A long break

It has been quite a time since my last post so I thought it time for an update. Well - I have my new knee, but not without a few dramas first!

The date given to me by the hospital for my operation was 20th July - fine I thought, as I should be recovered enough for our cruise to the Adriatic on Oriana leaving 10th September. I soon had a phone call saying sorry, emergency patient needs the slot - your operation has been put back to 27th July. Now it was beginning to worry me but my surgeon still seemed to think I would be OK to travel as no flying is involved.

Because I was working on the 20th instead of being in hospital, I spent my lunchtime doing some last minute shopping in our High Street - and managed to trip over those horrible bubbly bits of pavement by pedestrian crossings. Now I know they are there to assist the partially sighted, but for those of us with foot and leg problems they are murderous. Anyway - one pair of broken glasses and a trip in an ambulance later ..... Because I fell flat on my face - literally - and my metal-framed glasses broke and jabbed into my forehead, I required patching up in A&E. Of course my biggest worry then was would I still be OK for my op the following week. Several x-rays later, I was assured I should be and that the bruising to my knees was just that - nothing broken. Phew - I was actually very lucky I didn't break my nose.

So - 7am, Monday 27 July and a friend picks me up to take me to the hospital. I check in at the theatre receiving unit, undress into my theatre gown, go through remaining paperwork, a TED stocking is put on my good leg, I take two paracetamol as required and the surgeon marks up my leg. I then take a seat in the waiting area to be called into theatre. A nurse arrives and then tells me the devastating news that there are no beds and I have to go home! Now I know this is not the end of the world BUT, when you are keyed up for a big operation, AND you have made all the complicated arrangements for afterwards, which are not easy when you live alone - I was stunned.

The staff were all very nice about it but it didn't alter the fact I was put back again!  I also could not believe the incredible waste of precious NHS resources - I was not the only one sent home, a man was too, so there were at least two surgeons and two anaesthetists with nothing to do! as well as two empty operating theatres.

I dressed in a daze when a nurse came to say the patient access team were on the phone with a new date - 17th August! That meant I would definitely have to cancel Oriana!

As I turned up at work - well I wasn't off sick any more - friends could not believe what had happened. That afternoon the patient access team phoned again and said they didn't want me to have to cancel my holiday so have brought me forward to 3rd August!!

I still thought that tight so my friend and I decided to cancel Oriana and switch to a very similar cruise on Arcadia leaving 10 days later. I was mentally exhausted!