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The Day of the Operation!

I am writing this blog in retrospect and it already feels like a lifetime ago!!  The date of the operation was the 11th January 2011 (11-1-11) spooky!!

Mum, Trev and I got up at 6am after a sleepless night and packed up the car ready to get to Derriford for 7am.  Trev and I went with mum to her ward which was the medical admissions unit and ensured that she was checked in safely before we went to the renal ward to check me in.

I began to worry about mum being alone so Trev went back up to the medical admissions unit and stayed with her until she was called for her operation which was 9:30.  In the meantime I had been seen by a junior doctor and had a cannula put into my arm and the Anesthetist had come down to see me to talk through the process.

The waiting game then commenced.  It was awful waiting for news of how mum was.  At about 9:30 the surgeon came to see me and go through the paperwork and re-emphasise the risks of the operation.  I had to laugh when I was given the option not to go through with the operation, imagine the conversation with mum afterwards, sorry you've had your kidney removed and I didn't take it!! 

Whilst the surgeon was with me he was paged to say that mum was ready for him!  My nerves were now definitely on edge!!  Nothing seemed to happen then for a long time.  It wasn't until 12:00 that things started to move for me.  Firstly I was given my gown.  You have to love them!  Then I was put on a drip, I clearly wasn't my usually self by then as I have no idea what this was for but I would guess it was to help my blood clot as I am low on platelets.

Then I was off!  I was wheeled to the operating theatres, said goodbye to Trev then was in the Anesthetists room being prepared for the operation.  Before I was put under, I was given the good news that mum's operation had been a success, thank goodness for that.

I have to say that it was a much more scary process being prepared for this operation in comparison to having my catheter fitted for my dialysis.  I suppose it is to be expected but I wasn't feeling relaxed one bit!!  I was actually wanting to be asleep!!

Poor Trev then had a waiting game all on his own.  From two o'clock he was waiting for mum to come back onto the ward and she eventually arrived at 16:30.  I think she was enjoying the rest and didn't want to wake up!

I arrived back onto the renal ward at 18:30 and all I managed to say to Trev was can I have my lip balm!!  I can't remember much but I can remember being so thirsty and dry!

Trev then went up to see mum was ok and went home.  I have to say Trev was an absolute star all day.  I think he had the most difficult time really as he was trying to be with both mum and me and he had to spend much of the day worrying about whether or not we were both ok.  To top it off neither mum nor me actually managed to say goodbye to him at the end of the day. 

So I just want to conclude by thanking Trev for being there for both mum and I.  His support was amazing and I am sure that it must have been an extremely difficult day for him too although he would never admit it! 

Comments

  1. Anonymous15 March 2011 at 22:43

    I found your blog when googling Derriford's kidney transplant ward - my husband is going in for a transplant this week ! Reading your blog has been fantastic as we now know what to expect ! Hope you are still doing well, thanks for posting the blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tracy Carroll27 March 2011 at 19:31

    Hello! Sorry haven't been on here for a while! I really hope your husband's transplant went well, I may see you at transplant clinic!! I wrote the blog in the hope it may help someone in the same situation and I'm over the moon it helped you! Take care and best wishes. Tracy xx

    ReplyDelete

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