I was booked into Torbay Hospital for the removal of my gallbladder which I had waited 17 months for.

I got up at 6.30am had a marmalade sandwich which I made myself eat and had a couple of mugs of tea as I wasn't allowed any food or drink except water after 8am.

The Taxi was booked for 11am to take me in.

In I went and met with a Nurse who went through a few forms about this and that and put two wrist bands on me as I have allergies to certain drugs.

After waiting for 3.5hrs (I kept myself occupied with doing crosswords and word searches in a couple of books I took in).
My Consultant Surgeon came to see me, I know him very well as he has been my Consultant since 2016.
He told me that my operation had been cancelled due to the fact that there weren't any beds for me, I was gutted.
I had not been eating well let alone sleeping properly as I get really stressed over things like this, I can't help it, plus I have numerous other issues to contend with which he knows about.

So I said okay, but I will now have the operation on my terms, so I have delayed the operation until September as I don't mind being laid up then.

He said you must be hungry and got one of the Nurses make me a mug of tea and get me some ham sandwiches and a packet of crisps which I did enjoy.

The weather is going to be getting better and I have loads of things to do to my car plus a few shows to attend.

Admittedly if the operation had gone ahead I would have been extremely happy plus I wouldn't have to be on this strict low fat diet but it doesn't bother me anymore.

Yesterday wasn't a good day for the NHS! Few weeks ago I got a letter from the specialist about a liver biopsy, it advised to read the information leaflet enclosed, had to phone to get them to send one! Leaflet went on about how you need to stop some meds before the procedure, "the hospital doctor will have advised you if you have to stop any of your regular medications". Nothing about having to stop anything.

OK, went to the medical day case ward 8:30 yesterday, hung about for 90 mins or so then taken into the ward. Went through the pre procedure checks, 101 dumb questions, got them right and won a wristband! Got handed another information sheet, reading it, mentioned aspirin . . . . err, excuse me, I'm on daily aspirin and nobody mentioned stopping it! Oh, nurse went off to check. Came back, can't go ahead, the "specialist" who issued the appointment letter should have told me to stop the aspirin 7 days before the procedure . . . . brilliant. Felt sorry for the nurse (who my wife, a fellow nurse, knew) having to apologise for the idiot "specialist's" cockup.

Cut the wristband off again, sorry and goodbye! Waiting for another appointment.

That's odd, my kidney biopsy leaflet mentions stopping taking aspirin, clopidogrel and Wafarin, some days before the op.. These thin the blood and hep prevent clotting. The blood does need to clot after an op.. I'm not on any of those, I was on aspirin, but advised to stop taking the aspirin after my oesophagus bleed last August - no one has suggested restarting taking them.

Aspirin didn't get a mention Harry, not until I was handed a second info sheet in the ward itself. I say leaflet but it was two A4 sheets of photocopied paper (3 sides), a locally done thing by the look of it, frankly I could have made something more presentable on the laptop! Not only did it not mention aspirin it didn't mention that you are supposed to fast either, I hadn't eaten anyway.

"Leaflet" aside, the doctor issuing the letter was supposed to look at what meds I am on and advise accordingly.

The leaflet I received was a little better, 2x folded A4, printed both sides and quite informative. It suggests 'a light breakfast' on the day of the op., take any regular meds as advised by your doctor and take anything needed for an overnight stay, just in case. I rang to ask about it generally....


They say be there at 0800, op 0900 to 1000, then a total of six hours recovering before release. Then do nothing much for 48 hours, before resuming normal operation. It says they will NOT allow you home unaccompanied and you must have someone at home keeping an eye on you. I have asked for patient transport to collect me in the morning, a friend to collect me and take me home.

Sounds like what you got was a damn site more informative than what I was sent. Three side of nothing in particular, did go to the expense of a staple though!

I appreciate the NHS but more and more lately I've been thinking of getting insurance

One of my neighbours had his op for his gall bladder cancelled 3 times, on the third he came home almost in tears because of the pain he was in.

He enquired how much it would cost to go private? He was quoted about £6k and the best bit it could be done in 4 days from his enquiry.

He had it done, put it on his credit card and was back at work in just over a week.

They cancelled there holiday and they sold there second car to pay the credit card.

Private health insurance is not cheap but quality of life is important.

It's such an eye opener reading some of these medical threads and posts from you fellows.

So far this year my wife has had, in January, an eye lens. Then in February the second eye lens.
On to march ans she has had to have a pacemaker fitted as her pulse was dropping down below 50.

During the last few years she had breast cancer and has made a clear recovery from the op. after it.

Then skin cancer on her left shin followed the next year by skin cancer in the middle of her back.

I spend lots of time in hospital waiting rooms, canteens etc but never for me.

NOTHING ever goes wrong with me and I'm starting to get left out.
After all I am, possibly, older than all of you or running and neck.---:D

!5 years of R75 ownership and nothing ever goes wrong with that either.-:shrug:

If any of you fellas feel you'd like to rub up against me, be my guest--:eek:





However I wish you all the best and things take a turn for the better now.

I think in my case, they are just desperate to find something seriously wrong with me ;)


They have failed so far, but you just never know....