Blog > Thoughts > Sean's Thoughts > I Had Surgery Recently
I Had Surgery Recently
Written by Sean on Friday, June 12, 2009
Indeed, I recently had a relatively minor operation, which involved complete anaesthesia recently. No, it wasn’t *the* surgery we are all after. But it was interesting on many fronts nonetheless.
It was a first for me. I’ve delt with many medical professionals as a wheelchair user, but never underwent actual procedures like that as a paraplegic. This time, I had been using a wheelchair all along, from initial visit with the specialist to getting myself to hospital for surgery and leaving the hospital afterwards. There are often several experiences that we look forward to, milestones, if you will. Flying as a paraplegic is a big one, usualy. It never crossed my mind until recently that dealing with a non-routine, yet non-BIID related medical event could be one of those.
The entire medical team thinks I’m a para. That went well. Some day, it’ll probably blow in my face, but right now, it’s all good. It was good in many ways. I wasn’t questionned about the reason I use the chair, it was just there. That felt good. The wheelchair is just a part of me, it’s not a big deal.
Another thing that was good was when I went from the gurney to the actual operation table. They pushed the gurney to the theater, placed it beside the operating table. One of the (male) nurses asked how was my mobility and could I get transferred to the table. I said that it shouldn’t be a problem. The anaesthetist said “no way”, and they got a slide/transfer board. About 1.2m wide, and 2m long. A couple mm thick/thin. They put on a purple sheet, which looked like a very slippery material, and tucked that under the sheets on my gurney. They log rolled me to my left side, slid the board under me. Then log rolled me to my right, slid me to the table, and rolled me back on my back. The experience was new for me, and *very* good for my soul. It was acknowledging in a way that I *was* a para. Although I know I’m not.
I was having daydreams of being awoken from surgery, and that not only would they have done the procedure, but they’d also have thrown in a spinal cord transection. Obviously, that didn’t happen, more’s the pity. Ahh, what a wish. <sigh>
As I waited for my ride, a boy of about ten, and his mum walked passed me. He had his arm in a sling just like me and was moaning about not being able to use his arm. I said outloud that at least he didn’t have to push a wheelchair one-handed. He looked at me with big eyes. Mum laughed and said “see, you’re lucky!”. She winked at me and mouthed “thanks”. That was cool.
And life goes on. I’m still not paralysed. I’m still using a wheelchair. But I have one more experience in my "bag of tricks"
Tags: BIID, Paralysis, Paraplegic, Surgery, Wheelchair
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10 Comments
So glad it went well Sean. It was good to be able to continue pretending all the while. When you came round and they waited to see if you could pee. Did you just let it flow? Or did they put a catheter in right away knowing about your “SCI”?
Peter
PS sorry for all these posts – I’m eager to get the 1000th-post party going !!
4 On 12 June, 2009, Sean said:
Of course it was probably health and safety. I don’t care, it was a neat experience :)
Wow, Sean, this must have been a real adventure! lil’ jealous i am ;-)..the only thing that would make me hesitate from beeing operated as a biid-para is: what if the anaestesia fades in or out, you’re only half-concious and you start moving legs without realizing it. When i was working as a nurse, I have lived, that patients getting asleep or awake in the surgery unit are doing funny, sometimes unpredictable things and would’nt remember afterwards..just a thought from a careful, sometimes maybe too scared para-biid-girl ;-)
Lane says, “Less (info) is more. People see what they want to see and will fill in their own explanation, as necessary.”
I absolutely agree, out of my experience using braces and crutches. I overheard more than one parent explaining polio to a kid, out of my earshot as they thought. I felt like a relic of a bygone age, but those who lived through that age knew what they were looking at, or thought they did.
I have never done any surgery in my whole life, but I’m curious about the anaesthesia effect.
My only fear is that if someday I have it, I start moving my legs while I’m waking up. Is that possible? I mean… I’m not sure, but There are some involuntary reactions, aren’t?
8 On 16 September, 2009, Sean said:
Everything’s possible. :) I’ve not had that problem in the past.
I might be needing some knee surgery within the next year and if I do have it then it’ll be under spinal anasthetic. All my friends think I’m wierd for not minding if I need the surgery or not but truthfully I really want it because of the experiene of a spinal anasthetic (basically an epidural, temporary SCI) and the fact that I’d need crutches or wheelchair for 12 weeks after and nobody could disagree! I’m hoping I’ll be able to drag that 12 weeks on and on, maybe even turn it into forever.
It’d be even better if I could present in the hospital as a para all along but that’s not going to be possible, and this way I can show my curiosity about feeling paraplegic anyway.
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1 On 12 June, 2009, Sophie said:
Hate to say it but it was probably more the health and safety so and sos that caused them to transfer you properly to the operating table than the fact that you were a para.
In my nursing training we had to spend time at that hospital learning about safe transfers and stuff, but sadly I was too nervous and self conscious to volunteer as a “patient” myself. At that point I wasn’t aware that such a thing as BIID existed beyond my own personal shameful feelings.