Since discovering I was to have this operation I have scoured every internet site I could find on any blogs of people who have had this operation and having come across only 2 which didnt give me the information I was after to put me at ease I decided to do this blog.
I was booked in to hosptial day case to have the operation under general anesthetic at 12.30pm so I was instructed I could eat up until 7.30 am and drink water till 10.30am. I set my alarm clock for 6.30am to give me chance to eat breakfast but the alarm didnt wake me and I found I only had time for 1 slice of toast at 7.20am.
I then spent the morning making sure all housework was sorted, food shopping had been ordered and the kids uniforms sorted for the entire week. I also made sure my husband knew what needed to be done in the event I was kept in as we have 3 children (11 year old, 8 year old with autism and a 20 month old). I had a bath and drank my last glass of water at 10.20am then spent some quality time with the little one before I was picked up.
I arrived at the hospital at 12.10pm and directed once again to a large waiting room. At 1.00pm I was called into the ward and directed to a bed. The ward had 14 beds of which 2 morning procedures were heading home and 2 had just gone to theatre for small procedures and were in out and home before I had chance to get booked in. That left me on my part of the ward :-(. Nurse came and asked me questions, gave me the ID bracelet and left me to my own device for an hour till the first of the surgeons came to talk to me. He explained the procedure and drew a large arrow in black marker down my arm. I signed the consent form and sat waiting for the next one of the medical team to arrive. By 1.30pm the next one to see me was my main surgeon who asked me how things were did a few taps of the elbow proving the problem still existed then said he would see me shortly. Finally the anaethetist arrived at 1.45pm and explained I would be hooked up to a heart and blood pressure monitor and once asleep I would have a breathing tube inserted though it would be removed before I was woken back up.
Luckily I had taken 2 magazines to read and do puzzles in and the nurse assured me I was third on list and would be home by 6pm at the latest. I was told she would let me know when it was time to get changed for theatre.
Finally at 4pm the nurse came and said time to get ready for theatre and handed me a lovely sexy gown that tied at the back. Had my last trip to the loo and then sat back on my bed waiting for the nurses to arrive to check me for theatre. At 4.10pm two nurses came and said time now and checked my ID bracelet once again. I was walked to theatre and handed over to a lovely caring nurse, a second anaethetist and the anaethetist I had met earlier. The nurse attached a blood pressure monitor to my arm and sticky dots all over my chest to minitor my heart rate though my skin wasnt accepting the sticky dots and the machine wasnt working so 20 minutes later and the nurse was still messing lol. We chatted about anything general where we lived, work, kids stuff like that and then the main anaethetist came along with a needle inserting it into my left hand for the venflow butterfly needle to go so meds could be administered. Sharp scratch and it was all over. He then brought owver 2 viles one small filled with water and a second large one filled with a creamy substance. Told me 3 to go and by this point I was thinking wheres the third vile. Saw the 1st one go in then as the second one was administered the anathetisyt was asking me questions I could feel myself drifting and had a few seconds spare to say it was burning my head tiny bit next thing I was out for the count.
Next thing I remember I woke with a fuzzy head in recovery and it was 6.25pm so the plans to get me home for 6pm didnt go too well. I woke in moderate pain but within seconds the surgeon and the nurse quickly administered tramadol through the IV and the pain disappeared. By 6.45pm I was back on ward and told the operation had taken 31 minutes. Head still whoozy and fuzzy the nurses plyed me with 2 strong cups of coffee with 2 sugars and a slice of toast then sed mum was on her way as they had rung worried as it was rather late. The nurses finished at 7.30pm so they basically rushed me out of the doors high on tramadol and anaesthetic.
All in all my experience of the operation was positive, sent home with a large ace bandage from top of the arm to wrist and elevated in a sling.
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