D-Day 4th Nov 2009

D-Day today –no going back now! Sorry this report is long... so much happened!

Was woken by nurse at 6am to take my BP, temperature, pulse and get measured for my white anti-clotting stockings. Got the stockings and gown at 7am, went for my shower. I didn’t bother washing my hair – most CI’ees told me that they washed their hair but said it was a waste of time; my hair was still clean from previous day so I left it. Went back to my bed, read my book, did a video diary entry via PC Webcam (don’t have permission to use camera in ward but can use PC webcam) and waited to be brought down to theatre.

Trolley came for me at 11am, I had expected to leave my hearing-aids at my bed and just bring my glasses but they said no, only hearing aids allowed in-situ in Theatre, not glasses! Was dismayed – my lip-reading skills is way better than my residual hearing, would rather have my glasses over the HA’s any day!

The guy pushing my trolley was a total joker very easy to understand, while waiting for the lift he started teasing this skinny petite blonde nurse carrying my file; as another trolley with patient came to share our lift he teased our nurse that there wouldn’t be room for her in lift! When the lift came – it was tiny! But they managed to fit two trolleys in side by side with the Joker plus the other guy pushing them plus two ward nurses... The Joker turned on my nurse “Wow! You manage to fit in did ya? Go on, I let ya push the button – pick any button...” as the lift went up instead of down to the Theatre floor, the Joker drawled at me really seriously “Jaysus, ya can’t trust a blonde to know the difference between up and down these days, can ya?” We all burst out laughing... The blonde nurse included! Great way to break the nervous tension I must add!

As I got into the Theatre waiting room, the blonde nurse handed my file to an African Theatre Nurse, who proceeded to talk to me – I was totally at loss! I didn’t understand her at all, not sure if it was because she was a non-national (very difficult to lip-read) or the fact I couldn’t see her clearly... I started apologising that I hadn’t my glasses on to see her properly. She gave poor Nurse Blonde a right ticking off for not allowing me to bring my glasses! She started to tick various boxes on my file, dumping my file on my bed and wandered off. I was curious and miffed to see what she had ticked for me, wanted to ensure she had put correct info but spotted nothing serious or incorrect... glancing thru the papers I noticed my blood test results had some odd results which concerned me – spotting a different name on top of the page ‘James ...’ waving Nurse Blonde over – I pointed it out to her silently, she gasped then removed the papers quickly before the Theatre Nurse came back to take my file adding the docket to clear me for admission into the Theatre. Just hope they had my results going in!

I was in the pre-theatre room for 5 minutes, saying hello to various people setting up my EGG monitor, drips, etc., none of whom I had met before! None of the team who visited my bed yesterday appeared either! Then the door opened and Dr Viani appeared –I was so glad to see a familiar face! Was having a moment that I might be in the wrong theatre! She grasped my hand and spoke to me – I motioned her to come forward as I couldn’t lip-read without my glasses. She repeated her greeting adding if I was alright, I nodded, asking if I would be implanted with the AB implant as I had hoped. She shook her head: ‘No I will be implanting you with the Nucleus. The Cochlear Nucleus is a more stable product. I would need to do a different operation for Advance Bionic Implant - I don’t have enough practice on implanting them just yet. Trust me, the Nucleus has a proven excellent track results, you will be fine.... Okay?’ She smiled at me, patting my arm reassuringly. I nodded. Instead of getting my aesthentic by injection into the drip, I got it via mask... it took forever! I must have counted to 50-something before I went under!

Coming around in the recovery room, I was in a sitting up position with oxygen mask on. Putting my hand up to my head, I felt the bandage but it wasn’t as big or tight as I was lead to believe. The doctor with the firm handshake from yesterday appeared. For some strange reason I thought, they didn’t do the operation! That I was opened up and closed again with no implant! Then suddenly I felt a horrible burning sensation in my right eye!
I asked “Did you do the implant? Is it over?”
-‘Oh yes, it went really well! Are you in pain?’
-‘There’s something in my eye – something sticking into it...’
-‘Okay, I’ll have a look... it looks red, can’t see anything, will get saline to wash it...’
When she came back with saline – two drops and my eyeball burned! ‘Owwww! ‘ I cried out, she backed off, “no, it is just initial burning – it’s still there, can you put more in please...” she poured the rest of the saline in, the relief was good but only temporary. I could feel the grit was still there scraping the eyeball as I moved my eye. Urrgh! I asked for the saline wash 3 times more, but no avail – the grit or whatever it was wasn’t shifting.

I don’t remember getting back to my ward, but the Ward doctor appeared concerned about the eye, which was getting worse. Begging for more saline to wash out the grit, she reassured me that they were trying to locate an Eye doctor for me. I kept asking, begging, for the saline – my eyeball was burning like mad! Finally a nurse appeared with the saline droplets as the doctor ran off to make a phone call - opening my eyelid, I asked the Nurse to put some on the top of eyeball, she squirted on the top of the eyelid, it ran down my face. I wasn’t impressed and was getting frustrated with the pain, snapped at her “No, not there – in the eye!” but the nurse just put my oxygen mask back on walked off!

