Friday 18 May 2018

Drain 2

Mum and Col pick me up early and we drive to Kingsfold Unit to get drain 2 done. Déjà vû. We are in the waiting room for about an hour and then taken through to Tilgate Ward for a while and then drain 2 gets underway. Though this time on the actual ward, not in a side room like last time. I feel far more vulnerable and exposed 😟 The only barrier between me and everyone else on the ward is a curtain, before I had a whole separate room. The procedure begins and I am prepped for the op, covered in a sheet as before. I am being done by a trainee who is being observed. I am not happy. It feels manic. The "drain digger" begins, screwing that 15cm needle deeper and deeper, more and more anaesthetic being used. I scream out, it bloody hurts. I grab Mum's hand tightly and Colin rubs the top of my head. The observing senior doc talks to me about my job, in Spanish, I see he is trying to distract me. Then there is a hideous “popping” feeling somewhere deep inside that wasn’t there when I had this done before. It’s weird. I beg for the more senior doc to take over, the trainee is really hurting me and thankfully the senior doc takes charge. Suddenly there's a pressure release. A lot of fluid rushes out and he quickly stops the drain and puts it onto super slow release. I ask for oramorph because I remember the pain from last time. The lung reinflating is mercifully far less painful this time but I cannot get the weird pop sound out of my head... We wait. And we wait. We take it slow.  The fluid drips out. I am told the trainee nicked a blood vessel... One of my friends from the Bristol weekend who lives in Horsham - Ruth - pops up to see me as she happens to be in East Surrey. It’s nice to see her through the oramorph fog, we chat for a while but she can see I’m getting dopey so leaves me to rest.

We’re eventually told that as much is going to drain has drained (600ml), so Mum and Col drive me home but my god I ache. I thank Mum and Col, go inside, clamber on the sofa, Rob comes in to kiss me and shit there is immediate drama. Rob looks up at Poppy who is standing on the windowsill and her stomach is hanging down and sagging. We had Poppy spayed last week and fuck she has burst her stitches. Oh god. I am incapable of helping. Rob calls the vet and whisks Poppy away. Bloody hell.

I fall asleep for a few hours. Poor Poppy has to undergo emergency surgery 😥 She gets home later that night. I am totally foggy and can hardly remember the evening.

Liquid from Drain 2

Pretty feel better flowers 
from Sarah & Dave

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