Wednesday the 3rd of September 2008

There was a lot of discussion as to whether I was going in for my operation yesterday…. At 8.00 pm on Monday evening the hospital phoned to say that I wasn’t allowed to come in because I (still) had MRSA. However, after informing them that already started carrying out my MRSA cleansing ritual (a lovely sticky foam you rub everywhere plus a gel you shove up your nose) they said maybe I could come in. Several phone calls later I was told yes, I could go in.

So, 7.00 am on Tuesday morning Neil dropped me off at Gatwick Park hospital. There were nine of us booking in as day patients, eight women and one may (poor chap). One by one we were called up to the ward to be settled in. When they got to me I was told that I would be taken to a different area. Because of my MRSA status I had to be isolated so rather than being on the main ward of six, I was put in a newly refurbished private room with en-suite! I can now say there are benefits to having MRSA!! However, the silver lining always has a cloud and mine was that I had been bumped to the bottom of the queue (they do MRSA positive people last so they can scrub the operating theatre afterwards). Anyway, I’d had nothing to eat or drink since 9.00 pm the previous evening so by 9.00 am I was very hungry. By 10.00 I was hungry AND thirsty and by 12.00 my mouth was so dry it was sticking together!! All of this hanging around was interspersed by the arrival of the anaesthetist, nurses and my consultant – all of whom were very nice. 12.30 arrived and they wheeled me over to the operating theatre. They weren’t quite ready for me so I hung about in the anaesthetic room for 15 minutes, then 3..2..1… I was out…..

The next thing I remember was waking up in recovery, having the tube taken out of my throat (nice!) and the lovely nurse chatting away with me. I was back in my room by 2.00 attached to a drip and left to sleep it off. By 4.00 I was ready to go home but there was a bit of confusion at the end because they seemed to think I was someone else (they kept calling me Sarah) because instead of phoning for Neil to collect me they told me they’d phoned my sister who was waiting downstairs – very clever considering one sister lives in Wales and another in Yorkshire!! Anyway, as soon as the cannula had been removed from my hand I crept out, discharged myself and went out into the car park to search for Neil. Luckily he was working nearby so I called him and he arrived five minutes later. The downside of sneaking out of the hospital is that I didn’t wait for them to give me the painkillers but luckily for me I’m not in any pain again so I got away with that one. I think all is well and they didn’t miss me because so far, the hospital hasn’t phoned to tell me off!