Pre Op Assessment

I was put on the waiting list for surgery in 2008 and told that when a space for surgery became available, I would be called in for Pre-Op Assessment. This would be one day where I would spend around 8 hours in the Hospital, getting tests done on me to make sure I was healthy enough and suitable enough for the Operation. It would be at this appointment I would find out just what the Surgery consisted of.
I was told that after Pre-Op assessment the operation had to be done within 3 months or else the results were invalid, so when I got the appointment for this I knew that my Operation wouldn't be far off.

I waited and waited, until one Friday (the 12th June 2009 to be precise!) I had a missed call on my mobile from Leeds Hospital, and a text from my mum saying to phone them URGENTLY. My stomach was all over the place when I spoke to the Pre-Op assessment Nurse (Fiona) who said a planned surgery had to be cancelled so there was a gap available. She asked if I wanted to come in on the Monday (15th June) for my pre-op assessment, and if all was well surgery was planned for the following Monday.

So at the Pre-Op Assessment (because of course I said yes!) I had a Lung Capacity Test, an E.C.G (which measures my heart rate) some blood tests, some x-rays in which I was bended and stretched (to test the flexibility of my spine) and some medical photos. The medical photos are photos of me standing in my nuddy pants, and will be repeated 6 months Post-Op to see the difference. L.G.I (Leeds General Infirmary) is a teaching hospital, so I hope no one I know goes to study there, or they at least chop my head off the pictures.

I then went and spoke to Fiona and Mr. Rao who told me all about the surgery. There are 2 major risks associated with this kind of surgery, the first one being that there is a tiny chance of paralysis – which would restrict me to a wheelchair for the rest of my life. This chance is miniscule as they have many measures in place to avoid this – I would have electrodes in my head and feet which run currents up and down my Spine to make sure there are no abnormalities. If something odd came up then the surgery would go no further and they would sew me up and leave me be.
Another risk is that the surgery may not work; the bones may not fuse properly which could cause me to need further operations, or cause my Spine to collapse (that’s a very severe case).

While these risks are very serious ones, I decided that surgery is right for me because the long term health issues if I didn’t have it could be just as serious. Professor Rao assured me that even though there are risks, there was about a 0.01% chance of either of them happening.

My surgery would be Anterior which means it would be performed through my back (some surgeries are done from the side). In a nutshell, I would be opened up from the top to the bottom of my spine, and then I would get some screws and rods put in to straighten me out.

When I finally got the phone call on the Wednesday 17th June to confirm that my test results were all O.K, I was so excited! I sorted out everything with my boss about going off on Long term sick, and started to prepare myself for staying in Hospital (by prepare I mean putting a upbeat and positive playlist on my Ipod and stocking up on magazines!)

I would be admitted to the hospital on the Sunday (21st), and taken down to theatre on Monday.

Straightness here I come!