"Struggle To Fault"

Anything else?

I recently had a relatively minor operation that I was in all honesty surprised to even get on the NHS. After an initial assessment by my Consultant he offered to operate and I was expecting to join the back of a long waiting list and be operated on sometime next year. Imagine my surprise to receive a letter in the post giving me an operation in two weeks, so soon in fact I needed to cancel which is not something you hear of very often. Their secretary was extremely helpful and on the phone gave me another date for a months time. Unfortunately this operation was cancelled due to insufficient beds but I know that the procedure was minor in nature and I understand. Within a few days of this cancellation I was given another date for a few days time, I was impressed with the speed as to the appointment (not a complaint you hear very often with the NHS) and duly attended on the day. On the operation day in question I attended the Day Surgery Unit. All of the nurses and staff without exception are a true credit to the NHS, helpful, caring, efficient and knowledgeable. After a relatively quick time on the unit I was visited by the registrar in charge of my surgery, he also was helpful and efficient in explaining the surgery and then I was visited by the anaesthetist. He is again a credit to his craft, fully explaining the general anaesthetic procedure I was about to undergo and what I side effects I could possibly suffer. When it came to the operation (only around two hours post admission) I was taken to the operating theatre by the excellent nurses and assistants. I was a little nervous which I imagined showed but the nurses and anaesthetist put me at real ease. I was expecting some pain with the injections of the anaesthetic and such but I had none, the last thing I remember is falling asleep much quicker than I expected. I woke up after the operation cared for by the post operative nurses, I was expecting to be in some pain from both the anaesthetic mask and the operation but I had none. I awoke more quickly than I expected and I was completely surprised as to how pain free and with it I actually was. I was quickly back on the ward and discharged about an hour later, with full after care advice (and some decent toast) given by the nurses. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of the staff who cared for me, I do not have a complaint about any of them. My post operative pain is much better than I expected (I expected described discomfort = excruciating pain but it actually was only discomfort) and other than missing the hour in my day I would not think I had actually had the surgery. My one minor gripe is the opening of the Day Surgery Unit in the morning nearly caused a mini riot as people who had been in before the admission time were sitting down and the people who came in later jumped the queue, it could do with more organisation, perhaps with ticket numbers or something.