When I arrived I had my height and weight taken: I'm still 160cm even though I tried hard to be taller, but to no avail. And my weight was 66.6kg. Not a great sign! 666/the Devil, etc ha. It also frustrates me because it makes me realise how much weight I've put on whilst being on ruddy steroids. But there's nothing like a spot of heavy surgery to shift those pounds! (Although not a recommended course of action haha)
Then I had my blood pressure and temperature taken. All was well, apart from the slight issue of my pulse...average healthy range for someone my age is 50-70 and mine was a casual 122. Needless to say, I was slightly nervous...*stay calm*
I wandered down to the next nurse to go through the thousand questions to make sure I'm fit and well for general anaesthetic; are you diabetic? Have you had a stroke? Have you ever had tuberculosis? No to all of the above. Done.
Blood test time. Except my right arm decided I had no blood to give and ran dry like the Nile in a drought. So now I have a hole in either elbow crease to make up for the empty first arm. (Right side again, see? What is it with that side of my body?!)
My turn to ask the questions...
It wasn't the nurses fault, but it was annoying because any questions I had about my surgery came back with the same answer: "we're not sure and won't know until you've had the operation."
So here's a list of things I still don't know:
- How long will my operation be?
- What exactly will they be doing?
- How long do you think I'll be in hospital for afterwards?
- What are the chances of me having an ileostomy bag?
- How many pairs of knickers will I need to pack?
I think you'll agree that all of these are very important questions - especially the last one.
There was also some new information I learned today. That is, there is a chance I will have an ileostomy bag (which I knew already) but also I will wake up with a catheter attached to me. This will essentially make my nethers redundant.
But I will also be attached to a machine for PCA; Patient Controlled Analgesia. PCA consists of a machine that is fixed to a stand by my bed, and connected to me by a tube directly into my vein. I will have a handheld button to press when I feel pain, and then a small dose of the medication will go straight into my bloodstream. Now I think that is pretty damn cool. Medical science amazes me sometimes!
But yes, a warning to any of my visitors: if you're boring me I may press the button and drift off into a nice morphine-induced sleep haha.
My official countdown has now begun. Until next time...
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