Went Well
I suppose I was pleasantly surprised by how well I felt straight after the operation on Friday. Perhaps anaesthetics have improved since 1986, in fact I’m sure they have. Of course it could have more to do with the fact that this time my op was only 1 hour instead of what I recall being told was between 4 and 5. Mind you, my memory is rubbish, so it could all be drivel.
This being my first in-patient experience of the NHS for a while, I didn’t know quite what to expect. The administration was nothing short of shambolic - quite possibly through no lack of capability of the staff but sheer overwork: the demand for beds is fearsome. Mind you, I’m pretty sure that I shouldn’t have been handed somebody else’s confidential notes, unsealed, to carry up to the ward. Bad, bad, bad. There was alcohol hand-wash everywhere, of course, and the ward was newly refitted and clean. One of the fancy new electrically powered beds didn’t work, which meant lots of swapping around. The food wasn’t too bad either - much better than I remember it before. No cabbage.
Naturally, though, what really mattered was the medical treatment and as has been the case every single time I’ve needed it, it was fantastic. The only slight niggle, again caused by time pressures on the staff, is that you don’t really feel able to ask all of the questions you want to.
Sorry, I realise this is a bit of a ramble - not that good at concentrating yet. More later.