Theatre twice

I arrived at St Augustines at 6am, depressed and fearful, accompanied by my wife Lee. I was given my bed in the ward, handed my theatre kit and given a 7.30am slot for surgery. Everything seemed to be a big rush around me and I only eventually relaxed with my morphine pre-med at about 7.00am! Ordinarily, surgery does not scare me. This time however, I was depressed cos apart from the hernia repair, everything else was going to be worse than before the op. I blame it on the morphine but I felt very upset saying bye to Lee as I was wheeled off.

I recognised prof Haffajee and Dr Naidoo behind their masks. The morphine was really doing the trick now and I just stared lazily up at the theatre lights. I could hear them talking but I was not listening...just waiting for the nighty night jab. Just before knocking me out, they got all excited about some of my blood results just in from the lab. Seemed my potassium was too high for surgery! They took more blood there and then and rushed it off to the lab, while we all waited...all I needed to complete the scene was an apple in my mouth.

The lab sent back the results, and my potassium was still too high. Within a few minutes I was being wheeled back to the ward with only a 'free' morphine shot to show for my theatre visit. Through the night they did blood transfusions to get my HB up; and fed me ghastly clay drinks to get my potassium down. By 3.00pm on Thursday I was ready once again and wheeled off to theatre with another welcome morphine shot!

Oh my word...did I wake in pain! I knew I had been in surgery but did not know exactly where I was and who was around. I was very, very sore and crying for help. I kept being told that they had given me all they could but those assurances were meaningless. Anyway, something must have eventually got through as I passed out again and only woke Friday morning.