Theatre - don't worry

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A few people have posted about concerns re theatre . I had a margin clearance yesterday 3 wks after my wle and wanted to say that of all the things we have to worry about Theatre is one that is easier than u might think . My tips :-

  1. Take a book to read as there is some waiting around and this helps to distract you
  2. Take clothes that are easy to slip into afterwards . Seperates , button up zip up not over the head . Slip on shoes . As well as dressing gown take a warm top as part of your day clothes
    3 . When u r wheeled into the anaesthetist s room , keep chatting to them ( about any old rubbish) I also focused on the clock ! I don’t like the drip going in so counted to ten in my head . I had anti nausea in first then the morphine which relaxed u then nothing …
    I woke up warm cosy and no pain
  3. If ur a day case don’t rush to go home too early ! I had lunch several mugs of tea and read my book before I asked the nurse to call for my husband . By then the woozy feeling had passed
    5 have something ready to eat back at home I was starving both times !
    6 take a hair brush - surgery plays havoc with ur hair !
    7 . Cry if u feel like it . I cried on my 2nd visit to theatre not because I was scared but I was overwhelmed as my 2nd trip and had kept it bottled up at home . The nurses comforted me and the big macho anaesthetists assistant held my hand ! I felt so much better for it and better than in front of my husband and daughter !
    Hope this helps anyone who is anxious xx
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^^^^^^^^^ What she said!

Slight variations for me - 1. Although there is a fair bit of waiting around, you will be interrupted from time to time, so I don’t think I could have read, I took a book of Sudoku puzzles instead.

4./6. I was supposed to be a day case, but took hours to wake up and was far to woozy to go home same day - and had no washbag, hairbrush etc with me! You don’t want to have too much stuff to carry around with you, so see if you can arrrange someone to bring a small pre-prepared bag to you if you have to stay.

  1. All my team up to that point had been female, so I was mildly surprised when a ‘big macho anaesthetists assistant’ came to collect me from the Admissions Suite. Full of chat and very reassuring and kind, though.

 

NB I had never previously had surgery, so was apprehensive, something all the staff understand and help to settle you.

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Well said all - Also eat plenty the day before surgery - Mistake I made was hardly eating the day before surgery - I then didn’t eat or drink after midnight and had surgery at 2 pm the following day. When I woke my head was hurting so much and I was shaky - back on the ward the nurse gave me an ice cold fruit salad and told me to drink the syrup - like nectar ! within a minute or two I felt better.