Visits to the operating table

[Llentil the llama]

If anyone wants to have a little release from the trauma of it all please just post away.

Me I am 6 weeks post op, 8th time on the table in the last 5 years, not much really. Everything has been to correct physical trauma injuries so nothing life threatening or illness.

I know so many go through worse but struggling with the whole process this time and the recovery whilst not trusting your own body and the pain that follows if you move yourself in the wrong way, just had enough. Its a first world problem.

I had friend a recently who went through open heart valve replacement surgery, my grandfather was in the cavalry in the first world war, by comparison I am aware there is far worse.

So don't feel alone if you are sat there post surgery, feeling "silly grumps" get it off your chest, have a rant and share.

I signed up to Netflix for the first time and have watched a lot of st films but as with sleeping they numb the pain and pass the time - Bingo.

Llentil

[Caddyshack]

Mine is small beans compared to yours.

I lopped off the top half of my little finger 6 months ago, they sewed it back on and it has sort of stayed put. They put a wire in to hold it like a kebab but there wasn’t enough bone left in the knuckle so it’s all wobbly and I can’t feel anything.

I’m a bit bored of it now.

Waiting for an op to fuse the top knuckle as it keeps dislocating and hurts. Once that’s done I have the 2-3 months of waiting for it to heal.


It is just a little finger on my non dominant hand so it’s not a big issue.

Hope you recover quickly.

[sherman]

The only time I have been on the operating theatre slab.
I had my appendix out at 1am on the Friday.
I was back at college on the Monday.
Back at work 2 weeks later.

I was 21.
No chance I would recover that quickly now almost 20 years later.

[Road2Ruin]

OHS for me, a few years ago. Valve replacement, like your friend. Royally effed me up, physically and mentally for a few months. I am a lot better now, not 100%, but certainly better then if I had not had the op. The mental issues are togher to get over, I still suffer now.

Talking about it certainly helps. I wish there was someone near who fancied a chat now and then.

[Gas1883]

Partial kidney removal , I just struggled with injecting myself for the 28 days after op ( though much better than daughter ( nurse ) who did it for 2 days , eye watering ) , diabetic so should be used to needles , but glad when over
Fine now , knew there was no alternative to operating so just went with flow , not 100% but knew probably wouldn’t be , but doing ok

[jdw100]

4.5 hours on the table.

Repairing my shoulder with titanium screws and a big chunk of bone from my hip.

My wife, sister in law and a friend waited outside the theatre.

The op was only supposed to take three hours. My wife was asked to go through to the recovery room. Surgeon looked knackered and was covered in sweat- he said to my wife ‘I’m so sorry….’ her legs went weak assuming I had died. He realised what he had said and ‘no, no, he’s fine, he’s fine, sorry it took longer than expected!’

Six years ago and still painful at times, can’t lift my arm up behind my back because they had to cut some muscle out.

Amazing though, as the shoulder was in pieces.

Top tip - don’t try to stand up on a leg when you had a bone graft taken. I thought, lying in my hospital suite, this feels fine and I’m fed up peeing in a cardboard bottle…my toilet is only 5m away. Got my good leg on the floor, put the other leg down. Fuuuuuuuuuuck!

I told surgeon about it later ‘Are you an idiot?’ he asked. Fair question.

After another couple of days I thought ‘screw this I’m going for a coffee’ I’d had all the drips and a drain out, arm was in a high tech sling. Grabbed the crutch, not putting weight on my hip again! Got to nurses station ‘where are you going?’ Coffee in the cafe downstairs. ‘Use the machine in your room sir’ No I’m going out thanks.

Security guy ‘where are you going sir.’ Coffee downstairs. ‘Right, let me come with you’

Got to cafe and he made me sit down, placed my order for me , ‘have one yourself sir’ I said. Ended up drinking our coffees having a chat and then he hauled me back upstairs.

Quite an experience overall. Kindness of my wife’s family, friends and hospital staff can make me well up a bit when telling the story.

[EmailAddress]

I love surgery. Best sleep ever.

[jdw100]

EmailAddress said:

I love surgery. Best sleep ever.

I really like the anaesthetic, especially the part where you wake up a bit then fall asleep again, the come round again.

After the op, not during.

