My Highgate review.. long post sorry. Started by: Sian

I went to Highgate hospital in London on the 19th Feb. i had a full tummy tuck with muscle repair and a breast uplift (no implants) I stayed for two nights in the hospital.

My appointment was for 12.30 I seem to remember (could of been 12) My hubby came with me. I made myself get up and eat 6 and a half hours before my check in time so I eat at 6am! then I went back to bed for a while. lol I had home made muesli so it would fill me up and I wouldn’t be hungry as I kept reading all the time on the forum how people were starving before the op.
I parked up outside on the main road as there are free parking bays after a certain hour and the actual Highgate carpark is small.

My room was lovely. I had a private bathroom with a shower and a wardrobe, chair and a TV on the wall.
You do not need to take your V pillow or anything like that as the bed is electric and you can adjust it to suit. The bed was really comfortable too and I only had two pillows. The bed bends under your legs if needed and sits quite upright to help you get out of bed.
After I unpacked I sat on the bed watching the Olympics. I did take magazines but really didn’t have time to read them.
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Someone came in to see that I was OK and then someone else came in to fill a long list of questions out with me.. I remember one question was..how many pillows do I sleep with at home (strange question I thought) I had someone come in and ask what I wanted to eat after my op.. There was also food available for my hubby.. you just need to say he wants a meal too and he can eat all meals with you..including breakfast. You can also say the time you want to eat.. So for breakfast I said 10 am so that would give my hubby enough time to get to me
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I had to strip off and put my gown on but left the paper knickers till the last minute as they were horrid lol oh and i had to pee in a tube so they could make sure i wasn’t pregnant.
Mr Singh came in to see me and mark me up.. then he came in again later with a spirit level hahahaha. He was funny and nice and I wasn’t scared at all.
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Nurse came to get me and I think it was about 4pm but it could of been a bit later. I cant remember. It was now, as I entered the lift and hubby left me to go to the car to go and try and find a hotel room as i was going to be 4 hrs! that I had a little cry. Hubby kissed me goodbye.
Nurse said abruptly to me in the lift..’why are you crying’.. I looked at her and said..’ because I’m scared’ (she wasn’t very nice)
I got taken to a room where I had to lie down. As soon as I entered the room I said to the nurse there..’please don’t show me any needles as I will be sick or faint’ I didn’t see any, she kept them away from me.
I lay on the bed thing and my gown was undone from the back but still covered me and they covered me with a blanket. The abrupt nurse wasn’t talking to me.. I really didn’t like her so I said..’ Are you bored with your job as you don’t look very happy’ Oh so all of a sudden she started to talk to me. I talked about my children and my job so I was distracted from the needle going into my hand.. It didn’t hurt and I cant even remember it now. I told the two nurses with me that I was feeling sleepy now and that was it.
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Woke up in a different room to a nurse saying to me ‘on a count of 1 to 10..10 being the highest, what pain are you In’ I said 7 so she gave me more pain stuff through my drip… there was a guy in the same room as me and they were about to push his bed back to his room. he kept saying i want to go home now and trying to get out of bed. I tried to lift my head to see him but it was heavy. he sat bolt upright at one point and he had bandages all over his head and side of face. he was trying to take them off and I asked what he had had done. nurse said a face lift. I shouted to him as he was wheeled out.. ‘ You are so naughty’ lol omg how embarrassing!

I thought I had my clothes on and asked who had dressed me and who had gone to my home to fetch my brown boots as i didn’t bring them with me and I had them on.. i didn’t i had compression socks on and they had put an all in one compression garment on me and that’s what I could feel.
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I was wheeled back to my room, happy and fine and not in pain. hubby was waiting for me and my bed that I was on got put into position, nurses made sure I was comfy then left. I asked hubby for a drink so he got up and started to hobble round my bed and he was in pain.. Long story but it turned out he broke his leg in two places on the pavement up the road from Highgate , hobbled back to my room, and waited for me to return said Hi, kissed me and then left to go and get checked out. I couldn’t call him as his battery died and I felt very lonely. Hubby was amazed at how alert I was and thought I wouldn’t notice his little yelps!
Some one came in to see if i wanted my dinner but I wasn’t hungry at all. I needed to eat to be able to take some of my meds so a young male nurse bought me some toast. then left….. it was cold, the butter was hard and I couldn’t lift my arms. I ended up eating it dry as I just couldn’t butter it and I tried to have a little cry as i felt helpless but I couldn’t cry.. I had no tummy muscles to be able to cry.
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The night nurse came and asked me if i wanted sleeping pills and i said yes.. She bought them for me.. I cant remember her name now.. I think she was called Catherine or something like that. She was the loveliest nurse ever. She chatted to me and we were telling each other funny stories.I woke a few times in the night and tried to get a drink. My arm brushed my nipples and I reached up and I could feel them.. I couldn’t stop smiling, after all these years Id actually had my tummy tuck and uplift and I could feel my nipples. lol… I was worried that i would sensation in everything and it wouldn’t come back.
I tried to text and kept falling asleep with the phone in my hands. Woke up about 5am and waited a bit then called Catherine as I needed to pee for the first time and I wanted her to help me as she knocked off at 6am.
OMG the pain. The burning feeling between my legs. Nurse had to call for help to get me out of bed then I felt as though I was going to faint and she had to get an oxygen mask for me. So im sitting on this chair in my room with a potty under it and could I pee.. nope. It took half an hour and then I had to ask to actually sit on a proper toilet as that might help. I had to pee in a cardboard thing attached to the loo so they could monitor how much I did.
Anyway… back to bed and fell asleep again. Woke up to the sound of hubby in room. I was so happy to see him.

Drifted in and out of sleep all day. Food was fine staff were all lovely.. ESPECIALLY Ula (not sure how to spell or pronounce her name) She was the patient coordinator. She was an Angel… She just needed wings. Her hair was perfect, her skin was perfect, her smile was perfect and her figure was perfect. She kept floating in and out of my room to see if i was OK and my hubby was OK.. We both loved her.
I had to walk up and down the corridor a few times a day to make me mobile and to move my blood supply. I needed my own dressing gown for this as my compression garment was open at the crutch.
Nothing was too much trouble for the staff at Highgate but of course i had my favorites and i couldn’t wait for Catherine to come back on the night shirt.

I never got to see Mr Singh after my op (although i was told he was standing right next to me as I came round) as he took ill. So i never new what he did to me. Anyway as i was checking out… and i should add, that it wasn’t rushed and I could really leave when I wanted to . it took me over an hour from when they said I could go, before I started to get my clothes on. Mr Sigh called me from his hospital bed somewhere and told me what he had done and hadn’t done.. It was so lovely of him to actually call me when he himself was in hospital very ill. I was very impressed and i think that just shows what kind of person he is. Lovely!

I was wheeled out in a wheelchair and loads of people helped me into our car.. Hubby set off for the long journey home and felt ill and thought i was going to be sick.. All i wanted to do was go back to hospital. but hubby ignored me although he was worried and he drove on home..

xxxxx I miss Highgate hospital even now 9 wks on xxxx