*2 Days before surgery I got a call from the Surgeon to discuss my nickel allergy, as the parts used will have nickel inside!! However I have had screws before in hips, femur so hopefully that means it can go ahead as planned, also found out hardware comes out at a later date too.*

Today’s the Day, nerves are kicking in, but I’m very keen to get it done too. As the run up to surgery day the left hand has got more and more painful, and limited in movement. Worse still I’ve come on my menstrual cycle which is heavy and painful, what awful timing!!

At 1am in the morning is when I had to stop eating and drinking tea or coffee, and 6am is when I had to stop drinking water. This is also the time we have to set off for our 7am check in.

I’ve worn a pair of leggings, slip on shoes, baggy t-shirt and cardigan. I have my dressing gown, phone, charger, headphones in a bag. Thankfully I have books on my phone, so I can read, blog and scroll through various sites while I wait.

Once we get there it’s bedlam, so busy. It’s one big waiting room, and no companion can stay, so we say our goodbyes and I settle to wait. I’m given a cup as I’m allowed sips of water from it, each hour.

Could be waiting a while… Sent my Dad his birthday wishes as it’s today as well.

I’m marked up on the left. Discuss that there is 2 options of plates and screws and they will decide which is best once they open up the hand. But the bigger plate is favoured for a more robust hand afterwards. We also discussed that they are doing a ulna bone graft as well, to give the cmc the best chance to fuse well. So it’s a soft case for 2 weeks, then a hard cast for 6 weeks.

I got called through to the next waiting room, here it was peaceful and I could snooze a bit. Stayed there for 2 hours, and then I was finally being called through!! Eek I’m so nervous.

Had a cannula put into the right hand, ted compression stockings were required. And after antibiotics and whatever else they put in the cannula, it was time to do the nerve block in the armpit of the left hand. Won’t lie the electric shock sensation wasn’t pleasant but wasn’t too painful either. After 20mins we tested to see if it was numb, it was so at 2pm we were ready for surgery to begin.

You have the option to take your phone and headphones in, so I listened to #Morbid one of my favourite true crime podcasts. So I wouldn’t try and ear wig over the surgeons conservations 😜

At 3.30pm the tourniquet was really painful and the drilling, sawing vibrations were hurting my armpit, so the anaesthetist got some propofol to help settle it, which worked a treat, as this allowed me to snooze a bit, it would work for 30 mins, then I’d wake up again and feel it, so it would be topped up and morphine too, as it had started to really hurt. By 5pm it was finishing up, x-rays done, stitches put in, and bandaged up.

Admissions where I started had closed by this point, so I had to go to a ward. But this meant I could eat a bit, have a much needed drink. And more importantly ring Mr Moon to collect me. A long old day, 11 hours since I was dropped out. Took a further 1hr 30mins to get the prescription meds a d discharge note. Homeward bound and home for 9pm. Now the resting begins… Wonder how long the nerve block lasts for? Got to wear TED stockings for 6 weeks to help prevent blood clots as I’m classed as high risk, but no injections.