Finally the Doctor came back, I explained what had happened, and she reassured me that she will get the nurse back with more saline. She also apologised that an Eye Doctor was not available in Beaumont; they needed to get one over from Mater. It would be tomorrow before he could see me. Brilliant, bloody brilliant! I started to get very upset – the pain was unbearable! The doctor tried to calm me down saying best they could offer was some painkilling eye drops for now, I agreed. While waiting for the eye drops I begged for more saline to dull the burning in the eye; the doctor agreed and a few minutes later the Nurse came back. This time she had a syringe, opening my eye she squirted saline onto my eyeball which really burned like mad!!! Howling with the initial pain of the burn, I removed my oxygen mask. She replaced it, I took it off again and she jammed it back on! I asked if I could please hold the saline and do it myself, but she refused. She then put an eye patch on the eye really roughly... I pulled her hand back and she slapped my hand! Whoa! WTF! I was in shock! Who gave this cow a job as a nurse!? She got up and walked away... 3 minutes later she came back took off the eyepatch and poured this cream from a tube into my eye. The cream stung for a moment (cue - more whimpers from me!) before the cooling action began to work and I was able to calm down. Then the Nurse from Hell (NFH) opened the curtains, seeing all the other ladies and their visitors staring at me (it was 3pm at this stage) I was mortified!

Mum came in with my 4 year old daughter, Théa, I was so glad to see them! Poor Théa was in shock to see me with eye patch, bandage, oxygen mask – she just stood there in shock, wouldn’t come near me! They didn’t stay too long as I was drifting in/out of sleep. NFH came back with BP, Temperature and pulse thingys; she woke me up jabbing the temperature probe deep into my right ear – I winced! The people were still there all looking on at me, catching sight of the male nurse-aid – I asked him to draw the curtains for some privacy, which he did. Still tired I drifted into a light sleep.

I woke up 3 hours later, the burning sensation in my eye was back, the curtains was open, lights in ward on full blast, my overhead light was on and the gauze was coming away from the eye... ringing the pager, the NFH came, I removed the oxygen mask to ask for the curtains to be drawn and more cream for eye, explaining it was burning up again. She shook her head at me, said something – I asked for my glasses as I couldn’t see her to lip-read what she was saying (didn’t have my hearing aids on either)... she gave the glasses to me and walked away. Grrr! What was the point of talking then giving me my glasses, then walking away?! Not very deaf friendly, are we, eh? Ringing the pager again – the Nurses-Aid came in. I asked him to close curtains and turn off the light over my bed, please. He nodded. I them asked for some water as my mouth was really dry... He went off to ask, before coming back with a cup of water and a paper bowl, I was only allowed to rinse my mouth and take one small slip. Bliss! Barely 2 mins later NFH comes back, whips the curtains back and tells me off!
-“You cannot have this curtain closed – we need to keep an eye on you!”
-“I’m finding the light too strong, my eye is sore again can I have more ointment on please?”
-“No! You have eye patch – that’s enough! Put that oxygen mask back on NOW!”
30 mins later, I was bursting for a pee... urgh! Pressing the bell with trepidation, the Nurse-Aid came... told him I badly needed toilet. ‘No problem - one moment.... ‘ off he went then came back with bed-pan! LOL! You gotta be joking me!? No, he was deadly serious, pulling curtains around the bed, started to pull back covers, lift my gown... and deftly placed the pan under my bum... I was in shock! But thinking I had a choice between him and the NFH, I was really in no position to complain! But I was so embarrassed – I couldn’t pee! I was BURSTING to go but I couldn’t! After 3 long minutes, I told him it wasn’t working. He went off and came back with a commode chair... I hope that was to bring me into the toilet but he nodded said no, I had to use it there(!) Helping me out of the bed for the first time, releasing my drip, I was about to sit down – NFS pulls the curtain back exposing my bum to the people visiting the lady in the bed opposite me!!! She pulled it back but I was soooooo embarrassed! I started sobbing my eyes out in frustration! I still couldn’t go... it took 10 minutes for me to calm down and relaxed enough to pee! When it was over, I asked Nurse-Aid to leave curtains closed but he shook his head sadly ‘sorry but the Staff Nurses says we have to keep them open...’

As they moved the bed to push in the commode the cup of water got knocked over and wet the bed clothes. My drip had leaked onto my gown (which was same one I wore for the operation) NFH came back, started tutting about the wet bedclothes/gown, and made a big deal about changing the sheets. The curtains were still open - god only knows what the visitors and the other ladies must have been thinking! That I soiled the bed and my gown?! I vowed to complain about NFH... her unsympathetic manner; lack of deaf awareness and non-respect for my dignity was just awful!

The crying episode I had earlier helped cool the eye a bit, but it made my eye patch really damp, so I removed it. Realising the grit or whatever it was had moved, I could feel it just under my eyelid. Grabbing a tissue, I dipped it into what was left of the water in the cup and gently rubbed under the eyelid – and it came out! The eye was still burning, spotting the eye cream on my bedside locker, I never noticed it before! Feck NFH! Grabbing it, I read the instruction paper inside, and following it poured some cream into my eye... Ah the blessed relief!

One hour later when the night shift nurses came on – I was still sitting up in the chair beside my bed with oxygen mask on. I had been waiting for NFH to put me back in my bed but she never came back! I asked one of the night nurse if I can take off the oxygen mask, she agreed. The catering staff came around with tea/coffee/biscuits at 10pm – I was suddenly ravenous! Asking the night nurse if I was allowed to have tea? She checked my chart – ‘Any sickness, or dizziness today?’ I said no. She then instructed the catering staff to give me a cup of tea and two digestive biscuits! It was best tea and biscuits ever!

Realising I needed to pee again... called the Nurse; she asked if I was able to walk. I nodded – I hadn’t a clue if I was able but I was determined to go to the toilet and not face the commode again! She helped me up and I managed to walk holding on to tables, walls... no dizziness, just was slightly off balance. Nurse offered to help me change out of the gown into my pyjamas. Washed my face, hands, got more eye cream and felt soooo much better going back to my bed! I had to sleep in a semi-sitting position, which I didn’t mind.