After the blood tests the midwife said we should go home for a couple of hours and return to the ward at half twelve. Unfortunately the hospital and our house are on completely the opposite sides of the city with a lot of traffic inbetween. Fortunately, my lovely brother and his family live close to the hospital. I texted my brother asking if we'd be able to come round and he jumped straight in the car. I have a wonderful family. :)
So he picked us up and took us back to his for an hour and a half. I was in a lot of pain, but the paracetamol kicked in and I just lay on their sofa and chatted while Rob played with our nephew. It really really helped us both feel a lot better to get out of the hospital, see people who know and care about us and see the baby. I feel a bit strange about babies at the moment but I just don't think about it too much and it's ok.
At 12.10 my brother took us back to the ward. It's a big, separate unit so we walked down to the day case section. It's a bit of a funny set up really as there's a waiting area in the ward where we waited for an hour, with women coming back from surgery, going and coming back from meetings with the anaesthetists and all sorts. I had the most stuff! Haha.
I had a quick meeting with a nurse where she gave me my identity bracelets - I had my own barcode! - and took my blood pressure, heart rate and temperature. The machines kept breaking down so it took longer than it should and we had to go to the canteeny bit as there were no private meeting rooms. I felt quite calm at this point and the nurse was brisk but kind.
Back to waiting waiting waiting. We spoke briefly with a couple of the other women who explained that it was really busy, and a woman who'd had her operation came to sit with us as she was being discharged and they needed the bed so badly she had to finish recovering in the waiting area! I was partly horrified, but partly glad that you *could* recover like this, if you see what I mean. It was all a bit hectic.
Then I heard my name mentioned, probably about 2pm or half two, so we'd been waiting at least and hour and a half. A brisk HCA (old auxiliary nurse?) came and took me to a two-bed bay, made up a bed and told me to put a gown on. Things were happening. Then a surgeon came in, who I'm sure said she was called Dr Fookay. Anyway, she went through what was going to happen very quickly so we had to ask her to repeat herself and she slowed down. With the problem I had there was more of a chance of a haemorrage, so I was more likely to need a blood transfusion, and more liking to have a perforation requiring a laparascopy and laparotomy which would involve going through my bellybutton to stitch it, or through my stomach. So I could wake up with holes in me and a transfusion going through. I was feeling pretty unlucky so I said I supposed that would happen. So then I had to sign saying I understood what was happening. I was a bit disappointed that Mr Smith (the consultant we met briefly on Saturday) wouldn't be doing the operation as I'd been added to the list but at that point I didn't really care enough to say anything.
The surgeon left and the HCA returned, realised that the bed wasn't suitable for surgery so I was moved to the other one. I put my dressing gown over the hospital gown and kept my tracksuit bottoms and socks on. So we returned to waiting...
All day I was texting, tweeting and playing scrabble with people which really helped.
I think at about 3pm the pain started up again, really bad. I was crying and groaning and Rob was amazing, rubbing my back and helping me through it. My bed bay was opposite the front doors to the ward so we had pulled the curtain round. Rob went to find a nurse to give me some painkillers and I got two paracetamol which let me sleep for an hour. When I woke up Rob was asleep so I let him sleep but then accidentally kicked him. Oops. Then the pain started up AGAIN, even worse so I started crying and groaning again. It felt so unfair that I was in hospital, not pregnant at all, about to have an operation AND in pain. It was too much. The nurses heard me this time and they kept asking "Why are you crying?" (nicely) but it was like - wouldn't you be crying? It was amazing that I had moments when I wasn't crying, really! So they offered me codeine. I was a bit reluctant to take it as the last time I'd had it I vomited and that really was the last thing I needed. I think this was about 4.15pm. They gave me one which really helped calm me down and took the pain away. Then at 5pm the HCA came and said I was going down to theatre. Wow!
I had a quick wee and took off my clothes. I said I wanted to go down on the bed because I couldn't really walk so I had to lie flat on the bed with the gown undone and not lying on it at all. The HCA told me to keep my hand under the covers to keep my veins wide for the canula. Good tip.
So she took me down with a porter called James. She said she was taking me because she had the same birthday as me. Coincidence! And she and James nattered about how long they'd worked in the hospital. We went down towards the day case ward and right into the theatre and through what looked like a server room into a little ante room. Barely bigger than the bed.
There was a male anaethetist called Dr Wil-something, a brown anaethestist who I want to call Lola and a theatre nurse called something Spicer. They introduced themselves. The male one said he had to make sure I was fit and healthy so asked about implants, metal and what not which I don't have. Then he said he'd forget it all so nurse Spicer asked again.
While they were talking to me the HCA had a grip on my left arm and Lola was wiping the back of my hand to put the canula in so I braced my head on the bed. I think my eyes probably welled up as they asked if I was OK but I was losing my voice because I was scared so I could say was "frightened". Then they put a mask on me and told me to breathe deeply and I could tell the man was putting syringes of stuff into the back of my hand. My face started prickling so I think I lifted my right hand to touch it and then they said it was normal.
Then I started waking up...
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