We were up early and off by 6.40 to the hospital.
We didn't have long to wait before being called in with a nurse who checked bp, temp and went through the notes to check everything.
She gave Jon a gown and dressing gown and then put some socks on to protect against DVT on top of those he was given some blue, paper slippers to wear and a white hat which he could keep in his pocket until later. All his things were put into a brown bag which would be taken to the ward later. The nurse asked for my mobile number and as I don't use my mobile much I didn't know it and thought I had it written down but I didn't. Seven o'clock is a bit early to be texting people so the nurse gave me the number of the office we were in and I called that and she then took the umber from the display, wrote it in the notes and gave it to me on a piece of paper! I have now written it in my diary.
We then went to sit and wait with all the other day surgery cases. The registrar anesthetist came in and went over all the things we discussed last week and recommended that he have the epidural as it was going to be painful when he woke up.
Later the anesthetist came in to introduce herself and told me she would take good care of him and expect the operation to take most of the day but I would get a call once he was in recovery.
The consultant came to see us and said that if Jon woke with the bag on the right it would be good but there was a tiny chance it would be on the left and permanent.
Eventually a theatre nurse came in and went through everything again and checked his name tag and said they were just about ready and so she took him down. There is none of this going down on a trolley, he walked down and I said goodbye at the theatre door.
I drove home with my tummy in knots.
I took Tot out for a walk and she doesn't seem to like her expensive harness as much as the cheap one and I am back to 'gently' pulling her along!
I went out to the Red Cross and did some work there. I explained to them that I was just there to keep busy and not to serve in the shop but I was surprised at how little the Tuesday ladies do. They seem to spend most of their time going through the rails looking for themselves or going upstairs for a cuppa. I am not surprised Les, Sharon and I are referred to as the A Team!!
Carol came in and helped with putting stock out and then when Les arrived we went across the road to the cafe for a coffee and sat having a chat. Carol left to meet her brother and then Bianca, Les' daughter and the manager of the shop came over for a chat.
When we got back we got stuck in to putting stock out and the rest of the morning passed OK. It was by now 2.00 and I was getting very nervous as time went on so decided to go home and I gave Les a lift home, too.
When I got in I sent a few emails and waited for the call. When it came I could not believe it, I couldn't answer the call. Jon bought me a new phone and as I have not had any calls on it I thought you just touched the green icon on the screen but it wouldn't answer and eventually the phone stopped. I was starting to panic.
I rang my phone from Jon's mobile and tried again but no luck. I rang the hospital and explained somebody was trying to call me from recovery and she was not very nice and told me she couldn't put me through to recovery and would put me through to the ward where he was due to go. They did not answer and it just rang and rang. By now I was in a panic. I found my instruction book for the phone and had just read how to answer a call when my mobile rang again and it was Mark, the surgeon. Moral - don't buy a new phone at a stressful time in your life!!
It was now 4.00 and Mark told me it had gone well but taken much longer than he thought - seven and a half hours. He said he was sorry that he had had to do a permanent bag and he knew Jon would be upset. He said he had a second surgeon with him and they both agreed it was the only option to get a clear margin around the tumour. We knew there was a 10% chance he would have to have a permanent bag. He said the good news was the tumour was gone and there were no signs of cancer in his liver so we have to be positive. He told me I should wait a couple of hours before going in to see him.
I rang Heather just before I left and woke her up but I thought it best to speak to her before she went to work. I sent out lots of emails and then left for the hospital arriving just on 6.00.
I asked at reception where he was and she rang recovery and told me he was still there and would not be on the ward till 6.30. She asked me if I had eaten and when I said no she told me to go and get a meal in the canteen and then go to the ward at 6.30. She even looked up the menu for me.
The canteen was serving huge portions of roast beef and I just couldn't face it so opted for a sandwich which was fine.
I arrived at the ward just as they were bringing him in. I spoke to the nurse and asked her if he knew about the bag and she said he did. She said it had been a difficult and longer operation than first thought but the results were good. She also said she had kept him in recovery for two and a half hours as he had had a lot of medication and they wanted to make sure he was OK and had the correct pain relief.
Once he was settled in the ward, only four beds in it, I went and sat with him. He opened his eyes and looked at me and just said 'left' so although pretty much out of it he did know. He said he had never been in so much pain and of course he wouldn't have. He has a morphine pump in his hand for self administration which he was using a lot.
The nurses were in and out checking all the time and seem very attentive. They asked if I needed anything but I was OK. It was quite uncomfortable holding his hand and leaning over the sides of the bed though and I was stiff.
I decided at 8.00 to go home as he was mostly sleeping but I did feel mean leaving him there. I asked if it was OK for me to call in the morning and they said that was fine and gave me the direct line number.
Once home I sent more emails and answered some I had received. We have had so many messages and emails. I will print them off and take them in for him to read.
I worry that he will be really down and get depressed about the bag and I know we have a long way to go yet.
WEATHER
Sunny spells but windy 17 degrees
No comments:
Post a Comment