I packed my bag in the morning. It mainly consisted of
toiletries and stuff to do. As I knew I was going to be laid up I prepared
movies and books to keep me occupied. I also had the added benefit of having my
wife and daughter to keep me company. Thankfully my insurance through my work covered a private room with a spare bed so they were able to stay with me all the time. i can't say how much I appreciated this. Without their help and support I couldn't have gone through this. I arrived at the hospital and met with the nurse at the
spine centre. Another lady then arrived with consent forms and insurance
documents to sign. She then tied the admittance bracelet on my arm and at
midday took me to my room. The room itself was super. It was private and I had
a bathroom with shower. In addition there was a small kitchen area with
microwave and fridge as well as a flat screen cable TV.
My operation was scheduled for 6.30pm so I waited in the room
and prepared. I was hungry as I had my last meal at 9am but was very nervous so
I doubt if I could have stomached anything anyway. This was my first ever
operation and having never been under general anaesthetic before, I was very
apprehensive. I had regular visits from the nurses who took blood pressure and
recorded pretty high reading although not high enough to warrant a postponement.
The cardiologist came and after tests was satisfied that I was fit to go. Dr
Ekpatitpan came again to talk through the operation once more and to provide
much needed reassurance. At 5.30pm a nurse instructed me to have a shower and
change into the operating robes provided.
6pm came round and it was time to go down to the operating theatre. I was wheeled down on a gurney and met by two nurses who prepped me for the procedure. They inserted needles into my hand to allow for an IV drip and the administration of the general aesthetic.
The anaesthetist, Dr Pornlert came and explained clearly what was going to happen. I would be on the gurney, taken into the theatre and then anaesthetised. After that I would have a breathing tube inserted into my throat and then moved on to the operating table. I would be placed on my stomach and Dr Eakpatipan, Dr Wicharn, also an orthopaedic and spinal surgeon and Dr Prasert a neurological and Spinal Surgeon would start the procedure. In total it would last for 3 hours. Dr Pornlert was fantastic and had a wonderful bedside manner. He talked to me about general things to put my mind at rest and then explained fully how I would feel. He answered questions such as:
- · Will the anaesthetic hurt when administered?
- · How would I feel when I woke up?
- · Would I dream?
- · Would I have any sense of how long I’d been under?
The answers were.
- · No, but it might feel a bit cold
- · A bit strange and maybe a bit nauseous but generally ok
- · Maybe, some patients do.
- · Most patients feel like the time has been ‘deleted’ and they have no sense of the time under.
I was then wheeled into the theatre. At this time I was flat
on my back on a gurney. The theatre was cold and very clinical as you would
imagine. There was lots of activity from nurses and lots of lights and instruments.
I was wheeled next to the operating table which was pre-moulded I guess to allow
the doctors access to my back. It was strange knowing that very soon I would be
lying on the table on my stomach but would have no recollection of this. Dr
Ekpatipan came for a last time to check and then the anaesthetist said it was
time to go under. The ceiling started moving and things started blending in
together then everything went blank.
So, I did wake up and did feel very disorientated as was
suggested. I remember having a pleasant dream but can’t remember what it was.
The nurses and Dr Pornlert were saying my name and encouraging me to come round
and I replied ‘I don’t want to.’ It must have been a great dream. When I did
come to I saw my wife and daughter waiting and the relief was amazing. I lied
in the recovery room for 2 hours and was then taken to my room. Upon waking I
felt cold and remember shivering. I was very tense as in my back felt
constricted and tight.
Although in a lot of pain, I was surprised how well I felt
and was able to eat some food that was waiting. The tension I felt subsided and
then recognised that I had a few extra things that weren't there when I went in
the theatre such as a catheter in my penis, an oxygen tube for my nose and
rather alarmingly two draining bags hanging from the left hand side of my back.
Dr Ekpatipan had explained this all before but it was still a bit of a shock.
The catheter was irritating and the wound and drainage bags were painful and the
latter, very unpleasant to look at. My throat was also sore from the breathing
tube. I tried to sleep and did for a few hours but with nurses coming in at
regular intervals to take blood pressure readings and temperature it was
difficult.
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