Another letter.

Another letter landed today, this one to inform me what time to turn up for my operation.

The time I need to be there is dependent on where I am on the list. When I had my eye done I was late on the list so I had to hang around the house until lunchtime which wasn't pleasant and I was hoping that I wouldn't have to go through a repeat of that.

Reading the letter it appears unlikely, the letter states that I have to be there at 7.45am, the day surgery centre opens at 7.30am so fingers crossed I am very early on the list and aren't left sitting around waiting to go down for surgery.

The letter stated that I am to stop eating at midnight and no fluids from 6am, same instructions as I had for my eye. I remember on that occasion drinking a litre of juice and immediately regretting it my stomach was agony.

All that is left to do now is to ring them to tell them I will be there.

As an after note they also inform me I will not be able to drive following surgery. That's stating the bleeding obvious!

A right barrel of laughs

I cam across this on the net looks like I am in for a tough few weeks post op (I am having the acromyoclaviclar joint removed as well)

At least I know what I am up against, but it makes scary reading all the same.

Tonight I had the "do you think I am doing the right thing?" convo with a friend (yet again) based on the new information I have gathered from above.

He answered in the affirmative and without any hesitation, "yes". I know that I am doing the right thing but, at the same time there is an element of doubt and I feel quite scared about the concept of going through with the surgery. It will be life changing and for the better but, it still a big step to take.

Just realised..........

There is an error in my appointment date for next week, it stated that my appointment is Tuesday 21st April when in fact the 21st is the Monday so I have no idea when my appointment actually is.

I'll give the ward a bell tomorrow in the hope that someone can help me but, as its a day unit I would doubt anyone will be there, so I could be facing a bit of a problem. I am night shift Sunday, its my first shift back so by the Monday I will be shattered but I will have to sit up until half eight or nine o clock or whatever time it takes to get through to the ward and if it transpires that my appointment is actually on the Monday I will have to get back up after just five hours of sleep to attend my appointment as the appointment can take up to an hour I may not get home till 5pm so it will hardly be worth going back to bed.

Operation paperwork

This morning two letters dropped onto my doormat both bearing the local hospitals stamp.

The first one I opened contained a letter advising me that an appointment has been made for me in the pre operation clinic were I will see the surgeon doing the operation, the aim of this appointment is to inform me about the operation and to gain my consent to allow him to operate.

The second one is a letter that provides me with a provisional date for my operation and also to ask me to go to the ward next week for a pre admission appointment where I will undergo various test and they will also take my medical history and ensure that I am fit for surgery.

It now feels for the first time, real and at the moment I feel a little overwhelmed by it.

I am not even sure how best to prepare for surgery, I want to be as physically fit as I can but all my googling reveals is information about how to prepare your child for surgery or how to prepare for going into hospital to have a baby. I am guessing by this that that there is little info out there on preparing to go into hospital for surgery or I am simply looking in the wrong place.