Day of the surgery

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Nil by mouth by midnight

A horrible phrase and one I hope not to hear all too often again. This was the first hurdle to overcome, and as someone with IBS who needs to eat regularly to avoid stomach upset, a huge challenge...or so I thought it would be. I awoke on the morning of the surgery with no hunger pangs and this continued for most of the day. Whether my sub-conscience had mentally prepared my body for this I'm not sure, but I was hugely grateful nevertheless!

Drinking Water

I would also like to add that my anaesthetist was kind enough to point out that although 'nil by mouth' includes water, I was allowed to drink water up to 4 hours prior to surgery.  I urge anyone who is unfortunate enough to have an afternoon surgery to check if this is ok for you as being hydrated certainly helps evade the hunger and at least allows for better veins for that anaesthetic. Im an advocate of reading many sources, however here is at least one link with more info on this.

Going under 

If you have read my first post you will know that this was my first experience of general anaesthetic and was something that I was quite anxious about. Having being transferred onto a not so comfy theatre bed and wheeled into the anaesthetic room, it was time to face my fears. 

The local anaesthetic was OK, into the hand and a bit of a sting, but nothing too bad. Then came a bit of a wait whilst they fixed the monitor which had decided to stop working. (This isn't a sign right?).

Finally the general anaesthetic went in and I could feel as the substance worked its way up my arm and strangely into my chest. It felt heavy and unpleasant and the last thing I heard was "don't fight it". 

I hated it, it felt like my body had stopped working before my mind had and my plan to think happy thoughts was a little ruined. However...it worked and I am here now. 

Waking Up

Before you read this, please bear in mind that this experience will be different for everyone and many of you will have likely already experienced it. In all honestly I remember only snippets of waking and was never told quite how long it took. I do not remember feeling pain, but I remember declaring I was in pain and being given morphine. I vaguely remember being propped up in bed for an X-ray and then a horrid feeling that my chest was very tight and I was unable to breathe very well. Then came the oxygen. 

It would seem the oxygen and morphine combination did something, as the next thing I remember is being aware of being back on the ward and hearing the buzz of other people in the room. 
The most vivid memory I have of this day is wishing to say goodbye to the kind lady in the bed next to me, who had eased my mind about surgery that morning and made things a little less scary. Despite trying desperately however to open my eyes, I eventually gave up on all attempts to do so and believe I promptly fell back to sleep. If you are reading this, thank you :)

To be continued...see pages for more