Day of surgery came on 10th Jan 2008, a Thursday. I had my last meal at 6.30am with a piece of toast and a cup of coffee. This was the pre-op instruction given to me during my pre-admission testing. I was told, take a sip of water at about 9:30am if you really need it or gargle your mouth with water if you are really thristy because my surgery was scheduled at 1pm.
I packed my bag, threw in my laptop, brought Atul Gawante's book on Better and Fred Lee's If Disney Ran your Hospital in anticipation that the surgery would be small deal and would soon find myself doing some good readings (I was wrong... but read on).
At 11.30am, I arrived at the hospital as a Same Day Admit (SDA) patient. The SDA is really good because patient is spared the anxiety of being admitted the day before surgery and of course the cost of one day stay as well. Given how busy Singapore"s public hospitals are, one day saved is an available bed for another patient, perhaps through the A&E, who needs it more. I was welcomed by the nurses and got settled in my room.
The nurses began to prepare me for surgery. In hospital language, the "clerking" process started. I began to find that it is really a little awkward being hospitalised in the same hospital that you work in, no fault of anyone, just the need to answer even very basic questions that we don't talk openly about... "How many times do you move your bowels everyday?", "Do you have any false teeth?"... Soon all these were over, and the reality of going for surgery soon sank in. My wife, who was with me said a prayer for me and asked for God's protection as I enter for surgery. Even though I tried not to think about it, I could tell I was anxious. It was helpful that the nurses dropped by my room regularly to keep me informed every step of the way... trolley on the way, your surgeon has arrived in the OT. The sense that everything is in order and that the hospital was ready for me was very comforting.
The trolley soon arrived to bring me to the OT... I traversed corridors horizontal and picked up a few tips... we need to make our ceiling more interesting... we also need to make the gaps between the floor tiles much smaller so that the wheels do not bumble along when the patient is being wheeled to and from the OT. Just before I entered the OT, I realised that a regular picture on the wall was missing... I thought just let go now, remember you are going for surgery!
At the OT, I was given a hair cover, I slipped it on and with a few verifications on my identity and purpose of my surgery, I was confirmed as the right patient and sent to the operating theatre. Two senior nurses were with me in the prep room. It helped that they kept me mentally occupied by telling me jokes. The anesthetist came in, set the plug, gave me an injection and then came by Surgeon Dr Tan. He asked me what do I want as the ideal outcome of this surgery... I said no congestion, that I can breathe well with both sides of the nose and not be miserable from the post nasal drip, infection etc. He smiled at me and said let's go...
I was transferred to the operating table. There is this roller that was put behind my back and as I slide over to the op table, it was this massage feeling... I thought what a way to start the surgery, with a massage! The anesthetist told me to breathe in the oxygen through the mask and that I will soon sleep. I took one deep breath preparing that I would be knocked out but I did not, I took a second but I was still awake, so I took a third and I did not remember anything after that (i was later explained that the "breathing part" was a decoy, the real thing that sent me to sleep came from an an injection into my plug on my hand...).
Between going to sleep and becoming wakeful, I could not remember anything...which was great! "Mr Foo, the surgery is over, everything is ok, we will be pushing you back to your room..." came the voice presumably from an anesthetist. I wanted to respond but felt almost completely immobilised... plus I was feeling really dizzy.
The journey on the trolley back to my room was a most uncomfortable one, mainly because I was feeling nauseous plus I hated the bumpy ride due to the big gaps on the floor tiles... I must do something about it!
I soon realised that my surgery had lasted 5 hours as my nose was woozy. My wife and children were already in the room waiting for me. The comfort of my wife's hand on mine was most welcoming. She stroked my forehead and said that I am fine. I was told that my daughters were both too afraid to look at me as I looked weak - not something they were accustomed to. But my dizzy spell was so distracting. I decided that it must be due to the long period between meals and that I am probably dizzy due to being "low on sugar". I told my wife to ask the nurse for something sweet, like coca cola and have it smeared on my lips. My wife came back with ice cream, provided by the hospital. The sugar from the ice cream did wonders and within minute I gained energy and was soon feeling much better.
To stop the bleeding post surgery, my nose was packed to the brim and I had to breathe completely through my mouth. With a Nose "Tampon" located just below my nose and above my moth to catch the blood and mucous, I felt kind of strange. When I thought about what the surgery could bring me, this is a small price to pay. At about 10pm, my surgeon Dr Tan came to see me perhaps after attending a function or dinner. He updated me about the surgery and assured me that the surgery went well. My confidence swelled plus I am thankful that Dr Tan would find the time to see me at such late hours...
Throughout the night, I kept sipping on water tinged with organge syrup as my mouth was very dry. This produced a side-effect... that I need to pee. The problem is that I did not have enough energy to walk to the toilet myself to pee (neither am I allowed) and also do not want to have the prospect of nurses whom I know help me with such basic instinct like peeing. The urge soon grew so great that my shyness soon gave way. I asked for a urinal instead and decided to pee while in bed. I pushed the nurse call bell, the nurse turned up within 20 seconds, handed me the urinal and she politely asked if I need help with the urinal. My immediate reply was "NO" even though I have perfectly no idea how to "do it". After the nurse left the room and pulled the curtain, I quickly set my brains into action... I slanted my body slightly to the right, position the urinal and found relieve. One problem is that in a lying down position, one cannot empty the bladder fully... I think need most gravity help or what. Throughout the night, I had to ask for the urinal 5 times as I did drink plenty of water as I had to breathe through my mouth.
Oh, did I tell you one of the most important thing to bring for your admission? For me, it was my own personal favourite Tempur pillow... can't tell you the difference it has made to my rest :-)
Day 2 morning came quickly. The medical team on call from ENT came, saw me briefly and said that I am doing well. They tole me that Dr Tan would be coming to see me soon. Dr Tan soon came, told me to stay another day because he wanted to leave the packing in my nose for another day as my wound was woozing during surgery and it was better to make sure that the bleeding stopped. I agreed. For the rest of the day, I took my regular antibiotics and pain killer and watched TV... another luxury that I don't have in normal daily life. Friends, colleagues, family members stream in during the course of the day to see me. All this made me thankful for the gift of family and friends! The effects of the anesthesia lasted through the second day... I was sleepy and dozed off every once in a while. Not only did I missed colleague's visit in the process but I did not find the energy to read (remember the books and laptop that I brought...) or anything else.
Quietly, I was beginning to worry if the surgery would work as I was not yet breathing through my nose... I remembered my wife's prayer for me, and faith rushed back into my heart. I will be well...
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