"My right hip replacement op"

My orthopedic pre-assessment for a right hip replacement took place in May 2023. After one and a half hours of merriment with the jovial nursing staff trying to find my heartbeat, apparently, it is too quiet.

In August at 07:00, I turned up at the NTC for my Op. Unfortunately, my medical records were missing, but they eventually arrived, and I was taken into the theatre at about 11:00. The anaesthesiologist’s team, a cheerful and good-humoured bunch immediately put me at ease and got me ready for my Op. I heard a few bangs and then it was 15:15, and I woke up in recovery. The Op went well.

The next few days did not go well, apparently I was broken and needed to be fixed. I had caught a couple of non-op infections (chest/urine) and they prevented me from making progress and literally, “getting on my feet”.

The doctors wanted me up and about, I tried, with helping hands, to no avail. My mind was willing, but my body would not play ball. Due to my non-op-related infections, I stayed for 11 nights. My stay was a mixture of laughs, jokes and pain-level 5 calls. The friendly cheerful nursing staff were always there, and nothing was too much trouble. I made a comment to one young nurse, “I could murder a plate of scrambled eggs”, she replied, “You get the eggs, and I will scramble them for you”. A quick phone call home, 4 eggs delivered, and true to her word “the scrambled eggs were delicious”.

The NTC is a great facility, and a nice environment for recovery after major surgery. From top to bottom, the teams work wonders. Individually, and as team players, they are friendly, caring and patient-focused.