My 1st Operation day arrives !

For those of you who know me I thought I would just put in a little bit of up to date stuff. For those of you who don't know me, the cancer came back around April this year and I have had my right leg amputated above the knee.

The operation was carried out on the 22nd May. Things are progressing very well, I have had the wound re-dressed a couple of times by the nurse at my GP surgery, and it's looking really good. Had a blister just below the wound but that is now clearing up after treatment.  More up to date stuff to follow.

Anyway back to past times and the tumour removal operation

Operation day Tuesday 8th Nov 2011. It was impossible to sleep the night before as most of the inmates were members of the GB synchronised snoring team and were obviously practising for the forthcoming 2012 Olympics, either that or they didn't like me infiltrating their ward and were determined to piss me off !!

So after a near sleepless night I got up around 5.30, washed and showered. I changed into the gown which they gave me, and for any of you who have been in for an operation will know, these gowns tie up at the back and are almost impossible to do up single handed unless your a contortionist. So I wandered back to the ward showing my bum through the gaping gown !!

It's now about 6.00 and I'm back in the ward waiting on my bed. A nurse came over to fit me up with an anti-embolism stocking on my good leg. You have to wear these at all times when in hospital to alleviate the possibility of DVT (deep vein thrombosis)  Not the most attractive look in the world !!!   I ask the nurse to tie up my gown correctly. You have to be prepared to loose all your dignity when in hospital !!

At about 6.30 The Surgeon, Mr Skinner, came in with his team. After a brief chat and a hand shake he leaves saying he will see me at 7.30 at theater. I'm impressed that the medical staff start so early.

At 7.15 two porters arrive to take to theater. My bag is marked up to be delivered to The Duke of Gloucester Ward. I'm in bed, covers on, side rails up in case I fall out. We leave the ward, one porter at the front, one at the back. From the Rehab Ward I'm pushed along the main road for a short distance, that feels really weird, being pushed in a bed along a road meant for cars !!  We turn off the road and pick up a walkway to the main ward block. Once in the ward block we follow signs for the theaters. On arrival at the reception I'm taken thou a rabbit warren of corridors past theater after theater. Finally arriving in the pre-op room adjacent to the theater.  The pre-op  room is were the anaesthetic is administered. The staff check the two armbands I have on only to discover that I'm not their patient.

The ISS porters (for those of you who work with me at Stansted you'll know all about ISS) have taken me to the wrong operating theater. How scary is that !! Eventually I get to the correct theater and I am greeted by the staff including the anaesthetist that I saw the previous evening. After a few formalities I'm told what they are going to do. Two Cannula's are inserted, one in the back of my left hand, and the other in the back of my forearm.

 A syringe is connected to one of the cannula's, an oxygen mask is placed over my nose and mouth, that's the last I remember.

Tomorrow - "I come round after the Operation"