"a place where patient care is a top priority"

I arrived in early January. I had been waiting 3 years for surgery to repair a hernia, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.

From the moment I was admitted, the nursing and medical teams treated me with dignity, respect and care. 

The nursing staff guided me to my bed, went through the necessary paperwork, and explained what would happen during the day, answering any questions I had.

I was then visited by the anaesthetist, who asked me a number of questions, then the surgeons who would be carrying out the operation. Again, my concerns and questions were answered honestly and openly. It would be necessary to have open surgery due to the size of the hernia, and as I'd never had any kind of invasive surgery (I'm in my sixties) I was a little nervous.

In due course, I was wheeled down to the pre-op room, where again the nurse let me know how the operation would proceed and assured me I'd be looked after throughout.

The last thing I remember is the anaesthetist putting the needle in my arm, then waking up in the ward afterwards.

The consultants visited briefly to confirm the operation had been successful, then a nurse checked my dressing and gave me a course of pain killers, codeine tablets to be followed by paracetamol tablets, explaining how my recovery would progress. The wound was held together with 7 staples.

I was duly discharged late afternoon, and then the first 6 or 7 days after the operation were quite difficult, even with the painkillers, in part because I could feel the staples pulling against my skin when I moved and was aware of the area of the surgery starting to heal . 

However, from the start of the second week, I started to feel much better each day, and had my staples removed on the second Friday after the operation, which I was nervous about, but all was fine, I only felt a slight "nip."

As I'm retired, I'm able to continue to take it easy as my recovery continues, and was able to drive at the weekend with only minimal discomfort.

I would like to use this forum to ask that my thanks is passed on to each member of the team who looked after me. I would have no hesitation in recommending Daisy Hill hospital as a place where patient care is a top priority based on my own experience.