14/05/22 ...and Hello again

Back from hospital last Thursday 12th, and everything seems to have gone very well. Arrived at London Bridge at 11:00 Monday for the operation at 13:00. There was a small delay because some machine had to be re-booted, but that's all. No long wait for pre-meds these days, just arrive, quick chat with the surgeon and the anaesthetist, and off you go. One injection in the arm, and it's like switching a light off. Just gone,in an instant.

The procedure itself - four titanium screws, two rods, and a plate plus some "synthetic bone" - was done with me face-down with my head over the edge of the table to open up the cervical vertebrae as far as possible. The robot works with the map of my spine built up by CT scan and also from live 3-D X-rays, The result is - so they say, far more precision with cutting tools etc. than a human urgeon can achieve, and the ability to work fro "impossible" angles. The robot in question was, I think, one of these: <https://www.stgeorgesurgical.com/naviokneereplacement/> or a more advanced version of the same thing. 

So, after four hours of general anaesthesia, it was done. But I had a build-up of fluid around and/or in my brain, leading to me lashing out at random and being, in the anaesthetist's words, "all over the place". I don't remember a thing about that - when I came round it was all over and just like switching that light back on again. They sent me off to High Dependency, apparently not unusual for recovery from prolonged GA. And then, fearing another burst of whatever it was, they moved me into Intensive Care and inserted a drain to remove that excess fluid. And that's where I woke up. I could tell it was a different room because the TV was on the other side of the bed, and there seemed to be rather too many nurses around. But nobody told me it was an Intensive Care Room.

One of the theatre nurses had said she would phone Sue as soon as I was out of theatre, but needless to say, she didn't. So I was left assuming Sue knew I was OK but in fact the first she heard was the morning after: "Oh, he's in Intensive Care..."

Not good.

Not good at all.

Anyway, back in my original room, various fun things to deal with. No urination for several hours after getting the catheter out - and lot of stining when I finally did get a flow. And bad constipation from all the painkillers...

Now for some photos in, as they say, no particular order. As for the scars, the left one is the main incision and the one on the right is for the drain. Or so I was told.

And now for the big question. What has all this got to do with myeloma? As it has turned out, nothing at all. But when you have a condition with such a wide range of not very clearly defined symptoms it's natural to look in that direction when something new appears - especially if bones are involved. It isn't anything to do with my myeloma but it easily might have been.

And now for the recovery - right hand is already some distance on the way back to normal, left hand shows slight improvement but still a long way to go. Walking still bad. More in a few months...