I was okay in the lead up, which from seeing the consultant to operation day was just over a week. However nerves really set in the day before. This was not about the procedure itself but about having a general anaesthetic for the first time. No, with regard to LIS, I was certain this was the only way to get my life back from Mr AF.
Pre-Op Preparation at home - Nothing other than I couldn’t eat after 6am on the day of the procedure and from 6am to 9am I could drink water. After that time it was nil by mouth.
Hospital Pre-Op - My surgery was scheduled for 12.30pm and I was requested to arrive at the hospital by 10.30am.
After being shown to my room the nurse assigned to me, recorded my weight, height and blood pressure. My BP was very high but that didn’t surprise me at all and I had pre-warned the consultant that it would be. I also had to supply a urine sample and answer a lot of medical history questions.
After that, I changed into a hospital gown, dressing gown, surgical stockings, a groovy pair of paper knickers and some slippers. I was visited by the anaesthetist - a lovely lady doctor who seemed unfazed by my level of terror! I was visited by my consultant at about 11.45am. We had a chat and I signed the consent form. I did query the fact that my bowels hadn’t been purged. He told me that it was no longer considered necessary in bowel operations as it generally just resulted in patients arriving for surgery after a sleepless night spent on the toilet. He looked at the clock and said as everyone was in place we might as well get on with it. I was taken to the anaesthetic room by a lovely nurse who put me so much at my ease that I was laughing on route…
Aneasthetic Room - I laid on a bed and was covered by a blanket. The nurse never left my side. The doctor inserted a cannula - it took her a little while to track down a vein as my hands were cold from nerves. She told me she was first injecting me with painkiller and then anaesthetic which she said would feel cold as it went up my arm. (It didn’t) She gave me an oxygen mask which she assured me was just oxygen. I remember thinking I wasn’t feeling sleepy… then the room seemed to move slightly and I was gone.
Recovery Room - my first conscious awareness was of being in pitch blackness but I could hear someone saying my name. I opened my eyes to see the smiling face of another nurse holding a glass of iced water with a straw to drink through. Oh that tasted good! I became aware that I felt very sore - pain was probably at about a 4. But this wasn’t fissure pain, this was understandably relating to the LIS procedure.
Back in my Room After a while I was taken back to my room and back to my bed. I didn’t feel particularly sleepy. I didn’t feel sick nor did I have a sore throat from the tube down my throat (which had gone by the time I woke up.) There was iced water to hand which I steadily drank. A nurse came in and asked me to buzz her when I felt ready to pass urine, as they would need to ensure my bladder was working again. I was also told I could have something to eat when I felt ready. To be honest, it wasn’t very long before I felt that I could do both. I did ask for some more pain relief with my food and a very welcome cup of tea. (Pain relief was 2 paracetamol and 2 ibuprofen, which took the pain / soreness down to a 1 very quickly) The nurse helped me to the bathroom so that I could prove my bladder was back up and working. It was at this point that I noticed how much blood there was - first on the toilet paper and then on my gown. I was told that there was no packing inside me. I suppose that meant blood was exiting freely. (I was actually pleased about this as I have read other people’s trials about getting packing out a day or two after surgery.)
I left hospital 4 hours post surgery, which was the minimum time patients were kept post anaesthetic. The car journey home wasn’t pleasant. I couldn’t sit on the car seat so spent an hour laid out on the back seat.
Back Home It was a wonderful feeling to be home. After another round of painkillers with a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits, I retired to bed. I was okay as long as I laid on my side or even on my front. I didn’t sleep much - there was still a lot of adrenaline coursing through my veins. However I was content because I had had the surgery and I was home again. This was the beginning of the end for Mr AF…
(Another post to follow about my first 7 days post LIS.)
