Davo wrote:POST LIS – DAY #7 (Wednesday)
**A Day of Reflection**
So a week has passed since my LIS surgery and today I thought I would make an inspection (using a mirror). The bruising and swelling have reduced considerably; in fact the bruising has gone altogether. What I did notice though is a small lump exactly at the same position as the incision wound, it is not causing me any pain but there is always the worry of infection. When I left the hospital I was given the business card of the Colo-rectal specialist nurse with the instruction to call her 24/7 if I ever had any concerns. So I gave her a call and it turns out that this is completely normal and I need not worry unless it causes me pain or starts bleeding. I also took the opportunity to mention the pink soiling I get each day, apparently this is also completely normal and should clear in a few weeks.
Well today I had the dreaded Gammon Steak BM and to be honest it was pretty large and quite dry which probably wasn’t helped by my reduced water intake (I forget to drink it!). Its didn’t hurt and I had no fissure pain or spasms however it did slightly irritate the incision wound and a small amount of soreness and itching has been experienced throughout the morning but nothing more than discomfort.
Today I also booked my one month follow up appointment as requested by my CRS whilst in hospital. To do this I have to call my medical insurance provider for pre-authorization however this was already covered in the cost of the procedure apparently. So whilst speaking with the insurance company I cheekily asked what the cost of my whole experience was and surprisingly enough she detailed it all out to me. So for the purposes of anyone in the UK who may be fed up with the NHS or would prefer to go private here are the details:
Firstly please bear in mind that my hospital is in Central London and anything in Central London whether it be food, drink, hotels or whatever it will always include a huge premium over any other part of the country. Also it is on Harley Street which means they can basically charge what the hell they want and finally when my insurance company asked me to choose a CRS I picked the very best I could. So here is the cost of my surgery for LIS only (it does not include any other procedures such as fissurectomy, etc.)
24 hour hire of private en-suite hospital room with breakfast lunch & dinner including nursing care and all necessary medication Ј865
Operating Theatre cost including ECU, equipment hire, nursing staff and medical supplies Ј1,025
Surgeons Fee for LIS procedure Ј250
Anesthetist Cost including medication Ј180
TOTAL COST OF LIS SURGERY Ј2,320
Also I had to pay for take away prescription pain killers which came to around Ј22
Another cost to bear in mind are the consultations, I had three consultations pre-surgery @ Ј180 each (The follow up consultation is covered within the surgery cost)
As for me I am still doing well, I don’t suffer pain anymore, I go out for walks and are starting to love my life again.
This afternoon I went to St James Park and fed the ducks, I also took some monkey nuts and fed the squirrels. The Squirrels are very tame here and you can coax them to come and sit on your knee and munch away on their food. It was great just sitting there without a care (or pain) in the world and it made me reflect on the past six months. I understand that if you are reading my diary you are either comparing LIS notes, are scheduled for surgery or are suffering from Anal Fissures. I don’t know if any of the other veterans on the board feel the same but when I think about what I have been through and then I see newbies come to the board with the same problems I find it quite upsetting.
Anyway today I am taking a break from the wise cracks and I hope every single one of you is having a pain free day
Davo
So great to hear that you're on the mend, Davo. Yes, it is upsetting to read about everyone's pain . . . but we're here to help one another - to give support and information - so, it's nice to stick around while we heal, and maybe we can be of assistance to others.
I don't feel healed, just yet. I had an extremely sore day yesterday - but we'll see how it goes, here on out.
As to the medical costs in the UK, I don't know the American equivalent. We're still getting bills from the hospital, my crs's office, the anesthesiologist, etc. It promises to have been a pricey surgery - but if my AF suffering can be over, then we'll just try to deal with the costs.
The squirrels here are all over the neighborhood. My dog gets out on the "hunt" (backyard) if she sees one. It's never a pretty sight if she catches one, either.
