Results of operation
The Day of Hell
This is very unpleasant reading
if you knew Anne, I suggest you might NOT want to read this.
scroll down to read
Died: Sunday 17, Sept 2006, 12.00 mid-day
The Final leg of the Marathon
Friday: Operation
Recovery:
By 2pm she still wasn't back from surgery, but something didn't feel right to me, so I decided to see if I could see her in the recovery room.
They wouldn't let me see her, saying that she was still being attended to in recovery.
I waited... but was feeling more and more uncomfortable.
It seemed a very long time before they came out to see me.
Two came out, and they looked worried...
I was expecting to hear very bad news...
and I wasn't far wrong.
Something had gone wrong...
She had apparently reacted badly to the anesthetic and had received very little oxygen during the operation.
After a quick warning, they rushed me to her side.
To say she was distraught would be an understatement.
At first, I didn't think it was still her...
Her eyes were rolled back, and she couldn't see or speak, she was terrified and was screaming out, trying to communicate without success. She was scared of everything and everyone around her, including the oxygen mask over her nose. I could tell she wanted me to help her, but I couldn't do much more than be there for her. The only words I could make out were, "I am mad!". I attempted to reassure her that she wasn't.
At the time I didn't realise it, but believe now that her stress was made even greater by her claustrophobia and phobia of things touching the bridge of her nose.
I could see that she needed to be with her family so I insisted that she be taken back to the ward immediately.
When she was back in the ward I removed the oxygen mask and held the oxygen hose to her nose until the normal prongs could be attached.
Gradually she calmed down and could be almost understood.
The Last Rites:
The priest was again requested to read the last rites, and this time he arrived within minutes.
As he read to her, she appeared to make a sound in all the correct places.
Pain:
When the priest left I realised that she was in a lot of pain...
The new pain pump was not working!
The tube from the pump into her spine was still full of saline... the drugs were not reaching her yet. Two boluses had been given, but it hadn't cleared the saline yet.
Because of the 15 minute limit before more bolus could be given, (and the only person able to over-ride the limit had left work for the day) Anne was in trouble and a lot of pain.
I asked her how the pain was, and she replied, "A hundred million bolus!"
The person was eventually brought back into work and gave two more boluses, then again returned later and gave about 5-7 more before the pain was covered.
Surgeon:
Then the surgeon returned all happy and smiling to report that the operation had gone very well, and even better news, that the tube was found to be not faulty after all.
I could just hear Anne say, as he walked out the door, "bastard". That was very much out of character.
Paranoid:
From that point on, she was paranoid about everything. The room was bugged, she was being spied on, video surveillance, did I trust that person? were they left-handed? were they right-handed? etc... She was sure they were out to kill her. or at least cause her lots of pain and harm.... she was of course wrong, but I can't blame her.
Night:
She struggled to breathe all night, and I discussed possible options with the nurses and with Anne
Pain:
emotional pain
physioterrorists
priest dies
