Wobbles and Bedsocks

I must confess to having a few wobbles on the days leading up to surgery. I had to have a look at this and dip into my toolkit. How could something I had no previous experience of be causing me anxiety? I realised that the internal script I was running was based on images I'd constructed. In my mind, having an operation was going to involve being dressed in a starched white robe, lying on a hard trolley and being pushed, at speed, along a brightly lit corridor with the theme tune to 'Emergency Ward 10' playing in the background! Deconstructing this image, putting some space in between my thoughts and accompanying feelings and seeing the humour in it all, allowed the anxiety to subside to a level that was manageable. How grateful I was to the wisdom of NLP and Mindfulness supported by the energy of Reiki for this!

I woke up on Wednesday 5th September feeling worried. Worried because I didn't feel worried! I can't say I was exactly looking forward to waving goodbye to Lumpy and the Lymph Nodes (can anyone else see the potential band name there?) However, the Reiki
Cloud that my support team had enveloped me in was certainly doing its stuff and we set off to Burnley with my calmness only interrupted by irritation at myself for being late.

Arriving at the hospital, we were greeted by a friendly nursey face and Chris was reassured and told to phone at lunchtime. This was a low point for Chris as we'd hoped she'd be able to stay with me. However, I was fine as there was lots to occupy me. First, there was paperwork and a consent form to sign and the nurse explained exactly what would happen and in what order. I was first on the list and next I met the anaesthetist who was equally informative and reassuring. Another nurse helped me put on a less than attractive pair of white stockings to prevent DVT during and after surgery. I remember thinking I'd have won more badges in the Brownies if only I'd had such clean socks during my days as a Sprite paramilitary. May-be that wise old Brown Owl knew back then that one day clean white socks may well save my life?! 

Before very long the surgeon came to see me. This was the first day this particular area of the hospital had been used for breast surgery and there wasn't an examination bed available in the cubicles. So we had a little bonding-time walk down the corridor to a clinical room where I could be examined and the exact location of Lumpy identified and marked with a big blue cross.

Back to my cubicle for a couple more checks to make sure they had the right patient. I barely had time to take a selfie with a sick bowl on my head before off we went to theatre. No hard trolley, no bright lights, no EW10 theme tune. Just a gentle walk from my cubicle into the side room next to the operating theatre. Then a lovely anaesthetic nurse plugged me in to various machines, reassured me she'd be there when I woke up, gently applied the oxygen mask and talked to me as I drifted off to LaLa land. It really was that easy and I can't think of any way that any member of staff could have been kinder to me!



                                                                                                                                           Liz x