[Desiderata]

I've just had my third surgery this year, a new knee in January, another one in July, and a occult inguinal hernia a week ago.
The worst bit for me is impatiently waiting for recovery.
I don't really "get" pain ( I feel it but it doesn't really affect me) so I don't have the warning system that stops me doing stuff and I'm a bit ADHD so I find it very hard not to overdo things and hurt myself. I twice split my scar on the knee by forgetting it was there and I've been very close to absentmindedly picking up something heavy with this hernia and undoing it all.
I'm desperate to get back the fitness that I've lost recently, impatiently calendar watching to see when I'm allowed to walk, run, swim etc.
I know I'm incredibly lucky to have had everything fixed and looking forward to resuming an (over) active life, but I just wish it wouldn't take so bloody long.

[The_Doc]

EmailAddress said:

I love surgery. Best sleep ever.

Ditto

[Rockets7]

11 foot operations, pins and plates
Half a knee
Fused spine
Steel rods in femurs
Thumb reattached
Broken foot x 3
Screwed broken ankle x 2
Hernia x3
Rear door camera crews x4
Broken ribs x4
Broken jaw
All separate incidents, I’m grateful for orthopaedic surgeons.

Am off to look at a Ducati for sale today, fortunately am now retired but the damp weather loves me.

[jdw100]

Rockets7 said:

11 foot operations, pins and plates
Half a knee
Fused spine
Steel rods in femurs
Thumb reattached
Broken foot x 3
Screwed broken ankle x 2
Hernia x3
Rear door camera crews x4
Broken ribs x4
Broken jaw
All separate incidents, I’m grateful for orthopaedic surgeons.

Am off to look at a Ducati for sale today, fortunately am now retired but the damp weather loves me.

I’m not sure you should even be going outside the house!

[EmailAddress]

jdw100 said:

Rockets7 said:

11 foot operations, pins and plates
Half a knee
Fused spine
Steel rods in femurs
Thumb reattached
Broken foot x 3
Screwed broken ankle x 2
Hernia x3
Rear door camera crews x4
Broken ribs x4
Broken jaw
All separate incidents, I’m grateful for orthopaedic surgeons.

Am off to look at a Ducati for sale today, fortunately am now retired but the damp weather loves me.

I’m not sure you should even be going outside the house!

Robocop music intensifies.

Should we call you Knievel or Hammond?

[shirt]

jdw100 said:

EmailAddress said:

I love surgery. Best sleep ever.

I really like the anaesthetic, especially the part where you wake up a bit then fall asleep again, the come round again.

After the op, not during.

I had my gall bladder removed earlier in the year. Was really looking forward to an afternoon floating on an opiate cloud.

Reality was coming round in the recovery room with the worst pain I’ve ever felt. They pump your chest cavity up for access and the pain was due to essentially having trapped wind all through my upper and lower abdomen. I begged the nurse who was with me to give me something for the pain, her response was that’s what she was stood there doing, giving me the max she could every 10mins.

I did eventually drift off of sorts. Only then I couldn’t urinate, to which they said a catheter isn’t the best idea so let’s see how long you can hold it. Hours later they relented and I had the most excruciatingly painful piss. Next morning the yanked the catheter out, yikes.

Could barely walk with the pain but as the surgeon had signed me off as ok my medical insurance wouldn’t pay for another night’s stay and it was over a grand to pay myself, so that was me doubled over hobbling to a taxi.

So no real symptoms beforehand, simple procedure that went well, and then the post painful post op recovery evah!

[fridaypassion]

I've luckily not had too much surgical intervention but I did have a round of biopsy whack mole a few years ago which were done under general. First GA was a really nice experience count to then for us please 1....2....zzzzz very nice downtime. The op was on my groin so a tad painful waking up. Second one was a really crap place to have interfered with my armpit! Surgeon was about 5 foot tall and you should have seen the state of me after I was black and blue god knows what he'd been doing. The GA wasn't anywhere near as nice this time around and it took weeks and weeks to get over. Work were awful with me over it as well and actually ended up leaving and starting my own business so not all bad!

[Hereward]

EmailAddress said:

I love surgery. Best sleep ever.

Ha, me too. Only been put to sleep once, for a hernia op earlier this year.

As the juice flowed through my cannula I said something like "Wow, this stuff's amazing!" before falling into a beautiful unconscious state. Bliss.

Hopefully all my future theatre visits will be equally chilled.

[Llentil the llama]

OP here, just reread the opening post and realise how down I was.

To add balance, 5 weeks on today from that post, down the gym, for the first time on one particular machine that doesn't strain the specific surgery points I managed the same weight as pre surgery. Just amazing.

I have lost all the arthritic pain in the cold that limited my life during winter. Hang in there guys and girls and let the surgeons do their work. 8 times in 5 years on the table, so much pain taken away.

And yes best sleep ever, love the oblivion that the anaesthetic brings.

Llentil