Operation Over !!

After drifting away into space around 8.00 that morning the next thing that I can recall is coming round in the recovery area. It wasn't a pleasant experience, I remember just slightly opening my eyes and finding my whole body shaking violently and feeling freezing cold, just as if I were in a deep freeze. I recall several staff coming to me and physically holding me down. That's the last I remember of the recovery area. I assume that I was given some sedative to put me back under. It worked a treat.

The Duke of Gloucester ward is some way from the theatres and I vaguely recall entering he ward and the bed being pushed into position. I'm guessing that this must have been sometime around midday ? but I really don't know. Time had no meaning for me.

I must have slept all afternoon as the next thing remember was slightly waking up to the sound of two unruly Asian children, a boy and a girl, probably aged around 4 or 5 running up and down the ward making the sort of unwelcome noise that you don't need when you're coming round after an operation. Later I find that these children are part of a large Asian family visiting a guy 2 beds away. This large group turn up regularly each day to visit and seem to spend most of the day in the ward. Small children and hospital visiting don't go well together, so why is this misery inflicted on them. I guess Asians are more family orientated than us Brits !!

There is one good thing that comes out of have an Asian guy in the same ward, and I will tell you about it in later blogs when I'm in for my amputation operation.

I really don't gain any sort consciousness until the following morning when we are awakened at the usual time of 5.30 by the night staff. There is a myriad of things the night staff have to do before they go off duty at 8.00, getting patients ready for operations, the morning drug round, emptying and replacing the disposable urinal bottles that the more infirmed use to pee in at night, etc, and of course a detailed hand over of information of every patient to the day staff,

Breakfast arrives, delivered by an ISS staff member. The choice is tea or coffee, cereals, toast and jam, yogurt and fruit. I plump for tea, as being a devout coffee drinker I know how bad cheap instant coffee tastes. With tea it's pretty difficult to screw it up. I also request toast, brown bread, as I think it might be healthier !! That was one big mistake, cheap mass produced brown bread toasted an hour before is not the best start to the day.

Breakfast finished, and the 8.00 staff hand over complete the ward settles down to its routine. I've got one of these disposable urinal bottles in a cage clipped to my bed, and I have to say they are brilliant !! Not having peed for some considerable time I slyly slip the bottle under the bed clothes hoping nobody sees me, and eureka !! it's fantastic (think I need one of these when I get home to save me getting out of bed every night for the ritual night time peeing sessions) Any male over 50 will appreciate this.

Anyway now to my leg, about mid morning a nurse arrives to remove the tightly bound dressing and I can see the result of the surgeon's work. I'm impressed and can't believe the length of the wound. Still it looks really neat, it's not hurting, so lifes good !!

This picture was taken afer I came out of hospital but shows the extent of the wound.