Week 3 - 21st June til 29th June

So another week slides quietly by!  Well maybe not so quietly!!  It was a busy week, culminating in another operation on my birthday (28th June).  I should have been aware that having an operation at the weekend wasn't a great idea!  Problem is, and there is no massive blame from me on this one, there are less skilled staff around.  I know they have standards to comply with and I am confident that the chap who got all dressed up to perform my procedure didn't really mean to mess it up!  But he did as it turned out and he didn't put a long enough drain on the end of the shunt he fitted!

 24" extension added!!!

To add some detail, I was in bed, on my back, for another week with a drain fitted all week.  The plan this time was to leave my drain in until Sunday morning, remove it pretty early, and whizz me off for immediate surgery!  I'm not 100% sure why it was planned that way, but it was and you have to go with the plan.   And to be honest I was well ready to have the operation done.  After a week of buzz, off, wee, buzz, on, it was all getting a bit much!  So I signed the authority paperwork and we planned the operation for Sunday morning!

At around 6am I was woken by a surgeon who came to remove the temporary drain.  That all seemed to go fairly well.  Then we had to wait a while for a recovery bed to be available before they would y are me to the theatre.  Not sure how long the operation actually was, but maybe an hour or two?  All seemed good and I was woken to be told that all was good and that I was back at the ward, rather than in recovery!  Two days later I was discharged!

However, the list of drugs they gave me was pretty long and I had to taken then either side of food, etc.  All a bit inconvenient, but I guess you make it all work don't you.  I also had 2 more dates in my diary, for check up appointments!  Today was the Monday, and I was due in for the first check up on Thursday, so not long to wait.  All was good that day and everyone seemed happy with my progress.  The surgeon who did the stitch and staple removal was the chap who'd done the operation, so all was well.  I came home but really struggled with a bad head and no energy.  And the following day the wound sites were swelling!   Pam and I decided to struggle on without consultation as I was due to see the main surgeon on the following Monday anyway.  We kept the appointment and Damien took one look at the job and threw his arms in the air.  He'd recognised a classic "shunt too short" reaction!  He booked me straight into the unit for a revision!  That revision involves a 2' (yes, feet!!) extension!  Apparently, it is coiled up neatly inside me!!  Delicious.