Day before op nerves (don't read if you're about to have one)

[AnnaGoudie]

Tomorrow is my biggest lap (vaginal resection and cervical ablation). It is my 3rd lap, and my 5th op in 3 years so I'm getting to be quite an old hand at this. Problem is, I know what to expect.

The waiting around beforehand is the worst for me. At my women's hospital you arrive at 7am to be given a hospital gown and told to sit, with dressing gown and slippers, in a cold room with a load of strange women making nervous conversation. Then you get admitted by a nurse, then you wait for some interminable time next to the bed whilst the nurses go round and do obs. After your cannula is fitted you wait in the bed for another length of time, wondering if they've forgotten you whilst various people come to ask you the same questions and take the nurse takes obs once more. Then suddenly a nurse approaches and administers your sedation before taking you to theatre. Usually it's about 2pm by that time. Once it was 4pm! I really hate the waiting part. That is at least 7 hours of trying to not think and attempt to read the book you brought but are too anxious to read.I really hate the waiting part. Eventually, I get a headache and feel like crying.

The one at 4pm was also a bowel prep/nil by mouth op! That was not fun.

Sorry to bring anyone down/make anyone nervous but I needed to share with others who know.

[hayls]

Hi

Your post actually made me giggle, you are so right about the sitting in the cold room, then chair, then wondering whether they forgot you were sat there!! I've had that exact experience and the waiting is the worst bit for me too and as you said its kinda worse each time now that we know what the waiting is like! I'm having another lap next week and was so glad when I managed to find out I was first on the theatre list for a change, and that's a private hospital, the waiting isn't much better there as you are left in your room on your own from 7am and its normally so quiet, you dont really know when the nurses are goinv to come for you and there's only so much you can do to distract yourself!

Good luck for tomorrow, I'm sure you'll be fine and fingers crossed you're be early in the list x

[AnnaGoudie]

Oh good, I'm glad the humour came through and made you giggle

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts. Good luck to you for next week, great news about you being top of the theatre list. Hope it all goes smoothly. X

[Nat18]

Hi Anna

Just to say the very best of luck for tomorrow I'm sure all the ladies on here know exactly how you are feeling the day before!!

I was sat waiting for surgery in April this year whilst my surgeon was relaxing on a beach somewhere on holiday as his secretary forgot to cancel all the appointments for that day!! I can laugh about it now but on the day there was a lot of angry women!!

Hope it all goes well nat xx

[AnnaGoudie]

Oh my god Nat! That's awful! Can't even get any free stuff if the NHS give you bad service! Ha ha!

Thanks for the well wishes x

[Nat18]

Ha I know it's terrible isn't it!! Once the nursing staff had realised he was on holiday they sent another surgeon who didn't know any information about any of us!!! He then spent ( what seemed like forever ) going through all our notes to see what surgery he was performing on us...scary isn't it! We never got an apology but at least the surgeon they sent found the endo and fibroid that had been plaguing me for years!!

[Cmg1978]

Good luck for tommorrow I had a vaginal dissection and adhesiolysis last Thursday, hope all goes well for you xx

[AnnaGoudie]

Thanks! Hope your recovery is going well?

What did they recommend about your aftercare? X

[Cmg1978]

Unfortunately I wasn't given a great deal of info about aftercare, I was signed off for 6 weeks and told to do practically nothing apart from seeing a nurse every couple of days for wound checks and dressing changes. I wasn't given a lot of info about the op before hand either so I've found it all a bit overwhelming and wish I'd asked a few more questions x

[AnnaGoudie]

Oh crumbs! I'm going to be off longer than I thought. Having my op done in my hometown but I know live 1hr away in Manchester, probably best stat with the folks a bit longer. They were completely evasive with my questions so don't worry about not asking them! X

[Cmg1978]

I had to have work on my bowel as well so that may be why they've said six weeks but I know they said you have to be really careful about doing too much because of the nature of vaginal dissection. Hope it all goes well for you, make sure you rest as much as you can as it does wipe you out more than I imagined it would x

[bonygirl1]

Good luck for tomorrow hun. It is so true about being left for hours, I was left in a room for 2 hours and had been given an anema, so I couldnt even venture out to the corridor to find a nurse! I eventually went down to theatre at 2.10 and was back on the ward at 6.30, all from a 7.00 start! The joys. I will be thinking about you tomorrow X.

[Sheri26]

I had to be there at 8am and was done and home by 2pm, hopefully you might get lucky this time x

[Keepy123]

Good luck 4 2 morrow x

[AnnaGoudie]

Thanks everyone! Already done the panicked internal alarm clock.

Sheri, I really hope that's what happens for me this time.

Thanks again xx

[astrogirl7]

Good luck Anna hope all goes well for you.

Angie x

[AnnaGoudie]

Thanks guys!

Had a great experience this time. We were all put in a cosy room on a refurbed ward after checking in at reception. There was a TV on the wall and lots of mags, even a sofa. We were then taken to a side room for obs one by one, and spoke to the anaesthetist. After that the consultant called us out to chat with us individually too. Only then were we asked to change in the spacious en suite toilet (with lockers). One by one we were led down to theatre and then put on the refurbed ward (which we had been walked through) for recovery. As soon as we were well enough we came off our trolleys and sat TOGETHER with our tea and toast. The nurses were fab (but they always are) and their station was in the middle of the room so they were chatting to us too. It was perfect!

Well done Arrowe Park Women's!

Also, I was 2nd

Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts and wishes. Xx

[bonygirl1 in reply to AnnaGoudie]

That's fantastic, so glad it went well for you. Sounds like a good ward to be on, that's how all hospitals should be, especially with the nurses station in the middle makes so much sense X.