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Surgery:

    Seven thirty a.m. on January 13th 2003 arrived and found me dressed in a theatre gown and white stockings waiting on my hospital bed at the Central Middlesex hospital. I was scheduled as the first patient on the surgeon's list for the day, so I anticipated an early trip to the operating theatre and a visit from my wife later in the day. Neither of these things happened.

     The ward was crowded with groups of doctors attending to their morning rounds of patients and my surgeon appeared accompanied by a registrar. Some kind of pen was used to mark the location of the incisions on my neck. A brief chat ensued during which I became aware, for the first time, that the procedure would take in excess of five hours. This was an unpleasant surprise which made me suddenly aware of just how complex the procedure was that I was about to undergo.  To make matters worse, due to an emergency, there was a six hour delay before I was taken to the theatre. This meant I had not drunk or eaten anything for over sixteen hours, and I was extremely anxious after the long wait.

     The anaesthetist asked the usual questions while inserting lines into my hands and shoulder, then placed a mask over my mouth and nose. A couple of deep breaths was enough to turn the lights out.  I awoke in the intensive care suite connected to a selection of tubes, some carrying fluids in, others carrying fluids out. Fortunately I was in no pain and promptly fell asleep again until the following morning, when I was moved back to the general ward.

      The residual anaesthetic made every limb feel like lead, and it hurt to breath in due to a partially deflated lung. This was reinflated by having me marched up and down the corridor, dragging all my drips and drains with me, until I became breathless. This bizarre spectacle drew pitying looks from passing strangers, but proved clinically effective. Each day I had intravenous antibiotics to ward off nasty bugs, cyclizine to stop nausea, and an aspirin injection to prevent blood clots. The only position which didn't hurt was sitting up against my pillows, so this is how I rested and slept.

     After four more days the wound drains and intravenous lines were removed so I could, to my great relief, go home.