I have a date ...

GraceB

... for my ankle op. This will be 8th July. Consultant told me in clinic I'll have to be at the hospital early and from experience with this hospital, I know this means 7am. Luckily I am only a 20 minute drive away. This will be a day case so I'll be home in the afternoon. No news yet of my pre-op appointment and not had the paperwork yet, but I only had the date confirmed this last week.

Not sure yet how I'm going to get to the hospital on the day of the op. My other half isn't well, but I've asked him to think if he could drive my car back if I drove there, but due to the time of day I doubt this will happen somehow. I suspect I'll have the luxury of travelling by taxi but I'm not looking forward to finding out the fare for this! :roll:

My lovely neighbour has already offered to take me in but she's 75, physically frail and struggles with mobility herself so I won't be accepting her kind offer. Leaving here at 6.30am is too early for her. However, I may well ask her to pick me up in the afternoon as, if my other half does take me, he'll be exhausted and not safe to drive in the afternoon. (He has M.E. - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - and progressive prostate cancer). My neighbour knows where the hospital is as she's had two hip replacements there herself.

GraceB

stickywicket

That's good news, Grace. I hope all goes well. Shame about the transport. Have you other friends who would step in? I know it's early but Mr SW and a couple of friends regularly take each other to the airport at unfriendly hours. Mind you, a taxi might be expensive but should be reliable. Good luck!

GraceB

Thanks for your reply Sticky. One friend would but she is notoriously unreliable. She'll say she'll meet me at 10am for example and then turn up at 10.30am when I've just given up waiting for her. Other local friends don't drive or haven't got cars.

If I book a local taxi they'll know how long to allow at that time of the morning.

GraceB

juliep123

Best of luck , I hope everything goes well for you and that you manage to get transport sorted out When I'm at my clinic a few patients are brought in by ambulance. Would it be worth asking about this at the hospital? Even if its just to get you home safely.
Julie x

dreamdaisy

My hospital offers a transport service, I wonder if yours does? I won't be around too much at the time of your operation because it's our wedding anniversary on the 9th but I will be thinking of you. DD

Slosh

Hope it goes well for you and that you can sort your transport problem out.

stickywicket

I've used hospital transport for attending clinics in the era between my giving up driving and Mr SW retiring. It hadn't occurred to me that it might be available for operations but I don't think I'd like to risk it. It always assumed that appointment times were exceptionally fluid. OK for rheumatology but not if you've been fasting for an op which might then be cancelled as you weren't there.

frogmorton

Well-done Grace!!

I am so pleased for you and very glad it's day-case so you can be home with OH afterwards

Could you run to a taxi I wonder or look at hospital transport?? The last thing you need is to put too much pressure on your OH or equally important, too much worry on yourself

Love

Toni xxx

theresak

I'm glad you've got a date for your op, and hope you can get transport sorted. I'll be away on holiday then, but hope it goes well for you, and wish you a speedy recovery.

GraceB

Thank you for your messages and support.

In the past when I've gone to a London NHS Hospital I did get hospital transport. This impending operation is being done under the NHS Choose & Book, but at a private hospital so there isn't any help with transport, sadly.

My neighbour has confirmed she can pick me up in the afternoon, the journey in the morning is still to be decided whether it's a taxi or not. Once I get the paperwork I'll get my other half to confirm either way as I'll need to book at least a couple of weeks ahead if I'm getting a taxi.

My ankle the last few days has been absolutely awful. Last night I was rocking in pain with it and ended up having to take 150mg of Tramadol instead of 100mg just to make it bearable so I could go to bed. On top of that there was my usual two 500mg paracetamols and I was still struggling. I'm heading that way again at the moment sadly. :roll:

I am elevating the foot in the evening as that's when the swelling gets bad. I can tell when it's starting to swell as the skin starts to get very slightly itchy - almost as if I have an ant crawling over it, if that makes sense? Don't know how else to describe it.

I appreciate your support, help, advice and guidance.

GraceB

littleelf

Oh good luck and I hope you recover quickly x

GraceB

Thank you.
GraceB