Yesterday I had my first ever proper operation – my arthroscopy. My husband and I arrived at the London Clinic at 11.30 and I was taken up to my room. Mr Witt came in to see me, marked my leg and told me to change as I was first on the list and would go down to theatre very soon. I was very impressed to be taken at 12.30 – no time to change my mind!!!! I woke up at 2pm in the recovery room and was back in my room by 2.30, eating tuna and mayo sandwiches and drinking pots of tea by 3pm. My biggest worry was over – coming out of the anaesthetic! How sad is that – I was terrified of puking! (Maybe next time!) The PT came in shortly afterwards with my crutches and gave me a brief lesson on how to use them. By 4pm I needed to go to the bathroom so used the crutches to get me there and back. Then I needed to go again (I do tend to drink vast quantities of tea when in hospital) and decided to try the leg out – a bit wibbly wobbly but I got there and back without disastrous consequences, so that was it the crutches were resigned to the cupboard! Mr Witt visited to tell me that the arthritis damage was more severe than he had hoped for, and that the labrum was quite badly damaged – his view was that a PAO was definitely the route to go.
The one thing that I would recommend to anyone having a stay of any length in hospital is to take EAR PLUGS! The noise was unbelievable – Marylebone Road goes all night, the aircon made a continual noise, the ticking of the clock was like someone slapping flipflops together (that ended up in the bathroom under the towels at 3.30 a.m.!), the buzzer noise when someone calls a nurse perpetually pinged through the night, and then there are the trolleys being wheeled up and down the corridors! I don’t want to sound like a killjoy but the sooner I get out of there next time the better! I ended up falling into a fitful sleep at just gone midnight to be woken at 3.30am – finally went back to sleep at 5.30am to be woken at 7am! I was so glad to get home!
All things considered though, it was a good test run for May 20th – it made me also realise I need to take in a supply of nibbly things and soft drinks – just so that you have something to hand when you want it, and you don’t have to wait till someone brings you something. Taking my own pillow was also a definite success – I didn’t know if they would let me, but it was okay and when I did sleep it was more like being at home! I am going to ask if I can have a room away from the main road – living in the countryside you get used to the sounds of birds, dogs and cats – it was a bit of shell shock to hear the thunder of lorries, police and fire engine sirens continuously from the moment I arrived.
So I am back home, in one piece and feeling much better about the whole ‘big op’ that is to come. I have survived my first op – I know the next one will be harder but I have stepped a little way into the unknown – there is just a bit further to go now.
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