being a patient

okay now I've learnt:
- not just how to put an LMA down somebody's throat but to do it as gently as possible because waking up with a really sore throat is not fun
- that i should perform jaw thrusts as kindly as possible because the bruising and neck stiffness is going to persist for days
- that how you deal with the patient immediately before the operation (ie smiling, being warm, putting them at ease) is so important

and that's pretty much it because i can't remember the sting of propofol, or what dreams i had, or whether i was even told to count to ten. i blame it on the midaz.

in any case, i can't really claim to have experienced what my patients go through, because getting your wisdom teeth out isn't really the same as having your gall bladder out. and given all my morbid thoughts the day before the operation, i was surprisingly cheerful on the day itself. being pushed around on the trolley was fun, and when i woke up there was jelly and ice cream and all this nice stuff to eat. i didn't really like my drip, but the nurse took it out for me pretty soon after i woke up.

of course, my happiness was short lived. when i woke up yesterday morning, the long-acting LA had worn off. it gave me a new appreciation for all of my ice packs. this was partially my fault because my pharmacological analgesia was supposed consist of NSAIDs and Panadeine Forte but because i'd never had any codeine before the anaesthetist decided i should just have prn paracetamol, and i was too lazy to find my paracetamol so i just ended up having NSAIDs. it's the highest dose i've ever had, so i'm hydrating myself like mad (see: association between NSAIDs and acute renal failure).

this morning when i woke up, my sutures had dissolved, and.. suffice it to say that i had to wash my face and mouth very carefully. and then of course i had to go to my neuro kit and fish out a pen torch so that i could examine the clotting progress. it was still quite a fresh clot which then made me wonder whether i should just skip my morning NSAIDs (see: association between NSAIDs and platelet dysfunction), but in the end i decided that i couldn't deal with the pain.