My experience- 7thApril2015- First Trust Hospital, Preston – Mr Mounir Started by: Vanessa

My admission time was 12 o clock in the afternoon and I had to fast for 6 hours before which meant no food or drinks from 6am. I did intend to wake up and have a quick cup of tea before this cut off but slept through my alarm!
So I woke at 7am and jumped in the shower and literally scrubbed my body till it was bright red with my exfoliating gloves and hibi scrub!
I jumped out of the shower, got dry and dressed and went and saw my mum for a while.
My friend collected me at 10am and we set off to Preston.
I arrived at First Trust Hospital at 11:30 and was shown straight to my room which had a TV and an en suite and was nice and clean.
A nurse came in and asked me to change into my gown, paper pants and stockings and to make myself at home then she would come do her obs.
About 20 minutes later she came down, asked lots of questions, took my blood pressure, pulse and temp and gave me my hospital bands.
About 20 minutes later the anaesthetist came in, repeated all the questions and spoke to me about my anxiety over canulating. He said because I’m allergic to penicillin and erythromycin that they wouldn’t give me any antibiotics through my canula or to take home post op as it is just a precaution and an allergic reaction isn’t worth the risk.
About an hour later a GP came in to ask all the same questions and talk to me about my allergies to antibiotics. He said they wouldn’t give me any through my canula but they would give me and alternative course to take home that isn’t penicillin or erythromycin.
Straight after the anaesthetist came in and said that there has been a delay and my op might be a bit late so did I want some water, I said yes and a nurse brought me some water and said I could drink until 2pm giving me about 45 minutes to clench my thirst.
Then the waiting game began the day was soo long and I was super hungry but I kept focusing on the outcome! A nurse popped her head in twice to say I wouldn’t be long!
At 4:20pm mr mounir came to draw on me and let me ask any questions, I dint have any and began to get excited!
However at 20 to 6 the anaesthetist popped his head in saying there has been a delay and I wouldn’t be going to surgery for another hour or so.
At 6:15 the nurse said I shouldn’t be too long now.
At 6:45 I walked down to theatre, the anaesthetist didn’t know the doctor had sorted me some antibiotics out for post op so had to go check. He got the canula in my tricky veins in one telling me he was giving me some gin and tonic now. I don’t even remember going to sleep.
I was wheeled back to my room at 7:45pm. Mr mounir apparently said by to my friend in the waiting room but he never spoke to me or even told me what implants he’d decided to put in me as I had left the decision up to him during surgery. I was in agonising pain as I came round and asked for painkillers but they refused me any pain meds. I was upset because I had spoken to another day case earlier that day who was post op and she had said when she came round and wasn’t comfortable they managed her pain really well and topped her up through her canula. I wasn’t topped up or explained to why I couldn’t.
This is where my experience turns sour. I was in so much pain and nobody came to see me to talk to me about my pain or why I was in pain or to check on me. My friend left the room twice within the hour to ask about pain meds and just kept being told not yet but nobody came to speak to me.
At 9:15 a nurse was checking my blood pressure and I asked her when I would be able to get some food and drink because again the other day case I’d seen earlier after her op had tea and toast given to her after she came round. The nurse looked at my notes and said “you can some food and drink and pain killers at 8:15 what time is it” “oh yeah you can have some now I’ll go get it”. So i was over an hour late for any food or drink and despite asking for pain relief was also over an hour late for them.
I got food, drink and tablets at 9:30pm I then asked when I would be discharged as my overnight hotel had a latest check in time of 11pm. They said they would try and hurry me because I didn’t want to have to pay extra for an overnight stay at the hospital when it wasn’t my fault my op was so late. No overnight care was offered though and I feel it should have been.
AS 10:30pm my friend went and chased them up and they came and fitted my bra and gave me my medication. I left at 10:45pm.
My overnight stay at the hotel was ok.

Overall my experience wasn’t the best. I have no complaints over the delays as I know and understand that these things happen, however if your op is so late i think it should a duty of care from MYA to grant free overnight care as if my op had been earlier I would have had a lot longer to come round and recover at the hospital. I believe that the nurses should have explained to ME why I couldn’t have any more pain relief post op and at least come to check up on me when my friend said I wasn’t coping and they shouldn’t have needed me to tell them I needed feeding.
I was hoping Mr. mounir would have spoken to me after recovery but I’m guessing as my op was so late this didn’t happen, however if it wasn’t for a booklet on my table I still wouldn’t know what implant sizes I had in.

I hope the rest of my aftercare makes up for this blip in my journey because I do LOVE my boobs so far and think Mr Mounir is a lovely man!